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Culture of Etawah

Apart from being a very famous site for the historically significant Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Etawah is also widely popular as an interesting seat of culture in Uttar Pradesh. Culture of Etawah is inevitably portrayed in its people, their language, caste, religion, costume, art, music, dance, fairs and festivals.

Modern Culture of Etawah

Languages in Etawah

Western Hindi is widely considered to be the language, which is used extensively across the entire district of Etawah. A small part of the urban population also speaks Urdu; the most commonly used language in Etawah city being Pachharua or Antarbedi. Other languages spoken in the district of Etawah include Bhadauri, Sindhi, Punjabi and Bengali. The Devnagari script and the Persian script are the written forms of language generally used in and around Etawah.

Hinduism is the main religion of Etawah. Muslims cover a small part of the population in Etawah whereas the Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains comprise even a lesser part of the total population in the region. People of the Hindu community living in Etawah include the Ahirs, the Harijans, the Chauhans, the Rajputs, the Sengars and the Brahmins. The Muslim community in Etawah is comprised mainly of the Sunnis, most of them being the Sheikhs. The Sheikhs embrace primarily the Siddiqis and the Qureshis whereas the Pathans residing in Etawah are mostly the descendants of the races like the Yasufzai, the Gori and the Lodi. Other sections of the Muslim community living in Etawah are the Lohar, Hajjam, Qassab, Bhisti, Darzi and Faqir.

The Christians comprise just 0.01 % of the total population of District Etawah whereas the Sikhs cover only 0.12 % of the entire population in the region. 0.17 % of the total population in Etawah is comprised of the Jains, the Buddhists constituting 0.27 % of the population residing in the district. The Christians, Sikhs and Jains live mostly within the city boundaries whereas the Buddhists live mainly in and around the villages of Etawah.

Traditional Attire in Etawah

In Etawah sarees are the most common traditional attire worn by females of all ages though salwar kameez are also the favorite of many in the city. Kurtas and kurtis are worn alike by both the males and females in Etawah, kurta pyjama being quite popular among the men here. Dhotis and lungis are the other types of informal clothing worn by males in Etawah. Nehru jackets are widely used by men.

Festivals in Etawah

The most important Hindu festivals that are celebrated all across the country are integral also to the culture of Etawah. These festivals celebrated in Etawah include Shivratri, Sheetla Ashtami, Ram Navami, Nag Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Dussehra, Karva Chauth, Deepawali and Holi. Muharram or Ashra, Shabe-barat, Id-ul-Zuha and Id-ul-Fitr are the most popular Muslim festivals celebrated in Etawah whereas Guru Nanak’s Birthday, Lohri and Baisakhi are the most popular festivals of the Sikh community that are celebrated here passionately every year. Easter and Christmas are celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Christian community in Etawah. The Jain festival of Mahavir Jayanti and the festival of Buddha Purnima of the Buddhists are among the other notable religious festivals celebrated in Etawah, apart from all important national festivals of India. The New Year’s Eve is one of the most joyous festivals that members of every community in the city celebrate with zeal and excitement.

Cattle-fair

Fairs in Etawah

Every year around 60 fairs, some attracting small crowds and some other drawing huge gatherings of people, are held in the city and across the entire district of Etawah. The local fairs in Etawah are even held as a part of the celebration of the festivals, the cattle fair and exhibition being the major ones. 10,000 to 15,000 cattle are sold in the Etawah cattle fair, the total number of people attending the fair being around 200,000.

Music in Etawah

Folk music of various forms is an intrinsic part of the rich cultural heritage of Etawah. Kajari, Allaha, Rasiyas and Phaag are the different forms of vocal music that people of Etawah love to listen to as well as like to sing. Kirtan, Bhajan, Langadia, Dhola and Unchari are some of the most popular categories of folk songs in Etawah. The village folk enjoy watching live dance and musical performances presented by the local actors. Most of these live performances have a key theme, the entire act being based on the themes. Banjasha is a much liked form of folk dance in Etawah whereas the mythological dramas, primarily the nautankis, draw a large part of the rural population from the nearby as well as the faraway villages.

Various private establishments run art and craft classes in Etawah, while some of these also offer music and dance classes too, especially for the children in the city to inculcate into them a love for the different traditional art forms. The painting and drawing classes in Etawah are usually provided by the child welfare organizations that operate as education consultants for the children here. The Nature Conservation and Human Welfare Society at Vijay Nagar Colony is a premium centre for all types of hobby classes in Etawah, which include classes on dance, music, drawing, painting, art and craft. All the other institutes in Etawah, chiefly offer only art and craft classes for the children.

Nature Conservation And Human Welfare Society

104, Vijay Nagar Colony, Etawah HO, Etawah – 206001
Phone No: 91-5742265651

Rajkanta Gramodyog Samajik Sewa Sansthan

129, Ghatiya Azamat Ali, Etawah HO, Etawah – 206001
Phone No: 91-5742255327

Sankalp Samajotkarsh Sansthan
239 Prem Bihar Vijay Nagar, Etawah – 206001
Phone No: 91-5742263006

Samta Khadi Gramudyog Sansthan
Dr. Ravindra Pratap Singh, Etawah HO, Etawah – 206001
Phone No: 91-5742259451

Vidya Vikas Jan Sewa Samiti
Naurangabad Chuna Chakki, Etawah HO, Etawah – 206001
Nearest landmark: S. D. Field
Phone No: 91-5742256987

Famous Personalities of Etawah

Many renowned personalities of India, related to the fields of film and literature, belong to Etawah. Babu Gulabrai, a very important name in contemporary Hindi literature as well as the renowned Hindi poet Gopaldas Saxena ‘Neeraj’ were born here. Piaa Bajpai, a promising actress of Indian movies and commercials, mostly South Indian films, spent the earlier days of her life in Etawah. Late K. Asif, one of the most eminent personalities of Hindi cinema, also belonged to Etawah. His contribution to Indian cinema is immense, one of his timeless creations being Mughal-e-Azam, the evergreen Hindi movie.

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