An individual deserves to be called a cultured person when any of the facets of art or culture has imprinted a certain amount of positive change in the life of that person. For being cultured, it is not enough to say that the person is connected to some cultural field. One might be a singer, a poet or doing fine arts. That does not necessarily mean that the person is cultured. The dictionary meaning of the word 'cultured' can be taken as enlightened and/or refined.
It is relevant to know what are the positive changes expected from a cultured person. We would say that someone can be termed as cultured when a certain element of culture has made the person a better human being a person with good intention for fellow human beings, living an honest and sincere life, sensible to human worries, democratic and so on.
Unfortunately, the number of people engaged in cultural fields might have increased, however, in no way the number of people who have got their lives changed with good human qualities has increased in the same ratio. Rather, it worries us whether it has been decreasing.
What are the reasons for that? Is it a failure of culture itself? We believe that the Bengalee culture has enough richness that can bring positive changes in the lives of people.
The main reason of failure is how the things are taken by the people. How they are using them. A maestro in Indian classical music was saying that he has taken music as his faith, as his culture and his worship. He has been trying to shape his life as pure as classical music.
In the present times, many people are devoid of spirit - the soul. The soul is sold for superiority - superiority in terms of money, in terms of power, in terms of wealth, and so on.