Editing Kolkata (section)

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Kolkata|Durga Puja in Kolkata}}
{{See also|Street food of Kolkata}}
[[File:Durga Idol, Kolkata-04.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Durga Puja]] is the biggest festival for [[Bengali Hindus]]]]
[[File:Durga Puja Pandal - Park Circus Beniapukur - Kolkata 2015-10-21 6124.JPG|thumb|Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata often have grand designs]]
[[File:Vijaya Dashami day in Tollygunge area Kolkata Durga Puja 2022 05.jpg|thumb|left|[[Vijayadashami]] in [[Tollygunge]]]]
[[File:Victoria Memorial Illuminated at Night.jpg|thumb|Victoria Memorial at night]]
Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage; as the former capital of India, it was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought.<ref name="niradchaudh">{{cite book |title=The autobiography of an unknown Indian |last=Chaudhuri |first=Nirad C. |author-link=Nirad C. Chaudhuri |year=2001 |publisher=New York Review of Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-940322-82-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofu00chau/page/269 269] |url=https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofu00chau/page/269 }}</ref> Kolkata has been called the "City of Furious, Creative Energy"<ref name="sinha">{{cite book |editor1-first=Surajit |editor1-last=Sinha |editor1-link=Surajit Chandra Sinha |title=Cultural profile of Calcutta |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13457 |year=1972 |publisher=Indian Anthropological Society |location=Kolkata |asin=B000GL2BEG |page=[https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13457/page/n17 7] }}</ref> as well as the "cultural [or literary] capital of India".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9362769 |title=Calcutta: habitat of the Indian intellectual |last=Reeves |first=Philip |date=5 April 2007 |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=29 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002074400/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9362769 |archive-date=2 October 2011 }}</ref><ref name="nobleliterary">{{cite book |editor1-first=Allen |editor1-last=Noble |editor2-last=Costa |editor2-first=Frank |editor3-last=Dutt |editor3-first=Ashok |editor4-last=Kent |editor4-first=Robert |title=Regional development and planning for the 21st century: new priorities, new philosophies |year=1990 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |location=Farnham, UK |isbn=978-1-84014-800-8 |pages=282, 396 }}</ref> The presence of ''[[para (Bengali)|paras]]'', which are neighbourhoods that possess a strong sense of community, is characteristic of the city.<ref name="parawbgov">{{cite web |url=http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/kolkata-para |title=Kolkata culture: Para |publisher=Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal |access-date=9 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221052334/http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/kolkata-para |archive-date=21 December 2011 }}</ref> Typically, each ''para'' has its own community club and on occasion, a playing field.<ref name=parawbgov /> Residents engage in ''[[adda (Indian)|addas]]'', or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Trachtenberg |first=Peter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/travel/tmagazine/the-chattering-masses.html |title=The Chattering Masses |work=The New York Times |location=New York |date=15 May 2005 |access-date=21 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418171615/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/travel/tmagazine/the-chattering-masses.html |archive-date=18 April 2024 |url-access=limited }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mukherjee Pandey |first=Jhimli |title=Presidency old-timers to relive days of canteen adda |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Presidency-old-timers-to-relive-days-of-canteen-adda/articleshow/3660821.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707050322/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-11-01/kolkata/27941063_1_canteen-girl-students-presidency-college |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=1 November 2008 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref> The city has a tradition of political [[graffiti]] depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures and propaganda.<ref>{{cite news |title='Nah. Didi can't hatch this egg |first=Premankur |last=Biswas |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nah.-didi-cant-hatch-this-egg/776292/0 |newspaper=Indian Express |location=New Delhi |date=17 April 2011 |access-date=25 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424113243/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nah.-didi-cant-hatch-this-egg/776292/0 |archive-date=24 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chakraborty |first=Ajanta |title=Bite missing from graffiti, the fun's gone from the elections |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Bite-missing-from-graffiti-the-funs-gone-from-the-elections/articleshow/7938583.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713192550/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-11/kolkata/29406063_1_wall-defacement-graffiti-wall-writing |archive-date=13 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=11 April 2011 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref>

