Kolkata
Discussions
Quotations
jal, juochuri, mithye kathaei tin niye kalikata.
English translation from Bengali: Forgery, swindling and falsehood, these three make up Kolkata.
Thus the midday halt of Charnock – more’s the pity! -Grew a CityAs the fungus sprouts chaotic from its bedSo it spreadChance-directed, chance-erected, laid and builtOn the siltPalace, byre, hovel – poverty and prideSide by sideAnd above the packed and pestilential townDeath looked down.
Rudyard Kipling quoted by Geoffrey Moorhouse in Calcutta: the City Revisited, 1971, Penguin Books, p 31.
Calcutta is by far the richest city in India, even though its various problems have started to turn its richness into a collapsing wealth. It is possibly the richest city anywhere between Rome and Tokyo in terms of the money that is accumulated and represented here.
Geoffrey Moorhouse in Calcutta: the City Revisited, 1971, Penguin Books, p 133.
Encyclopedia
Kolkata formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the India
n state of West Bengal
. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India
. The city proper has 4.5 million residents, and the metropolitan area, including suburbs, has a population of approximately 14.2 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India and the 13th-most populous urban area in the world. Kolkata is also classified as the eighth-largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj
until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages and a growing nationalism in Bengal led officials to shift the capital to New Delhi
. The city is noted for its vibrant political culture. It was a center of the Indian struggle for independence
and remains a hotbed of contemporary politics
. Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation
in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to an acceleration in the city's growth. Like other metropolitan cities in developing countries, Kolkata continues to deal with contemporary urban problems like pollution
and traffic congestion
. Despite such problems, it remains the dominant urban area of eastern India and the major economic, educational and cultural hub.
, Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British. "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra literally meaning "Land of [the goddess] Kāli
". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkilā ("flat area"). The name may have its origin in khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by katta (which may mean dug). There is another theory that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kali chun) and coir rope (kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local language
, the anglicized version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC have opted to call Bombay as "Mumbai
", Madras as "Chennai
" and Calcutta as "Kolkata".
, an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history begins with the arrival of the English East India Company
in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal
. Job Charnock
, an administrator with the company was traditionally credited as the founder of the city. In response to a public interest petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder. The area comprising of the present day city consisted of three villages Kalikata
, Gobindapur and Sutanuti
. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari
rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
family. The rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.
The British
in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers — namely the Dutch
, the Portuguese
, and the French
. In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William
, which was used to station its troops and as a regional base. Calcutta was declared a Presidency City, and later became the headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
. Faced with frequent skirmishes with French
forces, in 1756 the British began to upgrade their fortifications. When protests against the militarisation by the Nawab of Bengal
Siraj-Ud-Daulah went unheeded he attacked and captured Fort William, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta
incident. A force of Company sepoy
s and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772, and starting in 1864 during the summer months, the capital was temporarily shifted to the hill station
of Shimla
. In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River
. Richard Wellesley
, the Governor General
between 1797–1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture which led to the description of Calcutta as "The City of Palaces". The city was a centre of the British East India Company's opium
trade during the late 18th and 19th century.
By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas — one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee
, the other Indian centred around North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute
industries: this caused massive investment by British companies in infrastructure such as Howrah station
and telegraph connections. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new Babu
class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, Anglophiles, and usually belonged to upper-caste
Hindu
communities. Throughout the nineteenth century, a socio-cultural reform, often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance
resulted in the general uplifting of the people. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference
— the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement
, especially revolutionary organisations
. The 1905 partition of Bengal
on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement
). These activities, along with the administratively disadvantageous location of Calcutta in the eastern fringes of India, prompted the British to move the capital to New Delhi
in 1911.
The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese
between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943
, caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.
In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to large-scale communal violence
resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. The partition of India
led to intense violence and a shift in demographics — large numbers of Muslims left for East Pakistan
, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.
Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Maoist
movement — the Naxalite
s — damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. In 1971, Bangladesh liberation war
led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure. In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai
, overtook Kolkata as India's most-populous city. In 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
referred to Kolkata as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas. Kolkata has been a important base for Communism
, as West Bengal was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPI(M))-dominated Left Front
for 34 years (1977–2011) — the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, Information Technology
(IT) services have revitalized the city’s stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing a growth in the manufacturing sector.
Kolkata is located in eastern India
, at 22°33′N 88°20′E in the Ganges Delta
at an elevation ranging between 1.5–9 m (4.9–29.5 ft). It is spread linearly along the east bank of the River Hooghly
in a north-south direction. Much of the city was originally a vast wetland, reclaimed over the decades to accommodate the city's burgeoning population. The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands
has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention
.
Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain
s, the predominant soil and water type is alluvial. Quaternary sediments consisting of clay, silt, various grades of sand and gravel underlie the city. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds, the lower one at depths between 250–650 m (820.2–2,132.5 ft) and the upper one ranging between 10–40 m (32.8–131.2 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards
, the town falls under seismic zone-III
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) while the wind and cyclone
zoning is "very high damage risk", according to UNDP
report.
(KMC), has an area of 185 km² (71 sq mi). The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area
), however, is spread over 1750 km² (676 sq mi), and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006. The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments, including 38 local municipalities
. The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporate parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah
, Hooghly
and Nadia
.
The east-to-west dimension of the city is narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
in the east, a span of barely 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north-south expansion is larger and broadly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city, with primarily 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, and includes areas such as Shyambazar
, Shobhabazar
, Chitpur
, Cossipore
, Baranagar
, Sinthee and Dum Dum
. Central Kolkata houses the central business district, comprising of B. B. D. Bagh
(formerly known as Dalhousie square) with Esplanade
to its East and Strand Road
to its West. The Government Secretariat
, General Post Office
, Reserve Bank of India
, High Court
, Lalbazar Police head quarters
and several other government and private offices are located here. Another major business hub is in the area south of Park Street
and comprises thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street
, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani
and AJC Bose Road. The Maidan
is a large open field in the heart of the city, often referred to as the "Lungs of Kolkata", where several sporting events and public meetings are held. The Victoria Memorial and The Kolkata Race Course
are situated at the southern end of the Maidan. Other notable parks in the city include Central Park
in Bidhannagar and Millenium Park at Strand Road, beside the Hooghly river.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence of India
and consists of localities such as Ballygunge
, Alipore
, New Alipore
, Lansdowne
, Bhawanipore, Tollygunge
, Jodhpur Park
, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur
and Kasba. Upscale localities are concentrated in the south. From southwest to southeast, the southern fringe areas include Garden Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin and Garia .
Two planned neighbourhoods of Kolkata are Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar) to the northeast of the city, and Rajarhat
, also called New Town, to the east of Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for IT/ITES and telecom companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits and have their own municipalities.
Kolkata has a tropical wet-and-dry climate
(Köppen climate classification
Aw). The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66.2–86 F). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54–57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On average, May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (80.6–98.6 F), while January as the coldest month has temperatures varying from {convert|12|-|23|C|F|abbr=on|1}}.
Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorms or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are locally known as Kal baisakhi .
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supply the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1582 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August—306 mm (12 in). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March. Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog
and haze
. Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones, including the cyclones of 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands of people.
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of East India
and the northeastern states
. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange
— India's second-largest bourse
. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in eastern India to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to a rise in trade-unionism and frequent strikes supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to the city's sobriquet the "Dying City". The liberalisation of the Indian economy
in the 1990s aided by changes in state government policy have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
Flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector
has comprised more than 40% of the labour force. For example, roadside hawkers
generated business worth Rs.
8,772 crore
(around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005. State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. The city has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, along with other blue-collar and knowledge workers. As in many other Indian cities, information technology
became a major growing sector in Kolkata since late 1990s, with the IT sector growing at 70% yearly — twice that of the national average. The 2000s also saw a surge of investments in the realty and infrastructure sector, coupled with retail and hospitality sector growth, with establishments of several shopping malls and hotels.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large corporations, both in public and private sector, with products and industries including steel, heavy engineering, mining, minerals, cement, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, textiles, and jute among others. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Tata Steel Processing & Distribution Ltd, Coal India Limited
, Haldia Petrochemicals, Exide Industries, Hindustan Motors
, Britannia Industries, Bata India
, Birla Corporation
, CESC Limited
, RPG Group
, Bengal Ambuja, Phillips
India, Eveready Industries
, Visa Group, Damodar Valley Corporation
and Peerless Group. Recently, various events like adoption of the "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La
Pass in Sikkim
as a border trade-route with China
and immense interest in the South East Asian countries to invest in the Indian market, have put Kolkata in an advantageous position for development in the future, particularly with Myanmar. Kolkata is also an important centre for banking and finance, and is home of the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank
, Uco Bank
and United Bank of India
.
