Culture of West Bengal

Rabindranath Tagore, the most important cultural figure of West Bengal.

The culture of West Bengal is an Indian Culture which has its roots in the Bengali literature, music, fine arts, drama and cinema. People of West Bengal share their cultural heritage with the neighbouring Bangladesh (erstwhile known as East Bengal). West Bengal has a long tradition of popular literature, music and drama largely based on Bengali folklore and Hindu epics and Puranas. This culture evolved during the last millennium. During the 19th century, Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta), the modern capital of West Bengal, was the centre place of the cultural rejuvenation movement known as the Bengal Renaissance as well as the Hindu reform movements. In the early 20th century, Rabindranath Tagore, the first Nobel laureate from Bengal became the most important figure of Bengali culture. At the same time, cinema became one of the integral part of this culture.

The Indian state of West Bengal was created in 1947 after the partition of India. Rabindanath Tagore’s influence remained intact in this state till today. In the 1950’s, the Cinema of West Bengal gained a new height with the arrival of some internationally acclaimed film directors like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak.

Religion, specially Hinduism, the principal religion at 72.5% of the total population, plays a vital role in the culture of West Bengal. Durga Puja, a five-day annual autumnal celebration of Hindu goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, a Minotaur-like demon, is the biggest festival of the state. The Festival of Kali, the guardian deity of Bengal, is also celebrated with great enthusiasm. Other important festivals include the seasonal festivals introduced by Rabindranath Tagore, book fairs, film and drama festivals and traditional village fairs etc.

West Bengal is home to two of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Sundarban National Park and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway).

Literature

The Bengali language boasts a rich literary heritage, shared with neighbouring Bangladesh. West Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Shreekrishna Kirtana, Thakurmar Jhuli, and stories related to Gopal Bhar. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, Bengali literature was modernized in the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Jibananda Das and Manik Bandyopadhyay. In modern times Jibanananda Das, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Manik Bandopadhyay, Ashapurna Devi, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Buddhadeb Guha, Mahashweta Devi, Samaresh Majumdar, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay among others are well known.

Cloth

Cloth in West Bengal are very advantage tradition in India.In the urban area,men wear shirt and pant,some wear jeans and T-shirt and women wear sari and half blouse or jeans also after marriage and before marriage girls use top,jeans and tight T-shirt in urban area and also some rural areas.In the rural area(in village) men use shirt,T-shirl and pant or lungi and women use sari and before marriage frock,jeans,top,pant.Girls in West Bengal do not use orna(a thin and long cloth) in urban and rural area.Some girls use orna but in her neck like a fashion.Bengali girls totally copy fashion from western culture.

Events

• Durga Puja
• Bengali New Years Day
• Basanta-Utsab
• Saraswati Puja

Music

• Rabindra Sangeet
• Nazrul Geeti
• Adhunik
• Shyamasangeet
• Jibonmukhi
• Bangla band
• Flock song
• Bengali Rock song

Literary Movement

• Hungryalists

Dance

• Gaudiya Nritya
• Rabindra Nritya
• Adhunik Nritya