Rituals and Adolescent Practices in Schools of Kolkata

Abstract

Extracurricular activities (ECA), as formulated and administered by the school authorities, either have strong mandates of the state and its higher education agencies or are catapulted by the socio-cultural demands nurtured by the market in terms of ‘high-value’ education. This leads to a varied experience in terms of what is enumerated and what is practiced. An eschewed observance in terms of grandeur can be seen across different types of schools. Interestingly the constant feature that cuts across all these variations is a larger belief system supporting these celebrations, guided by some grand moral imperative and parallel cultural adaptations based on their indigenous institutional affiliations. Above all, a process of ritualization is at play in all these ceremonies, often oscillating and at times overlapping between the religious and the secular.