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"| Kolkata City officials
|-
|Mayor
:
|
Kolkata (icon; , , Kolkatā), formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the India
n state of West Bengal
. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India
. The city proper has 4.5 million residents, and the metropolitan area, including suburbs, has a population of approximately 14.2 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India and the 13th-most populous urban area in the world. Kolkata is also classified as the eighth-largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj
until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages and a growing nationalism in Bengal led officials to shift the capital to New Delhi
. The city is noted for its vibrant political culture. It was a center of the Indian struggle for independence
and remains a hotbed of contemporary politics
. Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation
in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to an acceleration in the city's growth. Like other metropolitan cities in developing countries, Kolkata continues to deal with contemporary urban problems like pollution
and traffic congestion
. Despite such problems, it remains the dominant urban area of eastern India and the major economic, educational and cultural hub.
, Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British. "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra literally meaning "Land of [the goddess] Kāli
". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkilā ("flat area"). The name may have its origin in khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by katta (which may mean dug). There is another theory that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kali chun) and coir rope (kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local language
, the anglicized version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC have opted to call Bombay as "Mumbai
", Madras as "Chennai
" and Calcutta as "Kolkata".
, an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history begins with the arrival of the English East India Company
in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal
. Job Charnock
, an administrator with the company was traditionally credited as the founder of the city. In response to a public interest petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder. The area comprising of the present day city consisted of three villages Kalikata
, Gobindapur and Sutanuti
. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari
rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
family. The rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.
The British
in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers — namely the Dutch
, the Portuguese
, and the French
. In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William
, which was used to station its troops and as a regional base. Calcutta was declared a Presidency City, and later became the headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
. Faced with frequent skirmishes with French
forces, in 1756 the British began to upgrade their fortifications. When protests against the militarisation by the Nawab of Bengal
Siraj-Ud-Daulah went unheeded he attacked and captured Fort William, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta
incident. A force of Company sepoy
s and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772, and starting in 1864 during the summer months, the capital was temporarily shifted to the hill station
of Shimla
. In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River
. Richard Wellesley
, the Governor General
between 1797–1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture which led to the description of Calcutta as "The City of Palaces". The city was a centre of the British East India Company's opium
trade during the late 18th and 19th century.
By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas — one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee
, the other Indian centred around North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute
industries: this caused massive investment by British companies in infrastructure such as Howrah station
and telegraph connections. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new Babu
class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, Anglophiles, and usually belonged to upper-caste
Hindu
communities. Throughout the nineteenth century, a socio-cultural reform, often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance
resulted in the general uplifting of the people. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference
— the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement
, especially revolutionary organisations
. The 1905 partition of Bengal
on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement
). These activities, along with the administratively disadvantageous location of Calcutta in the eastern fringes of India, prompted the British to move the capital to New Delhi
in 1911.
The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese
between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943
, caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.
In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to large-scale communal violence
resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. The partition of India
led to intense violence and a shift in demographics — large numbers of Muslims left for East Pakistan
, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.
Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Maoist
movement — the Naxalite
s — damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. In 1971, Bangladesh liberation war
led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure. In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai
, overtook Kolkata as India's most-populous city. In 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
referred to Kolkata as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas. Kolkata has been a important base for Communism
, as West Bengal was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPI(M))-dominated Left Front
for 34 years (1977–2011) — the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, Information Technology
(IT) services have revitalized the city’s stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing a growth in the manufacturing sector.
Kolkata is located in eastern India
, at 22°33′N 88°20′E in the Ganges Delta
at an elevation ranging between 1.5–9 m (4.9–29.5 ft). It is spread linearly along the east bank of the River Hooghly
in a north-south direction. Much of the city was originally a vast wetland, reclaimed over the decades to accommodate the city's burgeoning population. The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands
has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention
.
Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain
s, the predominant soil and water type is alluvial. Quaternary sediments consisting of clay, silt, various grades of sand and gravel underlie the city. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds, the lower one at depths between 250–650 m (820.2–2,132.5 ft) and the upper one ranging between 10–40 m (32.8–131.2 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards
, the town falls under seismic zone-III
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) while the wind and cyclone
zoning is "very high damage risk", according to UNDP
report.
(KMC), has an area of 185 km² (71 sq mi). The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area
), however, is spread over 1750 km² (676 sq mi), and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006. The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments, including 38 local municipalities
. The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporate parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah
, Hooghly
and Nadia
.
The east-to-west dimension of the city is narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
in the east, a span of barely 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north-south expansion is larger and broadly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city, with primarily 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, and includes areas such as Shyambazar
, Shobhabazar
, Chitpur
, Cossipore
, Baranagar
, Sinthee and Dum Dum
. Central Kolkata houses the central business district, comprising of B. B. D. Bagh
(formerly known as Dalhousie square) with Esplanade
to its East and Strand Road
to its West. The Government Secretariat
, General Post Office
, Reserve Bank of India
, High Court
, Lalbazar Police head quarters
and several other government and private offices are located here. Another major business hub is in the area south of Park Street
and comprises thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street
, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani
and AJC Bose Road. The Maidan
is a large open field in the heart of the city, often referred to as the "Lungs of Kolkata", where several sporting events and public meetings are held. The Victoria Memorial and The Kolkata Race Course
are situated at the southern end of the Maidan. Other notable parks in the city include Central Park
in Bidhannagar and Millenium Park at Strand Road, beside the Hooghly river.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence of India
and consists of localities such as Ballygunge
, Alipore
, New Alipore
, Lansdowne
, Bhawanipore, Tollygunge
, Jodhpur Park
, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur
and Kasba. Upscale localities are concentrated in the south. From southwest to southeast, the southern fringe areas include Garden Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin and Garia .
Two planned neighbourhoods of Kolkata are Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar) to the northeast of the city, and Rajarhat
, also called New Town, to the east of Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for IT/ITES and telecom companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits and have their own municipalities.
Kolkata has a tropical wet-and-dry climate
(Köppen climate classification
Aw). The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66.2–86 F). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54–57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On average, May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (80.6–98.6 F), while January as the coldest month has temperatures varying from {convert|12|-|23|C|F|abbr=on|1}}.
Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorms or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are locally known as Kal baisakhi .
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supply the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1582 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August—306 mm (12 in). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March. Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog
and haze
. Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones, including the cyclones of 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands of people.
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of East India
and the northeastern states
. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange
— India's second-largest bourse
. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in eastern India to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to a rise in trade-unionism and frequent strikes supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to the city's sobriquet the "Dying City". The liberalisation of the Indian economy
in the 1990s aided by changes in state government policy have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
Flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector
has comprised more than 40% of the labour force. For example, roadside hawkers
generated business worth Rs.
8,772 crore
(around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005. State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. The city has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, along with other blue-collar and knowledge workers. As in many other Indian cities, information technology
became a major growing sector in Kolkata since late 1990s, with the IT sector growing at 70% yearly — twice that of the national average. The 2000s also saw a surge of investments in the realty and infrastructure sector, coupled with retail and hospitality sector growth, with establishments of several shopping malls and hotels.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large corporations, both in public and private sector, with products and industries including steel, heavy engineering, mining, minerals, cement, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, textiles, and jute among others. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Tata Steel Processing & Distribution Ltd, Coal India Limited
, Haldia Petrochemicals, Exide Industries, Hindustan Motors
, Britannia Industries, Bata India
, Birla Corporation
, CESC Limited
, RPG Group
, Bengal Ambuja, Phillips
India, Eveready Industries
, Visa Group, Damodar Valley Corporation
and Peerless Group. Recently, various events like adoption of the "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La
Pass in Sikkim
as a border trade-route with China
and immense interest in the South East Asian countries to invest in the Indian market, have put Kolkata in an advantageous position for development in the future, particularly with Myanmar. Kolkata is also an important centre for banking and finance, and is home of the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank
, Uco Bank
and United Bank of India
.
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"| Kolkata City officials
|-
|Mayor
:
|
Kolkata (icon; , , Kolkatā), formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the India
n state of West Bengal
. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India
. The city proper has 4.5 million residents, and the metropolitan area, including suburbs, has a population of approximately 14.2 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India and the 13th-most populous urban area in the world. Kolkata is also classified as the eighth-largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj
until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages and a growing nationalism in Bengal led officials to shift the capital to New Delhi
. The city is noted for its vibrant political culture. It was a center of the Indian struggle for independence
and remains a hotbed of contemporary politics
. Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation
in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to an acceleration in the city's growth. Like other metropolitan cities in developing countries, Kolkata continues to deal with contemporary urban problems like pollution
and traffic congestion
. Despite such problems, it remains the dominant urban area of eastern India and the major economic, educational and cultural hub.
, Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British. "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra literally meaning "Land of [the goddess] Kāli
". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkilā ("flat area"). The name may have its origin in khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by katta (which may mean dug). There is another theory that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kali chun) and coir rope (kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local language
, the anglicized version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC have opted to call Bombay as "Mumbai
", Madras as "Chennai
" and Calcutta as "Kolkata".
, an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history begins with the arrival of the English East India Company
in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal
. Job Charnock
, an administrator with the company was traditionally credited as the founder of the city. In response to a public interest petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder. The area comprising of the present day city consisted of three villages Kalikata
, Gobindapur and Sutanuti
. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari
rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
family. The rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.
