The reservoir of Calcutta people
is very comprehensive consisting not just of Bengali people,
but also a number of other ethnicities. People of Kolkata
India can be divided into a number of categories, namely,
Ghotis from West Bengal and Bangals from East Bengal, Biharis,
Marwaris, Oriyas, Anglo-Indians, Chinese, Tamils, Telegus,
Malayalees, Gujaratis, Assamese, Marathis, Parsees, Nepalese
and Caucasian Europeans.
Most of the ethnic groups are living peacefully in Calcutta.
However, the relations between Hindus and Muslims are little
tensed. Migrants from world over form part of Kolkata's society.
Each ethnicity represents a unique feature of its own. Parsees,
who inhabited Calcutta before the British had taken over,
were converted into entrepreneurs by the colonial powers
Punjabis form a major part of Calcutta's population. They
have made an incredible contribution in the fields of irrigation,
warfare, technology, arts & crafts, commerce, and business.
Chinese people deserve the credit for promoting the religious
values and practices of Buddhism and Confucianism. Marwaris
today hold high positions in the cotton, jute and banking
industry.
Calcutta Religion
Being a cosmopolitan city, Kolkata represents a blend of different
religions. Majority of people inhabiting Calcutta are Hindus.
Muslims are in minority. Other minority communities include
Christians, Buddhist, Sikhs and Jains. Thus, the religion
of Bengal India is not very clear. Read on to know more about
the religion of Kolkata West Bengal…
On the basis of religious sects, Hindus can be further classified
into a number of categories ranging from monotheists to polytheists.
The largest religious sect follows Vaishnavism. In the traditional
caste hierarchy, the highest position is held by the Brahmins,
who are considered to be the main guardians of sacred scriptures.
After Brahmins, the next caste in order of the precedence
is that of Vaidyas followed by Kshatriyas and Sudras.
Calcutta Folk Music
It is very difficult to trace the origin of Bengali music,
but it can be said that it has seen lot of variations. The
reservoir of traditional music of Kolkata, India is very comprehensive
and can be classified into distinctive categories. One among
them is the Calcutta folk music, which in itself provides
a number of options to choose from.
Here is given an overview of different kinds of Bengali
music:
Folks Songs
Baul - these are the songs sung by a specific group of people
known as Bauls.
Kirtan - religious songs that are mostly sung in chorus.
Bhatiali - these songs are more commonly sung by the boatmen.
S.D.Burman experimented a lot with these tunes and used them
in several popular modern songs.
Majlishi Classical Songs - thungri, toppa
Devotional Songs - Ramprasadi, ShyamaSangeet, Bhaktigeeti
Rabindra Sangeet - songs written and tuned by Rabindranath
Tagore
General Modern Bengali Songs- Film and non-film songs
Ganasangeet- these songs convey a social message and are usually
sung in chorus.
Classical Music
Vocal - Kheyal, different ragas.
Instrumental - Sitar, Sarod, Flute, Tabla
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