Kolkata has many buildings adorned with [[Indo-Islamic architecture|Indo-Islamic]] and [[Indo-Saracenic architecture|Indo-Saracenic]] architectural motifs. Several well-maintained major buildings from the colonial period have been declared "heritage structures";<ref>{{cite web |title=Graded list of heritage buildings |url=https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/Graded_List_of_Heritage_Buildings_Grade_I_IIA_IIB.pdf |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=24 January 2012 |year=2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153859/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/Graded_List_of_Heritage_Buildings_Grade_I_IIA_IIB.pdf |archive-date=22 December 2015 }}</ref> others are in various stages of decay.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mukherjee Pandey, Jhimli |title=Heritage buildings need restoration, not mere repairs |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Heritage-buildings-need-restoration-not-mere-repairs/articleshow/9858922.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717030639/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-04/kolkata/30112600_1_heritage-buildings-heritage-movement-g-m-kapur |archive-date=17 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |date=4 September 2011 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Out of elite list, cradle of Bengal Renaissance falling apart |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Out-of-elite-list-cradle-of-Bengal-Renaissance-falling-apart/articleshow/8999217.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716231328/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-26/kolkata/29705730_1_house-movement-slab |archive-date=16 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |agency=TNN |date=26 June 2011 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref> Established in 1814 as the nation's oldest museum, the [[Indian Museum]] houses large collections that showcase [[Indian natural history]] and [[Indian art]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Mandal |first=Caesar |title=Gardeners to guard museum? |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Gardeners-to-guard-museum/articleshow/6309033.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707164431/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-14/kolkata/28309037_1_security-gadgets-security-lapse-private-security-agency |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |date=14 August 2010 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref> [[Marble Palace (Kolkata)|Marble Palace]] is a classic example of a European mansion that was built in the city. The [[Victoria Memorial, Kolkata|Victoria Memorial]], a [[places of interest in Kolkata|place of interest in Kolkata]], has a museum documenting the city's history. The [[National Library of India]] is the leading public library in the country while [[Science City, Kolkata|Science City]] is the largest science centre in the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>[http://sciencecitykolkata.org.in/ Welcome to Science City] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126104522/http://sciencecitykolkata.org.in/ |date=26 January 2017 }}. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 November 2010.</ref>

[[File:India Education .jpg|thumb|[[National Library of India]] |alt=Large white rectangular building with tall arched windows]]
The popularity of commercial theatres in the city has declined since the 1980s.<ref name="bhattawomen">{{cite book |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Malini |editor1-first=Jasodhara |editor1-last=Bagchi |title=The changing status of women in West Bengal, 1970–2000: the challenge ahead |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Xq8FARrFKUC |access-date=10 February 2012 |year=2005 |publisher=Sage Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-0-7619-3242-0 |chapter=Culture |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102024457/https://books.google.com/books?id=1Xq8FARrFKUC |archive-date=2 January 2016 }}</ref>{{rp|99}}<ref name="dett5312009">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090531/jsp/7days/story_11042452.jsp |title=Chowringhee revisited |last=De |first=Hemchhaya |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=31 May 2009 |access-date=9 March 2012 |quote=...&nbsp;most people say that Bengali commercial theatre died in the 1980s&nbsp;... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095412/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090531/jsp/7days/story_11042452.jsp |archive-date=2 February 2014 }}</ref> [[Group theatres of Kolkata]], a cultural movement that started in the 1940s contrasting with the then-popular commercial theatres, are theatres that are not professional or commercial, and are centres of various experiments in theme, content, and production;<ref name="heierstad39">{{Cite thesis |type=[[Cand.polit.]] |title=Nandikar: Staging Globalisation in Kolkata and Abroad |url=http://folk.uio.no/gheierst/nandikar.pdf |last=Geir |first=Heierstad |year=2003 |publisher=University of Oslo |access-date=9 March 2012 |pages=39–48 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512065317/http://folk.uio.no/gheierst/nandikar.