The British
in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers — namely the Dutch
, the Portuguese
, and the French
. In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William
, which was used to station its troops and as a regional base. Calcutta was declared a Presidency City, and later became the headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
. Faced with frequent skirmishes with French
forces, in 1756 the British began to upgrade their fortifications. When protests against the militarisation by the Nawab of Bengal
Siraj-Ud-Daulah went unheeded he attacked and captured Fort William, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta
incident. A force of Company sepoy
s and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772, and starting in 1864 during the summer months, the capital was temporarily shifted to the hill station
of Shimla
. In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River
. Richard Wellesley
, the Governor General
between 1797–1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture which led to the description of Calcutta as "The City of Palaces". The city was a centre of the British East India Company's opium
trade during the late 18th and 19th century.
By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas — one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee
, the other Indian centred around North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute
industries: this caused massive investment by British companies in infrastructure such as Howrah station
and telegraph connections. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new Babu
class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, Anglophiles, and usually belonged to upper-caste
Hindu
communities. Throughout the nineteenth century, a socio-cultural reform, often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance
resulted in the general uplifting of the people. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference
— the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement
, especially revolutionary organisations
. The 1905 partition of Bengal
on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement
). These activities, along with the administratively disadvantageous location of Calcutta in the eastern fringes of India, prompted the British to move the capital to New Delhi
in 1911.
The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese
between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943
, caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.
In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to large-scale communal violence
resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. The partition of India
led to intense violence and a shift in demographics — large numbers of Muslims left for East Pakistan
, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.
Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Maoist
movement — the Naxalite
s — damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. In 1971, Bangladesh liberation war
led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure. In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai
, overtook Kolkata as India's most-populous city. In 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
referred to Kolkata as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas. Kolkata has been a important base for Communism
, as West Bengal was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPI(M))-dominated Left Front
for 34 years (1977–2011) — the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, Information Technology
(IT) services have revitalized the city’s stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing a growth in the manufacturing sector.
Kolkata is located in eastern India
, at 22°33′N 88°20′E in the Ganges Delta
at an elevation ranging between 1.5–9 m (4.9–29.5 ft). It is spread linearly along the east bank of the River Hooghly
in a north-south direction. Much of the city was originally a vast wetland, reclaimed over the decades to accommodate the city's burgeoning population. The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands
has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention
.
Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain
s, the predominant soil and water type is alluvial. Quaternary sediments consisting of clay, silt, various grades of sand and gravel underlie the city. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds, the lower one at depths between 250–650 m (820.2–2,132.5 ft) and the upper one ranging between 10–40 m (32.8–131.2 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards
, the town falls under seismic zone-III
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) while the wind and cyclone
zoning is "very high damage risk", according to UNDP
report.
(KMC), has an area of 185 km² (71 sq mi). The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area
), however, is spread over 1750 km² (676 sq mi), and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006. The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments, including 38 local municipalities
. The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporate parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah
, Hooghly
and Nadia
.
The east-to-west dimension of the city is narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
in the east, a span of barely 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north-south expansion is larger and broadly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city, with primarily 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, and includes areas such as Shyambazar
, Shobhabazar
, Chitpur
, Cossipore
, Baranagar
, Sinthee and Dum Dum
. Central Kolkata houses the central business district, comprising of B. B. D. Bagh
(formerly known as Dalhousie square) with Esplanade
to its East and Strand Road
to its West. The Government Secretariat
, General Post Office
, Reserve Bank of India
, High Court
, Lalbazar Police head quarters
and several other government and private offices are located here. Another major business hub is in the area south of Park Street
and comprises thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street
, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani
and AJC Bose Road. The Maidan
is a large open field in the heart of the city, often referred to as the "Lungs of Kolkata", where several sporting events and public meetings are held. The Victoria Memorial and The Kolkata Race Course
are situated at the southern end of the Maidan. Other notable parks in the city include Central Park
in Bidhannagar and Millenium Park at Strand Road, beside the Hooghly river.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence of India
and consists of localities such as Ballygunge
, Alipore
, New Alipore
, Lansdowne
, Bhawanipore, Tollygunge
, Jodhpur Park
, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur
and Kasba. Upscale localities are concentrated in the south. From southwest to southeast, the southern fringe areas include Garden Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin and Garia .
Two planned neighbourhoods of Kolkata are Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar) to the northeast of the city, and Rajarhat
, also called New Town, to the east of Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for IT/ITES and telecom companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits and have their own municipalities.
Kolkata has a tropical wet-and-dry climate
(Köppen climate classification
Aw). The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66.2–86 F). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54–57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On average, May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (80.6–98.6 F), while January as the coldest month has temperatures varying from {convert|12|-|23|C|F|abbr=on|1}}.
Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorms or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are locally known as Kal baisakhi .
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supply the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1582 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August—306 mm (12 in). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March. Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog
and haze
. Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones, including the cyclones of 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands of people.
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of East India
and the northeastern states
. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange
— India's second-largest bourse
. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in eastern India to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to a rise in trade-unionism and frequent strikes supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to the city's sobriquet the "Dying City". The liberalisation of the Indian economy
in the 1990s aided by changes in state government policy have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
Flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector
has comprised more than 40% of the labour force. For example, roadside hawkers
generated business worth Rs.
8,772 crore
(around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005. State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. The city has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, along with other blue-collar and knowledge workers. As in many other Indian cities, information technology
became a major growing sector in Kolkata since late 1990s, with the IT sector growing at 70% yearly — twice that of the national average. The 2000s also saw a surge of investments in the realty and infrastructure sector, coupled with retail and hospitality sector growth, with establishments of several shopping malls and hotels.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large corporations, both in public and private sector, with products and industries including steel, heavy engineering, mining, minerals, cement, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, textiles, and jute among others. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Tata Steel Processing & Distribution Ltd, Coal India Limited
, Haldia Petrochemicals, Exide Industries, Hindustan Motors
, Britannia Industries, Bata India
, Birla Corporation
, CESC Limited
, RPG Group
, Bengal Ambuja, Phillips
India, Eveready Industries
, Visa Group, Damodar Valley Corporation
and Peerless Group. Recently, various events like adoption of the "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La
Pass in Sikkim
as a border trade-route with China
and immense interest in the South East Asian countries to invest in the Indian market, have put Kolkata in an advantageous position for development in the future, particularly with Myanmar. Kolkata is also an important centre for banking and finance, and is home of the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank
, Uco Bank
and United Bank of India
.
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"| Kolkata City officials
|-
|Mayor
:
|
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
. The city proper has 4.5 million residents, and the metropolitan area, including suburbs, has a population of approximately 14.2 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India and the 13th-most populous urban area in the world. Kolkata is also classified as the eighth-largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages and a growing nationalism in Bengal led officials to shift the capital to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. The city is noted for its vibrant political culture. It was a center of the Indian struggle for independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
and remains a hotbed of contemporary politics
Politics of West Bengal
Politics in West Bengal is dominated by the following major political parties, the Communist Party of India , the Indian National Congress and the Trinamool Congress...
. Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation
Economic stagnation
Economic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to an acceleration in the city's growth. Like other metropolitan cities in developing countries, Kolkata continues to deal with contemporary urban problems like pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
and traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
. Despite such problems, it remains the dominant urban area of eastern India and the major economic, educational and cultural hub.
Etymology
The name "Kolkatā" (and the anglicised name "Calcutta") has its roots in Kalikatā, one of the three villages (Kalikatā, SutanutiSutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British. "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra literally meaning "Land of [the goddess] Kāli
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkilā ("flat area"). The name may have its origin in khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by katta (which may mean dug). There is another theory that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kali chun) and coir rope (kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, the anglicized version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC have opted to call Bombay as "Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
", Madras as "Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
" and Calcutta as "Kolkata".
History
The discovery of the nearby ChandraketugarhChandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Haroa Road railhead....
, an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history begins with the arrival of the English East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Job Charnock
Job Charnock
Job Charnock was a servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of the city of Calcutta.-Early life and career:...
, an administrator with the company was traditionally credited as the founder of the city. In response to a public interest petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder. The area comprising of the present day city consisted of three villages Kalikata
Kalikata
Kalikata was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Gobindapur and Sutanuti
Sutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Ray Chaudhury family were the Zamindar of the Kolkata area, prior to the arrival of the British. On November 10, 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur - to the East India Company...
family. The rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers — namely the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
, which was used to station its troops and as a regional base. Calcutta was declared a Presidency City, and later became the headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
. Faced with frequent skirmishes with French
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
forces, in 1756 the British began to upgrade their fortifications. When protests against the militarisation by the Nawab of Bengal
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
Siraj-Ud-Daulah went unheeded he attacked and captured Fort William, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William, at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756....
incident. A force of Company sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
s and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772, and starting in 1864 during the summer months, the capital was temporarily shifted to the hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
of Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
. In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River
River Hooghly
The Hooghly River or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is an approximately long distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India. It splits from the Ganges as a canal in Murshidabad District at the Farakka Barrage...
