SOCIO-CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS and DEMOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES in CANNING SUBDIVISION of SOUTH 24 PARGANAS DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL Debabrata Mistry
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Available Online at http://www.recentscientific.com International Journal of Recent Scientific International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Research Vol. 6, Issue, 3, pp.3094-3099, March, 2015 ISSN: 0976-3031 RESEARCH ARTICLE SOCIO-CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS AND DEMOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES IN CANNING SUBDIVISION OF SOUTH 24 PARGANAS DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL Debabrata Mistry ARTICLE INFODepartment of Geography,ABSTRACT University of Calcutta, Kolkata, WEST BENGAL, India Article History: Socio-cultural characteristics and demographic attributes are two important facets of Human Received 5th, February, 2015 Development. If the society is more cultural and practical minded, the population size would reduce Received in revised form 12th, and the resources can be utilized properly and there will be marked development in the society. The February, 2015 Canning Subdivision is located in the South 24 Parganas district of WEST BENGAL. There are four Accepted 6th, March, 2015 Community Development blocks (C.D.) namely Basanti, Canning I, Canning II and Gosaba under this Published online 28th, March, 2015 subdivision. The main objective of the study is to know the relation among socio-cultural characteristics with population change in the study area. In this subdivision, Hindus are the dominant religious group. Most of the people interact with each other in Bengali language. Among four C.D. Key words: blocks, Scheduled Caste population is more in Gosaba. The male population is more educated than Demography, Religious group, their female counterparts. Literacy rates are high in Gosaba block. Caste, Sex ratio, Literacy rate Copyright © 2015 Sathe. T.V and Gangate Ujjwala. S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properlyINTRODUCTION cited. 3. To point out the social awareness of the people Culture is a total way of a specific social group. Social History of the Study Area solidarity goes with cultural integration (Singh, 2009). rd Demography is the study of population structure and change The Canning subdivision was formed on 3 March, 1996. (Hinde, 1998). Socio-cultural characteristics may vary from Earlier it was under the jurisdiction of Alipur subdivision. region to region, state to state and country to country. Every Canning was a renowned market on the bank of river Matla. society has a distinctive cultural activity. In the study, socio – The islander of the Sundarban region used to come here to sell cultural attributes like religion, language, caste, education rice, honey, fish etc. It was familiar to the inhabitant as Matla sanitation health have been taken into consideration. village. In 1853, Canning port was established. During this Demographic attributes like sex ratio, household size etc have time siltation load was increasing on the bottom of Bhagirathi been studied. Demographic attributes and socio-cultural Channel. There were five Jetis in Canning port. A municipal characteristics are interrelated. Sometimes, demographic board was formed in 1862. During 1862-63, a Sealdah-Canning change depends upon socio-cultural characteristics. It is seen railway was started. But after 1865 to 1866, the water level of that if the society is more educated and socially conscious then Bhagirathi River had increased. The Government had seized all they take necessary steps to reduce family size. As a result they properties of Canning municipality. In 1871, all construction can lead a healthy life style. In the study area, some religious works were resumed. Now it is a backward subdivision in groups do not take necessary step for birth control due to some South 24 Parganas District. There are four subdivisions. These religious obligation. As a result, number of family members are Basanti, CanningI, CanningII, Gosaba. Basanti and Gosaba goes on increasing. Then it seems like a burden to them to blocks are dissected by tidal rivers and estuaries of Sundarban maintain proper education, nutritious food etc. for each and region. In recent years these blocks are connected with railways every family member. If the family size is minimum and and roads by construction of bridge over these rivers. Matla culturally developed then the society would develop. Bridge and Hogol Bridge have been constructed over the river Matla and river Hogol for connectivity by roadways to Objectives Canning town and Kolkata city. Canning subdivision is situated in the active deltaic region of the river Ganges. It is surrounded The objectives of this study include by the Baruipur subdivision in the north, Namkhana and 1. To know the socio- cultural characteristics of the people Baruipur subdivision in the west, neighboring country within the area under study. Bangladesh in the east and Bay of Bengal in the south. 