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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 |