. Richard Wellesley
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, the Governor General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
between 1797–1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture which led to the description of Calcutta as "The City of Palaces". The city was a centre of the British East India Company's opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
trade during the late 18th and 19th century.
By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas — one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee
Chowringhee
Chowringhee is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jawaharlal Nehru Road runs on its western side...
, the other Indian centred around North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
industries: this caused massive investment by British companies in infrastructure such as Howrah station
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
and telegraph connections. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new Babu
Babu (title)
The term babu, also spelled baboo, is used in modern-day South Asia as a sign of respect towards men. It is a derivation of bapu which means father. The honorific "ji" is sometimes added as a suffix to create the double honorific "babuji" which, in northern and eastern parts of India, is a term of...
class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, Anglophiles, and usually belonged to upper-caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
communities. Throughout the nineteenth century, a socio-cultural reform, often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
resulted in the general uplifting of the people. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference
Indian National Association
The Indian National Association was the first avowed nationalist organization founded in British India by Surendranath Banerjea and Anand Mohan Bose in 1876. The objectives of this Association were “promoting by every legitimate means the political, intellectual and material advancement of the...
— the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, especially revolutionary organisations
Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
The Revolutionary movement for Indian independence is often a less-highlighted aspect of the Indian independence movement -- the underground revolutionary factions. The groups believing in armed revolution against the ruling British fall into this category. The revolutionary groups were...
. The 1905 partition of Bengal
Partition of Bengal (1905)
The decision of the Partition of Bengal was announced on 19 July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. The partition took effect on 16 October 1905...
on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement
Swadeshi movement
The Swadeshi movement, part of the Indian independence movement, was an economic strategy aimed at removing the British Empire from power and improving economic conditions in India by following the principles of swadeshi , which had some success...
). These activities, along with the administratively disadvantageous location of Calcutta in the eastern fringes of India, prompted the British to move the capital to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1911.
The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943
Bengal famine of 1943
The Bengal famine of 1943 struck the Bengal. Province of pre-partition India. Estimates are that between 1.5 and 4 million people died of starvation, malnutrition and disease, out of Bengal’s 60.3 million population, half of them dying from disease after food became available in December 1943 As...
, caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.
In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to large-scale communal violence
Direct Action Day
Direct Action Day , also known as the Great Calcutta Killings, was a day of widespread riot and manslaughter in the city of Calcutta in the Bengal province of British India...
resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. The partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
led to intense violence and a shift in demographics — large numbers of Muslims left for East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.
Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
movement — the Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
s — damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. In 1971, Bangladesh liberation war
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure. In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, overtook Kolkata as India's most-populous city. In 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
referred to Kolkata as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas. Kolkata has been a important base for Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, as West Bengal was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
(CPI(M))-dominated Left Front
Left Front
The Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. After a 34-year reign in West Bengal, the Left Front was swept from power in the 2011 election...
for 34 years (1977–2011) — the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) services have revitalized the city’s stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing a growth in the manufacturing sector.
Geography
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
, at 22°33′N 88°20′E in the Ganges Delta
Ganges Delta
The Ganges Delta is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. It is the world's largest delta, and empties into the Bay of Bengal...
at an elevation ranging between 1.5–9 m (4.9–29.5 ft). It is spread linearly along the east bank of the River Hooghly
River Hooghly
The Hooghly River or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is an approximately long distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India. It splits from the Ganges as a canal in Murshidabad District at the Farakka Barrage...
in a north-south direction. Much of the city was originally a vast wetland, reclaimed over the decades to accommodate the city's burgeoning population. The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands
East Calcutta Wetlands
The East Calcutta Wetlands, also known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, are a complex of natural and human-made wetlands lying east of the city of Calcutta , West Bengal in India. The wetlands cover 125 square kilometres, and include salt marshes and salt meadows, as well as sewage farms and settling...
has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain
Indo-Gangetic plain
The northern Plains also known as the Indo - Gangetic Plain and The North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, parts of southern Nepal and virtually all of Bangladesh...
s, the predominant soil and water type is alluvial. Quaternary sediments consisting of clay, silt, various grades of sand and gravel underlie the city. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds, the lower one at depths between 250–650 m (820.2–2,132.5 ft) and the upper one ranging between 10–40 m (32.8–131.2 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
, the town falls under seismic zone-III
Earthquake hazard zoning of India
The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that India is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Geographical statistics of India show that almost 54% of the land is vulnerable...
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) while the wind and cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
zoning is "very high damage risk", according to UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
report.
Urban structure
Kolkata city, under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal CorporationKolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...
(KMC), has an area of 185 km² (71 sq mi). The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area
Kolkata metropolitan area
Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...
), however, is spread over 1750 km² (676 sq mi), and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006. The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments, including 38 local municipalities
Kolkata neighbourhoods
Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, has many densely populated towns and districts on its outskirts.Greater Kolkata consists of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and parts of the North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts and - arguably - parts of Howrah and Hooghly.But the Kolkata Metropolitan Area ...
. The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporate parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah
Howrah District
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.-Geography:...
, Hooghly
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
and Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
.
The east-to-west dimension of the city is narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
in the east, a span of barely 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north-south expansion is larger and broadly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city, with primarily 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, and includes areas such as Shyambazar
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as...
, Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
, Chitpur
Chitpur
Chitpur is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names....
, Cossipore
Cossipore
Cossipore is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. One of the old neighbourhoods of the metropolis, it has a police station and is an assembly constituency.-History:...
, Baranagar
Baranagar
Baranagar or Barahanagar, meaning the big and town or land of the pig , is a town in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. It is a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. A railway station of the same name is on the Dankuni line off the Sealdah north section...
, Sinthee and Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
. Central Kolkata houses the central business district, comprising of B. B. D. Bagh
B. B. D. Bagh
B.B.D. Bag , formerly called Dalhousie Square, is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bag . It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Origin of name:B.B.D...
(formerly known as Dalhousie square) with Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
to its East and Strand Road
Strand Road
Strand Road may mean:*Johnston Road in a major road in Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong.*Strand Road, Kolkata, a thoroughfare in the Indian city of Kolkata .*Strand Road, a major road in downtown Yangon, Myanmar....
to its West. The Government Secretariat
Writers' Building
The Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
, General Post Office
General Post Office, Kolkata
The General Post Office, Kolkata is the central post office of the city of Kolkata, India and the chief post office of West Bengal. The post-office handles most of the city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels. Situated in the B.B.D...
, Reserve Bank of India
Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India is the central banking institution of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of...
, High Court
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...
, Lalbazar Police head quarters
Lalbazar
Lalbazar is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the central business district adjoining B.B.D. Bagh area. The head quarters of the Kolkata Police is located here and is popularly known by the same name.-History:The road...
and several other government and private offices are located here. Another major business hub is in the area south of Park Street
Park Street, Kolkata
Mother Teresa Sarani, formerly Park Street and still often called by that name, and originally Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city of Kolkata , India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence...
and comprises thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street
Camac Street
Camac Street is a street running in the central business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Street to AJC Bose Road. The road was named after William Camac, a senior merchant in the days of Lord Cornwallis and Lord Wellesley...
, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani
Shakespeare Sarani
Shakespeare Sarani is a street running in the central business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Circus to Jawaharlal Nehru Road . It was renamed on April 24, 1964 after William Shakespeare, to mark the fourth birth centenary of the legendary playright...
and AJC Bose Road. The Maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
is a large open field in the heart of the city, often referred to as the "Lungs of Kolkata", where several sporting events and public meetings are held. The Victoria Memorial and The Kolkata Race Course
Kolkata Race Course
Kolkata Race Course in Kolkata , India is one of the largest horse race venues in India. The race course was built in the year 1820 and was maintained by the Royal Calcutta Turf Club....
are situated at the southern end of the Maidan. Other notable parks in the city include Central Park
Central Park (Kolkata)
Central Park situated in Bidhannagar is the second largest open field in the city of Kolkata after the Maidan.This park is easily reachable from the Karunamoyee bus stand in Salt Lake. On the roads surrounding the park are the buildings where the West Bengal government has relocated many government...
in Bidhannagar and Millenium Park at Strand Road, beside the Hooghly river.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence of India
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
and consists of localities such as Ballygunge
Ballygunge
Ballygunge is an upmarket and elite locality in South Kolkata, India. It is flanked by Park Circus in the north, Kasba and the Eastern Railway south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria and the Lakes in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore and Lansdowne in the west...
, Alipore
Alipore
Alipore is headquarters of South 24 Parganas district and a neighbourhood in South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.Alipore, Kolkata, not to be confused with Alipore, Gujarat, is one of the poshest and costliest localities in Kolkata, along with the area Ballygunge...
, New Alipore
New Alipore
New Alipore is situated just south of Alipore bordered by the Budge Budge section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway between Majherhat and Tollygunge stations - it is bounded by the above railway line to the North, the B.L.Saha Road to the East, Diamond Harbour Road to the West and by Behala to the...