2. To study demographic attributes in Canning subdivision *Corresponding author: Debabrata Mistry Department of Geography, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Debabrata Mistry., Socio-cultural Characteristics and Demographic Attributes in Canning Subdivision of South 24 Parganas district, west Bengal MATERIALS AND METHOD refers to righteousness and duties; Mohsha refers to attainment of salvation and rebirth (Chandna, 2009). Both primary and secondary have been collected to fulfill this Block-wise Hindu Population study. Primary data have been generated through questionnaire in Canning Subdivision based survey where the sample size has been selected on the basis of random sampling techniques. Secondary data have been gathered from different Government and non Government 100 sources. At last both data have been computed for cartographic 80 presentation followed by interpretation. 60 40 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20 Percentage of populationof Percentage 0 Religion: Religion like language is a symbol of group identity Canning I Canning II Basanti Gosaba and cultural rallying point. All societies have value system- common beliefs, understandings, expectations and controls that unite their members and set them off from other different C.D . Blocks cultural groups. Such value system is termed as religion when it involves system of formal or informal worship and faith in 1981 1991 2001 the scared and divine (Hussain, 2007). Religion is said to produce a distinct attitude towards life and this orientation Fig.2 Block-wise Hindu Population in Canning Subdivision affects the further development of the society (Chandna, 2009). Data source: District Statistical Handbook There are three dominant religious groups in the study area. The description of Hindu religious group have found in Year-wise Religious Groups in Canning Ramayana, Mahabharat, Chandimangal, Manasamangal, etc. Subdivision The people in this region, performs various cultural activities 80 like Banabibi puja, Manasa puja etc. to protect themselves 70 from Royal Bengal tigers and snake bites. There are so many 60 ancient temples located in this area. Hindu religious groups are more in Gosaba block than other three C.D. blocks in the study 50 area. More than 90 percent people follow Hindu religion in 40 Gosaba block. From 19981 to 2001, percentage of Hindus has 30 reduced in Basanti, Canning I and Canning II C.D. blocks Percentage of population 20 (Fig.2). 10 0 Muslim: Muslim is the group of people belonging from a Hinduism Muslim Christian Others different religious group. Their religion is known as Islam. Like Judaism, Islam too had its birth in the deserts of Arabia Religious Groups around 600AD when Prophet Mohammed, who lived in Mecca, 1981 1991 2001 began his mission. (Chandna, 2009). The Gazi Saheb Mobarak was a famous Pir in Canning Subdivision. It was heard that he drove away the wild animal by exorcises. Later, birth place of Fig.1 Religious Groups in Canning Subdivision Pir sahib is known as Gazi Saheb’s Data source: Computed by the author Block-wise Muslim Religion These groups are Hinduism, Muslim and Christians. From the in Canning Subdivision year 19981 to 2001, percentage of Hinduism is more than other religious group in the study area. Muslim is the second 50 dominant religious group in Canning subdivision. Over time it 40 is seen that percentage of Muslim population has increased in 30 the study area (Fig.1). 20 10 Hinduism 0 Percentage of populationof Percentage Among major religious systems of the world, Hinduism is the Canning I Canning II Basanti Gosaba most ancient of all. Hinduism is the only major religion in the C.D. Blocks world, which derives its name from its geographical location, 1981 1991 2001 the Indian side of the Indus river system. It has a well defined Fig.3 Block-wise Muslim Religion in Canning Subdivision value system in the form of four basic ideals of life, namely Data source: District Statistical Handbook Kama, Artha, Dharma and Mohsha. Kama refers to the Mazar that is located in Ghutiari Sharif of Canning I C.D. satisfaction of human desires; Artha refers to man’s urge for block. Now-a-days, many people come here to promise an material well being and the desire to overcome nature; Dharma offering to a deity. The percentage of Muslim population has 3095 | Page International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Vol. 6, Issue, 3, pp.3094-3099, March, 2015 increased in the study area. But in Gosaba block, percentage of communication that binds member of any group together Muslim followers is below 10 percent. In 2001, percentage of through a network of interaction. Language promotes the Muslim population was above 40 percent in Basanti, CanningI transmission of ideas and the functioning of political, and Canning II blocks (Fig.3). economic, social and religious system (Hussain, 2007). In the study area, Bengali language is the mother tongue. Almost all Christian: The religion with the largest number of adherents the people communicate through Bengali language. Some of and the most pronounced missionary zeal in the world today is them know English and Hindi. Christianity. It was founded in the 1st Century A.D. by Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah or Anointed one, by his disciples who Mainly in Canning I block, some people communicate through were then called Christians (Hussain, 2007).