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2006 }}</ref> group theatres use the [[proscenium]] stage to highlight socially relevant messages.<ref name=bhattawomen />{{rp|99}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Theatre Histories: An Introduction |first1=Phillip |last1=Zarilli |first2=Bruce |last2=McConachie |first3=Gary Jay |last3=Williams |last4=Sorgenfrei |first4=Carol Fisher |editor-last=Williams |editor-first=Gary Jay |publisher=Routledge |year=2010 |orig-date=2006 |location=Abingdon, UK |isbn=978-0-415-46223-5 |pages=429–430 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z88LLjzoWqQC |access-date=9 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617020740/http://books.google.com/books?id=Z88LLjzoWqQC |archive-date=17 June 2013 }}</ref> [[Chitpur]] locality of the city houses multiple production companies of ''[[Jatra (Bengal)|jatra]]'', a tradition of folk drama popular in rural Bengal.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chakraborty |first=Ajanta |title=Meet the new Mamata Banerjee |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Meet-the-new-Mamata-Banerjee/articleshow/9113109.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708093752/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-05/kolkata/29738036_1_jatra-mamata-banerjee-bangladeshi |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=5 July 2011 |quote=The jatra industry based out of Kolkata's Chitpur Road has gone through a severe blow with the growth of video parlours. |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Niyogi |first=Subhro |title=Red alert For Jatra |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Red-Alert-For-Jatra/articleshow/6811931.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707165658/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-26/kolkata/28219209_1_jatra-firms-script-success |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=26 October 2010 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref> Kolkata is the home of the [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali cinema]] industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for [[Tollygunj]], where most of the state's film studios are located.<ref name="Sarkar">{{cite journal |first=Bhaskar |last=Sarkar |title=The melodramas of globalization |journal=Cultural Dynamics |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=31–51 [34] |date=March 2008 |doi=10.1177/0921374007088054 |s2cid=143977618 }}</ref> [[Parallel cinema|Its long tradition]] of [[art film]]s includes globally acclaimed film directors such as [[Satyajit Ray]], [[Ritwik Ghatak]], [[Mrinal Sen]], [[Tapan Sinha]] and contemporary directors such as [[Aparna Sen]], [[Buddhadeb Dasgupta]], [[Goutam Ghose]] and [[Rituparno Ghosh]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gooptu |first=Sharmistha |title=Bengali cinema: 'an other nation' |year=2010 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, UK |isbn=978-0-415-57006-0 |pages=2, 172, 181, 187 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzEdHF5UYcMC&pg=PP1 |access-date=24 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102024457/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzEdHF5UYcMC&lpg=PP1 |archive-date=2 January 2016 }}</ref>

During the 19th and 20th centuries, [[Bengali literature]] was modernised through the works of authors such as [[Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar]], [[Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]], [[Michael Madhusudan Dutt]], [[Rabindranath Tagore]], [[Kazi Nazrul Islam]] and [[Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mittra |first=Sitansu Sekhar |title=Bengal's Renaissance |year=2001 |publisher=Academic Publishers |location=Kolkata |isbn=978-81-87504-18-4 |pages=80–100 }}</ref> Coupled with social reforms led by [[Raja Ram Mohan Roy]], [[Swami Vivekananda]] and others, this constituted a major part of the [[Bengal Renaissance]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Dutt |first=R.C. |title=Cultural heritage of Bengal |year=1962 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |location=Kolkata}} cited in {{cite book |last=Sengupta |first=Nitish K. |title=History of the Bengali-speaking people |year=2001 |publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7476-355-6 |pages=211–12 }}</ref> The middle and latter parts of the 20th century witnessed the arrival of post-modernism, as well as literary movements such as those espoused by the ''[[Kallol]]'' movement, [[Hungry generation|hungryalists]] and the [[Little magazine movement#Bengali little magazine movement|little magazines]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=India: The hungry generation |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,830799,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |location=New York |access-date=24 December 2021 |date=20 November 1964 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090517073159/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,830799,00.html |archive-date=17 May 2009 }}</ref> Large majority of publishers of the city is concentrated in and around [[College Street (Kolkata)|College Street]], "...&nbsp;a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement", selling new and used books.<ref name="smithsonian July 91">{{cite journal |last=Hollick |first=Julian Crandall |date=July 1991 |title=Amid Calcutta's poverty, there's no dearth of cultural wealth |journal=Smithsonian |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=32–41 |issn=0037-7333 }}</ref>