, Lansdowne
Sarat Bose Road
Sarat Bose Road, previously known as Lansdowne Road is a 3.5 kms long stretch of road that connects Southern Avenue with AJC Bose Road , and is the road dividing two major localities of Ballygunge and Bhowanipore in South Kolkata.-Localities:Sarat Bose Road runs north to south almost parallel to...
, Bhawanipore, Tollygunge
Tollygunge
Tollygunge is a locality of South Kolkata. It is flanked by the Eastern Railway south suburban line to the north, Lake Gardens and Golf Green in the east, the Pashchim & Purba Putiaries in the south, and Behala in the west.-History:...
, Jodhpur Park
Jodhpur Park
-Jodhpur Park:Jodhpur Park is a locality in south Kolkata. It is a posh and typical south Kolkata locality and is surrounded by Dhakuria in the north, the Gariahat Road in the east, Prince Anwar Shah Road in the south and the Lake Gardens area in the west...
, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur
Jadavpur
Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Dhakuria to the north, Tollygunge to the west, Santoshpur to the east and Garia to the south...
and Kasba. Upscale localities are concentrated in the south. From southwest to southeast, the southern fringe areas include Garden Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin and Garia .
Two planned neighbourhoods of Kolkata are Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar) to the northeast of the city, and Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
, also called New Town, to the east of Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for IT/ITES and telecom companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits and have their own municipalities.
Climate
Tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories "Aw" and '"As."...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Aw). The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66.2–86 F). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54–57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On average, May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (80.6–98.6 F), while January as the coldest month has temperatures varying from {convert|12|-|23|C|F|abbr=on|1}}.
Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorms or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are locally known as Kal baisakhi .
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supply the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1582 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August—306 mm (12 in). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March. Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
and haze
Haze
Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification of horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic...
. Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones, including the cyclones of 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands of people.
Economy
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
and the northeastern states
North-East India
Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...
. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange
Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Limited
Calcutta Stock Exchange located at the Lyons Range, Kolkata, India, was incorporated in 1908 and is the second largest bourse in India.-History:...
— India's second-largest bourse
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in eastern India to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to a rise in trade-unionism and frequent strikes supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to the city's sobriquet the "Dying City". The liberalisation of the Indian economy
Economy of India
The Economy of India is the ninth largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity . The country is a part of the G-20 major economies and the BRICS, in addition to being partners of the ASEAN. India has a per capita GDP of $3,608 as per 2010 figures, making it...
in the 1990s aided by changes in state government policy have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
Flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector
Informal economy
The informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
has comprised more than 40% of the labour force. For example, roadside hawkers
Hawkers in Kolkata
Hawkers in Kolkata numbering 275,000 generated business worth 8,772 crore in 2005. In Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal, almost 80 per cent of the pavements are encroached by hawkers and illegal settlers.In many countries, hawkers use pavements or other...
generated business worth Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
8,772 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
(around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005. State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. The city has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, along with other blue-collar and knowledge workers. As in many other Indian cities, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
became a major growing sector in Kolkata since late 1990s, with the IT sector growing at 70% yearly — twice that of the national average. The 2000s also saw a surge of investments in the realty and infrastructure sector, coupled with retail and hospitality sector growth, with establishments of several shopping malls and hotels.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large corporations, both in public and private sector, with products and industries including steel, heavy engineering, mining, minerals, cement, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, textiles, and jute among others. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Tata Steel Processing & Distribution Ltd, Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited is an Indian state-controlled coal company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the world's largest coal miner with revenue exceeding 60,245 Crore . It was formerly owned entirely by the Union Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of...
, Haldia Petrochemicals, Exide Industries, Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors is an automobile manufacturer from India. It is part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog....
, Britannia Industries, Bata India
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
, Birla Corporation
Birla Corporation
Birla Corporation Limited, popularly known as Birla Corp is an Indian company based in Kolkata. It is the flagship company of the M P Birla group of companies....
, CESC Limited
Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation
The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation or CESC supplies electricity to area under the Kolkata municipal corporation in the city of Kolkata, India, mainly but also few areas of Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Parganas and 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, India.-History:On 7 January 1897 Kilburn & Co...
, RPG Group
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
, Bengal Ambuja, Phillips
Phillips
-Places:In the United States:*Phillips, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Phillips, Maine, town in Franklin County*Phillips, Nebraska, village in Hamilton County*Phillips, Minneapolis, Minnesota, community in the city of Minneapolis...
India, Eveready Industries
Eveready Industries
Eveready Industries India, Ltd is the flagship company of the B.M. Khaitan Group. The brand Eveready has been present in India since 1905....
, Visa Group, Damodar Valley Corporation
Damodar Valley Corporation
The Damodar Valley Corporation, popularly known as DVC, is the first multipurpose river valley project of independent India. The corporation came into being on July 7, 1948 by an Act of the Constituent Assembly of India . It is modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority of the USA. Jawaharlal...
and Peerless Group. Recently, various events like adoption of the "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La
Nathu La
Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The pass, at 4,310 m above mean sea level, forms a part of an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road. Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in Tibetan...
Pass in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
as a border trade-route with China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and immense interest in the South East Asian countries to invest in the Indian market, have put Kolkata in an advantageous position for development in the future, particularly with Myanmar. Kolkata is also an important centre for banking and finance, and is home of the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank
Allahabad Bank
Allahabad Bank , , which began operations in 1865, has its head-quarters in Kolkata. Currently the bank has 2500 branches across the country. The Chairman and Managing Director of the bank is Shri J. P. Dua. The bank has a branch in Hong Kong and a representative office in Shenzen.-19th...
, Uco Bank
UCO Bank
Uco Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and major commercial bank of India. Ghanshyam Das Birla, an eminent Indian industrialist, during the Quit India movement of 1942, had conceived the idea of organizing a commercial bank with Indian...
and United Bank of India
United Bank of India
United Bank of India is a state-owned financial services company headquartered in Kolkata, India. Presently the bank has a three-tier organizational setup consisting of its Head office in Kolkata, 31 Regional offices and 1600 branches spread all over India. However, its major presence is in...
.
Civic administration
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="1" style="float:right; width:200px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; background:#f4f5f6; border:#c6c7c8 solid; font-size:70%;"|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"| Kolkata City officials
|-
|Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
:
|
Kolkata (icon; , , Kolkatā), formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
. The city proper has 4.5 million residents, and the metropolitan area, including suburbs, has a population of approximately 14.2 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India and the 13th-most populous urban area in the world. Kolkata is also classified as the eighth-largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages and a growing nationalism in Bengal led officials to shift the capital to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. The city is noted for its vibrant political culture. It was a center of the Indian struggle for independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
and remains a hotbed of contemporary politics
Politics of West Bengal
Politics in West Bengal is dominated by the following major political parties, the Communist Party of India , the Indian National Congress and the Trinamool Congress...
. Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation
Economic stagnation
Economic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to an acceleration in the city's growth. Like other metropolitan cities in developing countries, Kolkata continues to deal with contemporary urban problems like pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
and traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
. Despite such problems, it remains the dominant urban area of eastern India and the major economic, educational and cultural hub.
Etymology
The name "Kolkatā" (and the anglicised name "Calcutta") has its roots in Kalikatā, one of the three villages (Kalikatā, SutanutiSutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British. "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra literally meaning "Land of [the goddess] Kāli
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkilā ("flat area"). The name may have its origin in khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by katta (which may mean dug). There is another theory that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kali chun) and coir rope (kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, the anglicized version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC have opted to call Bombay as "Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
", Madras as "Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
" and Calcutta as "Kolkata".
History
The discovery of the nearby ChandraketugarhChandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Haroa Road railhead....
, an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history begins with the arrival of the English East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Job Charnock
Job Charnock
Job Charnock was a servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of the city of Calcutta.-Early life and career:...
, an administrator with the company was traditionally credited as the founder of the city. In response to a public interest petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder. The area comprising of the present day city consisted of three villages Kalikata
Kalikata
Kalikata was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Gobindapur and Sutanuti
Sutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Ray Chaudhury family were the Zamindar of the Kolkata area, prior to the arrival of the British. On November 10, 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur - to the East India Company...
family. The rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers — namely the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
, which was used to station its troops and as a regional base. Calcutta was declared a Presidency City, and later became the headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
. Faced with frequent skirmishes with French
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
forces, in 1756 the British began to upgrade their fortifications. When protests against the militarisation by the Nawab of Bengal
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
Siraj-Ud-Daulah went unheeded he attacked and captured Fort William, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William, at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756....
incident. A force of Company sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
s and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772, and starting in 1864 during the summer months, the capital was temporarily shifted to the hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
of Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
. In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River
River Hooghly
The Hooghly River or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is an approximately long distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India. It splits from the Ganges as a canal in Murshidabad District at the Farakka Barrage...
. Richard Wellesley
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, the Governor General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
between 1797–1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture which led to the description of Calcutta as "The City of Palaces". The city was a centre of the British East India Company's opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
trade during the late 18th and 19th century.
