DOI: 10.36344/ccijhss.2023.v09i11.004

Pages: 256-262

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh have long been religiously heterogeneous, with new religious movements, such as "Krama," emerging and gaining ground among indigenous communities. To analyze the background, beliefs, implications of the newly founded religion KRAMA in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and its correlation with cultural identity and social changes. A mixed-methods approach, including both qualitative and quantitative data collection. Most of the ethnographic fieldwork included interviews with 52 respondents from diverse ethnic groups (Chakma, Marma, Tripura), and a survey of 150 households in CHT measured dissemination and acceptability of Krama. To assess relationships between Krama usage and socioeconomic factors, statistical methods including descriptive analysis, Chi-square tests, and regression analysis were applied. Oh, Krama is not only a garment, it's a style and identity, one of the giant all are forced to wear such garment to live in harmony with the society, and that's what Krama is all about, a tool to shun differences, who lives in Cambodia, you know the kinds of costumes we wear as if all are not human, Krama broke the boundaries of divergences and differences, Krama is used by all (level and religious). The key tenets of the movement have struck a chord with 63% of the participants and this is also largely attributed to the movement's ideology seeking for cultural and spiritual autonomy. However, only 37% of respondents believe that Krama has resulted in increased social cohesion and a feel of common-identity (p < 0.05) however there is regional difference. Using regression analysis, a significant positive correlation was found between Krama adoption and a higher level of education (r = 0.62, p < 0.01). Krama, as a development movement, marks a major socio-religious transformation in the socio-cultural landscape of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which has great potential to impact social fabric and identity structure of the region.