[[File:Debi Durga Sculpture by Sandalwood Murshidabad WB 30 01 2018.jpg|thumb|left|Sandalwood [[Durga]] in the [[Indian Museum]]]]
[[Kalighat painting]] originated in 19th century Kolkata as a local style that reflected a variety of themes including mythology and quotidian life.<ref name="kalighpaint1">{{cite book |title=A history of Indian painting: the modern period |last=Chaitanya |first=Krishna |publisher=Abhinav Publications |year=1994 |location=New Delhi |pages=112–118 |isbn=978-81-7017-310-6 }}</ref> The [[Government College of Art & Craft|Government College of Art and Craft]], founded in 1864, has been the cradle as well as workplace of eminent artists including [[Abanindranath Tagore]], [[Jamini Roy]] and [[Nandalal Bose]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gcac.edu.in/history.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507004336/http://gcac.edu.in/history.php |archive-date=7 May 2010 |title=A journey through 145 years |publisher=Government College of Art and Craft |access-date=29 January 2012 }}</ref> The art college was the birthplace of the [[Bengal school of art]] that arose as an [[avant garde]] and nationalist movement reacting against the prevalent [[academic art]] styles in the early 20th century.<ref name="benartmitter">{{cite book |title=Art and nationalism in colonial India, 1850–1922: occidental orientations |last=Mitter |first=Partha |year=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=978-0-521-44354-8 |chapter=How the past was salvaged by Swadeshi artists |pages=267–306 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mRTtkri8E0C |access-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618223618/http://books.google.com/books?id=9mRTtkri8E0C |archive-date=18 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name="benartatlas">{{cite book |title=Atlas of world art |last=Onians |first=John |author-link=John Onians |year=2004 |publisher=Laurence King Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-85669-377-6 |page=304 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3h2KfXoOPYC |access-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618214137/http://books.google.com/books?id=O3h2KfXoOPYC |archive-date=18 June 2013 }}</ref> The [[Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata|Academy of Fine Arts]] and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions. The city is recognised for its appreciation of ''[[Rabindra Sangeet]]'' (songs written by Rabindranath Tagore) and [[Indian classical music]], with important concerts and recitals, such as [[Dover Lane Music Conference]], being held throughout the year; Bengali popular music, including [[Baul|''baul'' folk ballads]], ''[[kirtan]]s'' and ''[[Gajan (festival)|Gajan]]'' festival music; and modern music, including Bengali-language ''adhunik'' songs.<ref name=banglasong /><ref>{{cite book |last=Shepherd |first=John |title=Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world |volume=3–7 |year=2005 |publisher=Continuum |location=London |isbn=978-0-8264-7436-0 |pages=70–71 }}</ref> Since the early 1990s, [[Indian rock#Rock scenes|new genres]] have emerged, including one comprising alternative folk–rock [[Rock music of West Bengal|Bengali bands]].<ref name="banglasong">{{cite journal |last=Dorin |first=Stéphane |title=La globalisation du rock vue de Calcutta |journal=[[Volume!]] |year=2005 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=144–45 |trans-title=The globalization of rock to Calcutta |language=fr |doi=10.4000/volume.1714 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Another new style, ''jibonmukhi gaan'' ("songs about life"), is based on [[realism (arts)|realism]].<ref name=bhattawomen />{{rp|105}}

[[File:Sandesh - Oberoi Grand - Kolkata 2013-05-23 8046.JPG|thumb|alt=Sandesh varieties|[[Sandesh (confectionery)|''Sandesh'']], a typical Bengali sweet made from [[chhena]]]]
Key elements of [[Bengali cuisine|Kolkata's cuisine]] include rice and a fish curry known as ''machher jhol'',<ref name="machhe">{{cite journal |last1=de Graaf |first1=G. J. |last2=Latif |first2=Abdul |date=April–June 2002 |title=Development of freshwater fish farming and poverty alleviation: a case study from Bangladesh |journal=Aquaculture Asia |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=5–7 |access-date=10 February 2012 |url=http://www.nefisco.org/downloads/DevelopmentOfFreshwaterFishFarming.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318040021/http://www.nefisco.org/downloads/DevelopmentOfFreshwaterFishFarming.pdf |archive-date=18 March 2012 }}</ref> which can be accompanied by desserts such as ''[[Rasgulla|roshogolla]]'', ''[[Sandesh (confectionery)|sandesh]]'', and a sweet yoghurt known as ''[[Mitha Dahi|mishti dohi]]''. Bengal's large repertoire of seafood dishes includes various preparations of ''[[ilish]]'', a fish that is a favourite among Calcuttans. Street foods such as ''[[beguni]]'' (fried battered eggplant slices), [[kati roll|''kati'' roll]] (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken, mutton or egg stuffing), ''[[Panipuri|phuchka]]'' (a deep-fried crêpe with tamarind sauce) and [[Indian Chinese cuisine]] from Chinatown are popular.