By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas — one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee
Chowringhee
Chowringhee is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jawaharlal Nehru Road runs on its western side...
, the other Indian centred around North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
industries: this caused massive investment by British companies in infrastructure such as Howrah station
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
and telegraph connections. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new Babu
Babu (title)
The term babu, also spelled baboo, is used in modern-day South Asia as a sign of respect towards men. It is a derivation of bapu which means father. The honorific "ji" is sometimes added as a suffix to create the double honorific "babuji" which, in northern and eastern parts of India, is a term of...
class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, Anglophiles, and usually belonged to upper-caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
communities. Throughout the nineteenth century, a socio-cultural reform, often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
resulted in the general uplifting of the people. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference
Indian National Association
The Indian National Association was the first avowed nationalist organization founded in British India by Surendranath Banerjea and Anand Mohan Bose in 1876. The objectives of this Association were “promoting by every legitimate means the political, intellectual and material advancement of the...
— the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, especially revolutionary organisations
Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
The Revolutionary movement for Indian independence is often a less-highlighted aspect of the Indian independence movement -- the underground revolutionary factions. The groups believing in armed revolution against the ruling British fall into this category. The revolutionary groups were...
. The 1905 partition of Bengal
Partition of Bengal (1905)
The decision of the Partition of Bengal was announced on 19 July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. The partition took effect on 16 October 1905...
on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement
Swadeshi movement
The Swadeshi movement, part of the Indian independence movement, was an economic strategy aimed at removing the British Empire from power and improving economic conditions in India by following the principles of swadeshi , which had some success...
). These activities, along with the administratively disadvantageous location of Calcutta in the eastern fringes of India, prompted the British to move the capital to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1911.
The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943
Bengal famine of 1943
The Bengal famine of 1943 struck the Bengal. Province of pre-partition India. Estimates are that between 1.5 and 4 million people died of starvation, malnutrition and disease, out of Bengal’s 60.3 million population, half of them dying from disease after food became available in December 1943 As...
, caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.
In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to large-scale communal violence
Direct Action Day
Direct Action Day , also known as the Great Calcutta Killings, was a day of widespread riot and manslaughter in the city of Calcutta in the Bengal province of British India...
resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. The partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
led to intense violence and a shift in demographics — large numbers of Muslims left for East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.
Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
movement — the Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
s — damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. In 1971, Bangladesh liberation war
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure. In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, overtook Kolkata as India's most-populous city. In 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
referred to Kolkata as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas. Kolkata has been a important base for Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, as West Bengal was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
(CPI(M))-dominated Left Front
Left Front
The Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. After a 34-year reign in West Bengal, the Left Front was swept from power in the 2011 election...
for 34 years (1977–2011) — the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) services have revitalized the city’s stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing a growth in the manufacturing sector.
Geography
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
, at 22°33′N 88°20′E in the Ganges Delta
Ganges Delta
The Ganges Delta is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. It is the world's largest delta, and empties into the Bay of Bengal...
at an elevation ranging between 1.5–9 m (4.9–29.5 ft). It is spread linearly along the east bank of the River Hooghly
River Hooghly
The Hooghly River or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is an approximately long distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India. It splits from the Ganges as a canal in Murshidabad District at the Farakka Barrage...
in a north-south direction. Much of the city was originally a vast wetland, reclaimed over the decades to accommodate the city's burgeoning population. The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands
East Calcutta Wetlands
The East Calcutta Wetlands, also known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, are a complex of natural and human-made wetlands lying east of the city of Calcutta , West Bengal in India. The wetlands cover 125 square kilometres, and include salt marshes and salt meadows, as well as sewage farms and settling...
has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain
Indo-Gangetic plain
The northern Plains also known as the Indo - Gangetic Plain and The North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, parts of southern Nepal and virtually all of Bangladesh...
s, the predominant soil and water type is alluvial. Quaternary sediments consisting of clay, silt, various grades of sand and gravel underlie the city. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds, the lower one at depths between 250–650 m (820.2–2,132.5 ft) and the upper one ranging between 10–40 m (32.8–131.2 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
, the town falls under seismic zone-III
Earthquake hazard zoning of India
The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that India is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Geographical statistics of India show that almost 54% of the land is vulnerable...
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) while the wind and cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
zoning is "very high damage risk", according to UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
report.
Urban structure
Kolkata city, under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal CorporationKolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...
(KMC), has an area of 185 km² (71 sq mi). The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area
Kolkata metropolitan area
Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...
), however, is spread over 1750 km² (676 sq mi), and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006. The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments, including 38 local municipalities
Kolkata neighbourhoods
Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, has many densely populated towns and districts on its outskirts.Greater Kolkata consists of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and parts of the North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts and - arguably - parts of Howrah and Hooghly.But the Kolkata Metropolitan Area ...
. The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporate parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah
Howrah District
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.-Geography:...
, Hooghly
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
and Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
.
The east-to-west dimension of the city is narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
in the east, a span of barely 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north-south expansion is larger and broadly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city, with primarily 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, and includes areas such as Shyambazar
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as...
, Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
, Chitpur
Chitpur
Chitpur is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names....
, Cossipore
Cossipore
Cossipore is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. One of the old neighbourhoods of the metropolis, it has a police station and is an assembly constituency.-History:...
, Baranagar
Baranagar
Baranagar or Barahanagar, meaning the big and town or land of the pig , is a town in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. It is a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. A railway station of the same name is on the Dankuni line off the Sealdah north section...
, Sinthee and Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
. Central Kolkata houses the central business district, comprising of B. B. D. Bagh
B. B. D. Bagh
B.B.D. Bag , formerly called Dalhousie Square, is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bag . It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Origin of name:B.B.D...
(formerly known as Dalhousie square) with Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
to its East and Strand Road
Strand Road
Strand Road may mean:*Johnston Road in a major road in Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong.*Strand Road, Kolkata, a thoroughfare in the Indian city of Kolkata .*Strand Road, a major road in downtown Yangon, Myanmar....
to its West. The Government Secretariat
Writers' Building
The Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
, General Post Office
General Post Office, Kolkata
The General Post Office, Kolkata is the central post office of the city of Kolkata, India and the chief post office of West Bengal. The post-office handles most of the city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels. Situated in the B.B.D...
, Reserve Bank of India
Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India is the central banking institution of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of...
, High Court
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...
, Lalbazar Police head quarters
Lalbazar
Lalbazar is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the central business district adjoining B.B.D. Bagh area. The head quarters of the Kolkata Police is located here and is popularly known by the same name.-History:The road...
and several other government and private offices are located here. Another major business hub is in the area south of Park Street
Park Street, Kolkata
Mother Teresa Sarani, formerly Park Street and still often called by that name, and originally Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city of Kolkata , India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence...
and comprises thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street
Camac Street
Camac Street is a street running in the central business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Street to AJC Bose Road. The road was named after William Camac, a senior merchant in the days of Lord Cornwallis and Lord Wellesley...
, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani
Shakespeare Sarani
Shakespeare Sarani is a street running in the central business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Circus to Jawaharlal Nehru Road . It was renamed on April 24, 1964 after William Shakespeare, to mark the fourth birth centenary of the legendary playright...
and AJC Bose Road. The Maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
is a large open field in the heart of the city, often referred to as the "Lungs of Kolkata", where several sporting events and public meetings are held. The Victoria Memorial and The Kolkata Race Course
Kolkata Race Course
Kolkata Race Course in Kolkata , India is one of the largest horse race venues in India. The race course was built in the year 1820 and was maintained by the Royal Calcutta Turf Club....
are situated at the southern end of the Maidan. Other notable parks in the city include Central Park
Central Park (Kolkata)
Central Park situated in Bidhannagar is the second largest open field in the city of Kolkata after the Maidan.This park is easily reachable from the Karunamoyee bus stand in Salt Lake. On the roads surrounding the park are the buildings where the West Bengal government has relocated many government...
in Bidhannagar and Millenium Park at Strand Road, beside the Hooghly river.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence of India
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
and consists of localities such as Ballygunge
Ballygunge
Ballygunge is an upmarket and elite locality in South Kolkata, India. It is flanked by Park Circus in the north, Kasba and the Eastern Railway south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria and the Lakes in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore and Lansdowne in the west...
, Alipore
Alipore
Alipore is headquarters of South 24 Parganas district and a neighbourhood in South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.Alipore, Kolkata, not to be confused with Alipore, Gujarat, is one of the poshest and costliest localities in Kolkata, along with the area Ballygunge...
, New Alipore
New Alipore
New Alipore is situated just south of Alipore bordered by the Budge Budge section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway between Majherhat and Tollygunge stations - it is bounded by the above railway line to the North, the B.L.Saha Road to the East, Diamond Harbour Road to the West and by Behala to the...
, Lansdowne
Sarat Bose Road
Sarat Bose Road, previously known as Lansdowne Road is a 3.5 kms long stretch of road that connects Southern Avenue with AJC Bose Road , and is the road dividing two major localities of Ballygunge and Bhowanipore in South Kolkata.-Localities:Sarat Bose Road runs north to south almost parallel to...
