বঙ্গ-Lore Frontend

Bengali Cultural Social Media Platform

This is the official frontend for বঙ্গ-Lore, a revolutionary Bengali-first social media platform designed to digitize and preserve Bengali cultural heritage while serving the massive ₹84,000 crore cultural economy. Built with React Native and Expo, it provides a rich, cross-platform experience for both cultural enthusiasts and business users.

🎯 Project Vision

বঙ্গ-Lore bridges the gap between Bengali cultural traditions and modern technology, serving as the essential digital infrastructure for:

• Cultural Communities: Discovering and sharing authentic Bengali heritage
• Durga Puja Committees: Managing events and connecting with vendors
• Local Businesses: Accessing Bengali-first marketing tools
• Global Bengali Diaspora: Staying connected to their cultural roots

✨ Key Features

Core Social Platform

• Bengali-First Design: Native Bengali typography and cultural UI elements
• Dynamic Cultural Feed: AI-curated Bengali cultural content with location-based filtering
• Post Creation: Upload photos/videos with automatic Bengali story generation (60 words)
• Interactive Elements: Like, comment, bookmark with Bengali language support
• Voice Integration: Audio recording and playback for accessibility

AI-Powered Cultural Features

• HyperRural Chatbot: Bengali voice/text/image AI assistant with local cultural context
• AI Story Generation: Automatic 60-word Bengali stories from uploaded media using Gemini
• Cultural Content Analysis: Smart tagging and categorization of cultural posts
• Personalized Recommendations: Vector-based content discovery

Business & Event Management

• Event Discovery: Interactive map showing Durga Puja committees and cultural events
• Vendor Marketplace: Connect puja committees with local service providers
• Business Dashboard: Analytics and campaign management for B2B customers
• Ticket Integration: Event booking and management system

Advanced Capabilities

• Hyperlocal Features: Geo-tagged content with Bengali locality awareness
• Multi-modal Input: Support for voice, text, and image interactions
• Offline Support: Essential features work without internet connectivity
• Dark/Light Themes: Culturally-appropriate color schemes

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• Expo CLI
• Expo Go app on your mobile device
• A code editor like VS Code

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd bangaliana-mainv3

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Install Expo CLI globally (if not already installed):

   npm install -g @expo/cli

Configuration

Backend Connection

Update the API endpoint in your environment configuration:

// In your config file
const API_BASE_URL = __DEV__ 
  ? 'http://192.168.1.100:10000' // Your local IP
  : 'https://your-production-api.com';

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://your-backend-ip:10000
EXPO_PUBLIC_CIVIC_AUTH_CLIENT_ID=your_civic_auth_client_id
EXPO_PUBLIC_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key

Running the Application

1. Start the development server:

   npx expo start

2. Run on your device:

   • Physical Device: Open Expo Go app and scan the QR code
   • Android Emulator: Press a in the terminal
   • iOS Simulator: Press i in the terminal

3. For production builds:

   # Android
   npx expo build:android
   
   # iOS
   npx expo build:ios

🏗️ Tech Stack

Core Technologies

• Framework: React Native with Expo SDK 49+
• Language: TypeScript for type safety
• Navigation: Expo Router with file-based routing
• State Management: Zustand for global state

UI & Styling

• Components: React Native Paper 5.0 with Material Design 3
• Icons: Expo Vector Icons
• Typography: Noto Sans Bengali for native script support
• Theming: Custom Bengali cultural color schemes

Audio & Media

• Audio Recording: expo-av
• Image Handling: expo-image-picker
• Media Upload: Direct integration with Cloudinary

Authentication & Security

• Auth Provider: Civic Auth integration
• Secure Storage: expo-secure-store
• Biometric: expo-local-authentication

📱 App Architecture

Screen Structure

app/
├── (auth)/           # Authentication screens
│   ├── login.tsx
│   ├── register.tsx
│   └── onboarding.tsx
├── (drawer)/         # Main app screens
│   ├── feed.tsx      # Cultural content feed
│   ├── create.tsx    # Post creation
│   ├── events.tsx    # Event discovery
│   ├── chat.tsx      # HyperRural chatbot
│   └── business/     # B2B dashboard
├── profile/          # User profiles
└── _layout.tsx       # Root layout

Component Organization

components/
├── ui/              # Reusable UI components
├── cultural/        # Bengali-specific components
├── business/        # B2B interface components
├── chat/           # Chatbot interface
└── forms/          # Form components

🎨 Design System

Color Palette

• Primary: #FF6B35 (Bengali Saffron)
• Secondary: #228B22 (Forest Green)
• Accent: #FFD700 (Gold)
• Background: #FAFAFA (Light) / #121212 (Dark)

Typography

• Primary: Noto Sans Bengali (Bengali text)
• Secondary: Inter (English text)
• Sizes: 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, 32, 48px

🔧 Development Guidelines

Code Style

• Use TypeScript for all new files
• Follow React Native best practices
• Implement proper error boundaries
• Add accessibility labels for Bengali screen readers

Testing

# Run unit tests
npm test

# Run E2E tests (if configured)
npm run test:e2e

Building & Deployment

# Create development build
npx expo install --fix
npx expo prebuild

# Create production build
npm run build:production

🌍 Bengali Language Support

Features

• Native Input: Bengali keyboard support
• Voice Recognition: Bengali speech-to-text
• Cultural Context: AI understanding of Bengali idioms and references
• Localization: Complete Bengali UI translation

Implementation

// Example Bengali text handling
import { getBengaliText } from '../utils/localization';

const CulturalGreeting = () => {
  return (
    <Text style={styles.bengaliText}>
      {getBengaliText('welcome_message')}
    </Text>
  );
};

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/cultural-enhancement
3. Commit changes: git commit -m 'Add Bengali festival calendar'
4. Push to branch: git push origin feature/cultural-enhancement
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Bengali cultural consultants and community leaders
• Google Gemini AI team for Bengali language support
• Durga Puja committees across Bengal for their partnership
• Open source Bengali language processing communities

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বঙ্গ-Lore - Preserving Bengali heritage through modern technology 🇮🇳