<ref name="kolkataimages">{{cite news |last1=Sen |first1=Elora |last2=Sen |first2=Sarbani |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Some%20images%20are%20synonymous%20with%20Kolkata/1/24191.html |title=Some images are synonymous with Kolkata |work=India Today |location=Noida, India |date=2 January 2009 |access-date=3 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525180640/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Some%20images%20are%20synonymous%20with%20Kolkata/1/24191.html |archive-date=25 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="rolltelegraph">{{Cite news |last=Saha |first=Subhro |title=Resurrected, the kathi roll: face-off resolved, Nizam's set to open with food court |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060118/asp/calcutta/story_5733258.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=18 January 2006 |access-date=26 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228160826/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060118/asp/calcutta/story_5733258.asp |archive-date=28 February 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Niyogi |first=Subhro |title=Kolkata's mind-boggling variety of street food |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-07/kolkata/29519710_1_street-food-fish-roll-exotic-dishes |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708001706/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-07/kolkata/29519710_1_street-food-fish-roll-exotic-dishes |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=26 February 2012 |date=7 May 2011 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |location=New Delhi }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roy |first=Anirban |title=Street food as yummy and cheap as it gets |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/street-food-as-yummy-and-cheap-as-it-gets/1/122363.html |access-date=26 February 2012 |work=India Today |location=Noida, India |date=7 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529223051/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/street-food-as-yummy-and-cheap-as-it-gets/1/122363.html |archive-date=29 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Dance with Rabindra Sangeet - Kolkata 2011-11-05 6669.JPG|thumb|alt=Four women wearing saree in different dancing poses|Dance accompanied by [[Rabindra Sangeet]], a music genre started by Rabindranath Tagore]]
Though Bengali women traditionally wear the ''[[sari]]'', the ''[[shalwar kameez]]'' and Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yengkhom |first=Sumati |title=This Puja, buzz over western clothes |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/This-Puja-buzz-over-western-clothes-/articleshow/6609854.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711020813/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-23/kolkata/28267471_1_salwar-kameez-outfits-puja |archive-date=11 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=23 September 2010 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}</ref> Western-style dress has greater acceptance among men, although the traditional ''[[dhoti]]'' and ''[[kurta]]'' are seen during festivals. [[Durga Puja]], held in September–October, is Kolkata's most important and largest festival; it is an occasion for glamorous celebrations and artistic decorations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Foulston |first1=Lynn |last2=Abbott |first2=Stuart |title=Hindu goddesses: beliefs and practices |year=2009 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |location=Brighton, UK |isbn=978-1-902210-43-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesbe0000foul/page/156 156] |url=https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesbe0000foul/page/156 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bhowmik |first=Dulal |year=2012 |chapter=Durga Puja |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Durga_Puja |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005011949/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Durga_Puja |archive-date=5 October 2015 |access-date=6 April 2016 }}</ref> The Bengali New Year, known as [[Pohela Boishakh|Poila Boishak]], as well as the harvest festival of Poush Parbon are among the city's other festivals; also celebrated are [[Kali Puja]], [[Diwali]], [[Chhath|Chhaith]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/170-ghats-across-kolkata-for-chhath-puja/cid/1836251 |title=170 ghats across Kolkata for Chhaith Puja |date=28 October 2021 |website=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813071243/https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/170-ghats-across-kolkata-for-chhath-puja/cid/1836251 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jitiya]], [[Holi]], [[Jagaddhatri]] Puja, [[Saraswati Puja]], [[Rathayatra]], [[Janmashtami]], [[Maha Shivratri]], [[Vishwakarma Puja]], [[Lakshmi Puja]], [[Ganesh Chathurthi]], [[Makar Sankranti]], [[Gajan (festival)|Gajan]], [[Kalpataru Day]], [[Bhai Phonta]], Maghotsab, [[Eid ul-Fitr|Eid]], [[Muharram]], [[Christmas]], [[Buddha Purnima]] and [[Mahavir Jayanti]]. Cultural events include the [[Rabindra Jayanti]], [[Independence Day (India)|Independence Day]] (15 August), [[Republic Day]] (26 January), [[Kolkata Book Fair]], the Dover Lane Music Festival, the [[Kolkata International Film Festival]], [[Nandikar's National Theatre Festival]], [[Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally]] and [[Gandhi Jayanti]].