, Bhawanipore, Tollygunge
Tollygunge
Tollygunge is a locality of South Kolkata. It is flanked by the Eastern Railway south suburban line to the north, Lake Gardens and Golf Green in the east, the Pashchim & Purba Putiaries in the south, and Behala in the west.-History:...
, Jodhpur Park
Jodhpur Park
-Jodhpur Park:Jodhpur Park is a locality in south Kolkata. It is a posh and typical south Kolkata locality and is surrounded by Dhakuria in the north, the Gariahat Road in the east, Prince Anwar Shah Road in the south and the Lake Gardens area in the west...
, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur
Jadavpur
Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Dhakuria to the north, Tollygunge to the west, Santoshpur to the east and Garia to the south...
and Kasba. Upscale localities are concentrated in the south. From southwest to southeast, the southern fringe areas include Garden Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin and Garia .
Two planned neighbourhoods of Kolkata are Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar) to the northeast of the city, and Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
, also called New Town, to the east of Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for IT/ITES and telecom companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits and have their own municipalities.
Climate
Tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories "Aw" and '"As."...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Aw). The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66.2–86 F). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54–57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On average, May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (80.6–98.6 F), while January as the coldest month has temperatures varying from {convert|12|-|23|C|F|abbr=on|1}}.
Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorms or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are locally known as Kal baisakhi .
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supply the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1582 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August—306 mm (12 in). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March. Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
and haze
Haze
Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification of horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic...
. Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones, including the cyclones of 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands of people.
Economy
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
and the northeastern states
North-East India
Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...
. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange
Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Limited
Calcutta Stock Exchange located at the Lyons Range, Kolkata, India, was incorporated in 1908 and is the second largest bourse in India.-History:...
— India's second-largest bourse
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in eastern India to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to a rise in trade-unionism and frequent strikes supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to the city's sobriquet the "Dying City". The liberalisation of the Indian economy
Economy of India
The Economy of India is the ninth largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity . The country is a part of the G-20 major economies and the BRICS, in addition to being partners of the ASEAN. India has a per capita GDP of $3,608 as per 2010 figures, making it...
in the 1990s aided by changes in state government policy have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
Flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector
Informal economy
The informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
has comprised more than 40% of the labour force. For example, roadside hawkers
Hawkers in Kolkata
Hawkers in Kolkata numbering 275,000 generated business worth 8,772 crore in 2005. In Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal, almost 80 per cent of the pavements are encroached by hawkers and illegal settlers.In many countries, hawkers use pavements or other...
generated business worth Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
8,772 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
(around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005. State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. The city has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, along with other blue-collar and knowledge workers. As in many other Indian cities, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
became a major growing sector in Kolkata since late 1990s, with the IT sector growing at 70% yearly — twice that of the national average. The 2000s also saw a surge of investments in the realty and infrastructure sector, coupled with retail and hospitality sector growth, with establishments of several shopping malls and hotels.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large corporations, both in public and private sector, with products and industries including steel, heavy engineering, mining, minerals, cement, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, textiles, and jute among others. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Tata Steel Processing & Distribution Ltd, Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited is an Indian state-controlled coal company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the world's largest coal miner with revenue exceeding 60,245 Crore . It was formerly owned entirely by the Union Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of...
, Haldia Petrochemicals, Exide Industries, Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors is an automobile manufacturer from India. It is part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog....
, Britannia Industries, Bata India
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
, Birla Corporation
Birla Corporation
Birla Corporation Limited, popularly known as Birla Corp is an Indian company based in Kolkata. It is the flagship company of the M P Birla group of companies....
, CESC Limited
Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation
The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation or CESC supplies electricity to area under the Kolkata municipal corporation in the city of Kolkata, India, mainly but also few areas of Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Parganas and 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, India.-History:On 7 January 1897 Kilburn & Co...
, RPG Group
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
, Bengal Ambuja, Phillips
Phillips
-Places:In the United States:*Phillips, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Phillips, Maine, town in Franklin County*Phillips, Nebraska, village in Hamilton County*Phillips, Minneapolis, Minnesota, community in the city of Minneapolis...
India, Eveready Industries
Eveready Industries
Eveready Industries India, Ltd is the flagship company of the B.M. Khaitan Group. The brand Eveready has been present in India since 1905....
, Visa Group, Damodar Valley Corporation
Damodar Valley Corporation
The Damodar Valley Corporation, popularly known as DVC, is the first multipurpose river valley project of independent India. The corporation came into being on July 7, 1948 by an Act of the Constituent Assembly of India . It is modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority of the USA. Jawaharlal...
and Peerless Group. Recently, various events like adoption of the "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La
Nathu La
Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The pass, at 4,310 m above mean sea level, forms a part of an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road. Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in Tibetan...
Pass in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
as a border trade-route with China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and immense interest in the South East Asian countries to invest in the Indian market, have put Kolkata in an advantageous position for development in the future, particularly with Myanmar. Kolkata is also an important centre for banking and finance, and is home of the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank
Allahabad Bank
Allahabad Bank , , which began operations in 1865, has its head-quarters in Kolkata. Currently the bank has 2500 branches across the country. The Chairman and Managing Director of the bank is Shri J. P. Dua. The bank has a branch in Hong Kong and a representative office in Shenzen.-19th...
, Uco Bank
UCO Bank
Uco Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and major commercial bank of India. Ghanshyam Das Birla, an eminent Indian industrialist, during the Quit India movement of 1942, had conceived the idea of organizing a commercial bank with Indian...
and United Bank of India
United Bank of India
United Bank of India is a state-owned financial services company headquartered in Kolkata, India. Presently the bank has a three-tier organizational setup consisting of its Head office in Kolkata, 31 Regional offices and 1600 branches spread all over India. However, its major presence is in...
.
Civic administration
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="1" style="float:right; width:200px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; background:#f4f5f6; border:#c6c7c8 solid; font-size:70%;"|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"| Kolkata City officials
|-
|Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
:
|
Kolkata (icon; , , Kolkatā), formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
. The city proper has 4.5 million residents, and the metropolitan area, including suburbs, has a population of approximately 14.2 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India and the 13th-most populous urban area in the world. Kolkata is also classified as the eighth-largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages and a growing nationalism in Bengal led officials to shift the capital to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. The city is noted for its vibrant political culture. It was a center of the Indian struggle for independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
and remains a hotbed of contemporary politics
Politics of West Bengal
Politics in West Bengal is dominated by the following major political parties, the Communist Party of India , the Indian National Congress and the Trinamool Congress...
. Once the center of modern education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation
Economic stagnation
Economic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to an acceleration in the city's growth. Like other metropolitan cities in developing countries, Kolkata continues to deal with contemporary urban problems like pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
and traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
. Despite such problems, it remains the dominant urban area of eastern India and the major economic, educational and cultural hub.
Etymology
The name "Kolkatā" (and the anglicised name "Calcutta") has its roots in Kalikatā, one of the three villages (Kalikatā, SutanutiSutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Govindapur) that existed in the area before the city was established by the British. "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra literally meaning "Land of [the goddess] Kāli
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkilā ("flat area"). The name may have its origin in khal, the vernacular term for a canal, followed by katta (which may mean dug). There is another theory that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kali chun) and coir rope (kátá) and hence the place was called Kalikátá.
While the city's name has always been pronounced "Kolkatā" or "Kolikatā" in the local language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, the anglicized version "Calcutta" was the official name until it was changed to "Kolkata" in 2001, to match with the Bengali pronunciation. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources such as BBC have opted to call Bombay as "Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
", Madras as "Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
" and Calcutta as "Kolkata".
History
The discovery of the nearby ChandraketugarhChandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Haroa Road railhead....
, an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history begins with the arrival of the English East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Job Charnock
Job Charnock
Job Charnock was a servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of the city of Calcutta.-Early life and career:...
, an administrator with the company was traditionally credited as the founder of the city. In response to a public interest petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder. The area comprising of the present day city consisted of three villages Kalikata
Kalikata
Kalikata was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Gobindapur and Sutanuti
Sutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Ray Chaudhury family were the Zamindar of the Kolkata area, prior to the arrival of the British. On November 10, 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur - to the East India Company...
family. The rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers — namely the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
, which was used to station its troops and as a regional base. Calcutta was declared a Presidency City, and later became the headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
. Faced with frequent skirmishes with French
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
forces, in 1756 the British began to upgrade their fortifications. When protests against the militarisation by the Nawab of Bengal
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
Siraj-Ud-Daulah went unheeded he attacked and captured Fort William, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William, at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756....
incident. A force of Company sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
s and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772, and starting in 1864 during the summer months, the capital was temporarily shifted to the hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
of Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
. In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River
River Hooghly
The Hooghly River or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is an approximately long distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India. It splits from the Ganges as a canal in Murshidabad District at the Farakka Barrage...
. Richard Wellesley
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, the Governor General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
between 1797–1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture which led to the description of Calcutta as "The City of Palaces". The city was a centre of the British East India Company's opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
trade during the late 18th and 19th century.
