Culture of Kolkata: Exploring the Cultural Capital of India

Kolkata is perhaps the most important cultural centre of India. The city is the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought and of Indian nationalism, and its citizens have made great efforts to preserve Indian culture and civilization.

The blending of Eastern and Western cultural influences over the centuries has stimulated the creation of numerous and diverse organizations that contribute to Kolkata’s cultural life. 

In addition to the universities, these include the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Bengal Literary Society (Bangiya Sahitya Parishad), the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, and the Maha Bodhi Society.

 

 

 

Art Culture

Kolkatans have long been active in literary and artistic pursuits. The city saw the dawn of the mid-19th-century literary movement that sparked a cultural renaissance throughout India. The best exponent of this movement was Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature of 1913, whose remarkable creativity in poetry, music, drama, and painting continues to enrich the cultural life of the city.

Kolkata remains at the vanguard of artistic movements in the country, and several artists’ societies present annual shows.

 

 

Kolkata is also a centre of traditional and contemporary music and dance. In 1934 Tagore inaugurated the first All-Bengal Music Conference in Kolkata. Since then, a number of classical Indian music conferences have been held every year. The home of many classical dancers, Kolkata was the location of Uday Shankar’s experiments at adapting Western theatrical techniques to traditional dance forms. The school of dance, music, and drama founded by him has been in the city since 1965.

Professional drama got its start in Kolkata in the 1870s with the founding of the National Theatre (later replaced by the Minerva Theatre). Modern dramatic forms were pioneered in the city by such playwrights as Girish Chandra Ghosh and Dirabandhu Mitra. Kolkata is still an important centre of professional and amateur theatre and of experimental drama.

The city also has been a pioneering centre of motion-picture production in India. The avant-garde film directors Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen have achieved international acclaim. There are scores of cinemas in the city, which regularly show films in English, Bengali, and Hindi.

 

 

Religious Culture

 

The religious antiquity shares a significant part in the cultural heritage of Kolkata. The majestic buildings across the city of Kolkata, adorned with the Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental and Indo-Islamic motifs utter the fact that Kolkata was once colonized by those civilizations and religious groups. Kolkata shares the status of a multi-ethnic city till date.

From Dakhineshwar to Metiabruz Imambara or from St Paul’s Cathedral to Magen David Synagogue or from Fire temple to Chitpur Jain Temple, this city has an amalgamation of religious culture. 

 

 

Social Culture

In the social life of Kolkata, the "Para" culture shares a significant position. The Kolkatans represent a strong sense of community. Normally every Para has a clubroom or the community hall and a playground. "adda" is an inseparable part of Para. People habitually indulge in "Adda" or leisurely chat, which includes almost everything from, outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks. 

 

 

Museums and libraries

 

Greater Kolkata has more than 30 museums, which cover a wide variety of fields. The Indian Museum, founded in 1814, is the oldest in India; the archaeology and numismatic sections contain valuable collections. The exhibits at Victoria Memorial Hall trace Britain’s relations with India. The Asutosh Museum of Indian Art in the University of Calcutta has exhibits of the folk art of Bengal among its collections. 

Science City, a large science museum and entertainment complex, was among the first of its kind in Asia. Valuable library collections are to be found in the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Bengal Literary Society, and the University of Calcutta; the National Library is the largest in India and contains a fine collection of rare books and manuscripts.

 

 

Food Culture

The food habits of Kolkata are the key elements to denote the essentially Bengali Culture The principal items of the Kolkata cuisine mainly include rice and fish curry. The street food here is globally acclaimed after Bangkok or Delhi. 

 

 

Festivals and Fairs

 

Durga Puja, Christmas, Eid are the most notable religious and social festivals in Kolkata. Here it forms a grand social assembly in these festive times. The festivals of other communities sharing an equal importance epitomize the multi-ethnic culture of Kolkata. 

The cultural fairs and festivals like the Kolkata Book Fair, Dover Lane Music Festival, Kolkata Film Festival and National Theatre Festival, fetch a group of populace belonging to different sects. These festivals unfold the mixed culture of Kolkata cosmopolitan. 

 

The culture of Kolkata has the portrayal of east India culture. The culture of Kolkata reveals the drama, theatre, art, music and adda. Kolkata unfolds diversified cultural heritage and significance for which the city is quoted as the "Cultural capital of India"- City of Joy.