By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas — one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee
Chowringhee
Chowringhee is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jawaharlal Nehru Road runs on its western side...
, the other Indian centred around North Calcutta. The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
industries: this caused massive investment by British companies in infrastructure such as Howrah station
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
and telegraph connections. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new Babu
Babu (title)
The term babu, also spelled baboo, is used in modern-day South Asia as a sign of respect towards men. It is a derivation of bapu which means father. The honorific "ji" is sometimes added as a suffix to create the double honorific "babuji" which, in northern and eastern parts of India, is a term of...
class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, Anglophiles, and usually belonged to upper-caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
communities. Throughout the nineteenth century, a socio-cultural reform, often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
resulted in the general uplifting of the people. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference
Indian National Association
The Indian National Association was the first avowed nationalist organization founded in British India by Surendranath Banerjea and Anand Mohan Bose in 1876. The objectives of this Association were “promoting by every legitimate means the political, intellectual and material advancement of the...
— the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, especially revolutionary organisations
Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
The Revolutionary movement for Indian independence is often a less-highlighted aspect of the Indian independence movement -- the underground revolutionary factions. The groups believing in armed revolution against the ruling British fall into this category. The revolutionary groups were...
. The 1905 partition of Bengal
Partition of Bengal (1905)
The decision of the Partition of Bengal was announced on 19 July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. The partition took effect on 16 October 1905...
on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement
Swadeshi movement
The Swadeshi movement, part of the Indian independence movement, was an economic strategy aimed at removing the British Empire from power and improving economic conditions in India by following the principles of swadeshi , which had some success...
). These activities, along with the administratively disadvantageous location of Calcutta in the eastern fringes of India, prompted the British to move the capital to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1911.
The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943
Bengal famine of 1943
The Bengal famine of 1943 struck the Bengal. Province of pre-partition India. Estimates are that between 1.5 and 4 million people died of starvation, malnutrition and disease, out of Bengal’s 60.3 million population, half of them dying from disease after food became available in December 1943 As...
, caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.
In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to large-scale communal violence
Direct Action Day
Direct Action Day , also known as the Great Calcutta Killings, was a day of widespread riot and manslaughter in the city of Calcutta in the Bengal province of British India...
resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. The partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
led to intense violence and a shift in demographics — large numbers of Muslims left for East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.
Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
movement — the Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
s — damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. In 1971, Bangladesh liberation war
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure. In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, overtook Kolkata as India's most-populous city. In 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
referred to Kolkata as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas. Kolkata has been a important base for Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, as West Bengal was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
(CPI(M))-dominated Left Front
Left Front
The Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. After a 34-year reign in West Bengal, the Left Front was swept from power in the 2011 election...
for 34 years (1977–2011) — the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) services have revitalized the city’s stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing a growth in the manufacturing sector.
Geography
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
, at 22°33′N 88°20′E in the Ganges Delta
Ganges Delta
The Ganges Delta is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. It is the world's largest delta, and empties into the Bay of Bengal...
at an elevation ranging between 1.5–9 m (4.9–29.5 ft). It is spread linearly along the east bank of the River Hooghly
River Hooghly
The Hooghly River or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is an approximately long distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India. It splits from the Ganges as a canal in Murshidabad District at the Farakka Barrage...
in a north-south direction. Much of the city was originally a vast wetland, reclaimed over the decades to accommodate the city's burgeoning population. The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands
East Calcutta Wetlands
The East Calcutta Wetlands, also known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, are a complex of natural and human-made wetlands lying east of the city of Calcutta , West Bengal in India. The wetlands cover 125 square kilometres, and include salt marshes and salt meadows, as well as sewage farms and settling...
has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain
Indo-Gangetic plain
The northern Plains also known as the Indo - Gangetic Plain and The North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, parts of southern Nepal and virtually all of Bangladesh...
s, the predominant soil and water type is alluvial. Quaternary sediments consisting of clay, silt, various grades of sand and gravel underlie the city. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds, the lower one at depths between 250–650 m (820.2–2,132.5 ft) and the upper one ranging between 10–40 m (32.8–131.2 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
, the town falls under seismic zone-III
Earthquake hazard zoning of India
The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that India is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Geographical statistics of India show that almost 54% of the land is vulnerable...
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) while the wind and cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
zoning is "very high damage risk", according to UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
report.
Urban structure
Kolkata city, under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal CorporationKolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...
(KMC), has an area of 185 km² (71 sq mi). The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area
Kolkata metropolitan area
Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...
), however, is spread over 1750 km² (676 sq mi), and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006. The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments, including 38 local municipalities
Kolkata neighbourhoods
Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, has many densely populated towns and districts on its outskirts.Greater Kolkata consists of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and parts of the North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts and - arguably - parts of Howrah and Hooghly.But the Kolkata Metropolitan Area ...
. The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporate parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah
Howrah District
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.-Geography:...
, Hooghly
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
and Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
.
The east-to-west dimension of the city is narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
in the east, a span of barely 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north-south expansion is larger and broadly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city, with primarily 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, and includes areas such as Shyambazar
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as...
, Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
, Chitpur
Chitpur
Chitpur is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names....
, Cossipore
Cossipore
Cossipore is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. One of the old neighbourhoods of the metropolis, it has a police station and is an assembly constituency.-History:...
, Baranagar
Baranagar
Baranagar or Barahanagar, meaning the big and town or land of the pig , is a town in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. It is a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. A railway station of the same name is on the Dankuni line off the Sealdah north section...
, Sinthee and Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
. Central Kolkata houses the central business district, comprising of B. B. D. Bagh
B. B. D. Bagh
B.B.D. Bag , formerly called Dalhousie Square, is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bag . It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Origin of name:B.B.D...
(formerly known as Dalhousie square) with Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
to its East and Strand Road
Strand Road
Strand Road may mean:*Johnston Road in a major road in Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong.*Strand Road, Kolkata, a thoroughfare in the Indian city of Kolkata .*Strand Road, a major road in downtown Yangon, Myanmar....
to its West. The Government Secretariat
Writers' Building
The Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
, General Post Office
General Post Office, Kolkata
The General Post Office, Kolkata is the central post office of the city of Kolkata, India and the chief post office of West Bengal. The post-office handles most of the city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels. Situated in the B.B.D...
, Reserve Bank of India
Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India is the central banking institution of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of...
, High Court
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...
, Lalbazar Police head quarters
Lalbazar
Lalbazar is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the central business district adjoining B.B.D. Bagh area. The head quarters of the Kolkata Police is located here and is popularly known by the same name.-History:The road...
and several other government and private offices are located here. Another major business hub is in the area south of Park Street
Park Street, Kolkata
Mother Teresa Sarani, formerly Park Street and still often called by that name, and originally Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city of Kolkata , India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence...
and comprises thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street
Camac Street
Camac Street is a street running in the central business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Street to AJC Bose Road. The road was named after William Camac, a senior merchant in the days of Lord Cornwallis and Lord Wellesley...
, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani
Shakespeare Sarani
Shakespeare Sarani is a street running in the central business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Circus to Jawaharlal Nehru Road . It was renamed on April 24, 1964 after William Shakespeare, to mark the fourth birth centenary of the legendary playright...
and AJC Bose Road. The Maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
is a large open field in the heart of the city, often referred to as the "Lungs of Kolkata", where several sporting events and public meetings are held. The Victoria Memorial and The Kolkata Race Course
Kolkata Race Course
Kolkata Race Course in Kolkata , India is one of the largest horse race venues in India. The race course was built in the year 1820 and was maintained by the Royal Calcutta Turf Club....
are situated at the southern end of the Maidan. Other notable parks in the city include Central Park
Central Park (Kolkata)
Central Park situated in Bidhannagar is the second largest open field in the city of Kolkata after the Maidan.This park is easily reachable from the Karunamoyee bus stand in Salt Lake. On the roads surrounding the park are the buildings where the West Bengal government has relocated many government...
in Bidhannagar and Millenium Park at Strand Road, beside the Hooghly river.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence of India
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
and consists of localities such as Ballygunge
Ballygunge
Ballygunge is an upmarket and elite locality in South Kolkata, India. It is flanked by Park Circus in the north, Kasba and the Eastern Railway south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria and the Lakes in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore and Lansdowne in the west...
, Alipore
Alipore
Alipore is headquarters of South 24 Parganas district and a neighbourhood in South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.Alipore, Kolkata, not to be confused with Alipore, Gujarat, is one of the poshest and costliest localities in Kolkata, along with the area Ballygunge...
, New Alipore
New Alipore
New Alipore is situated just south of Alipore bordered by the Budge Budge section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway between Majherhat and Tollygunge stations - it is bounded by the above railway line to the North, the B.L.Saha Road to the East, Diamond Harbour Road to the West and by Behala to the...
, Lansdowne
Sarat Bose Road
Sarat Bose Road, previously known as Lansdowne Road is a 3.5 kms long stretch of road that connects Southern Avenue with AJC Bose Road , and is the road dividing two major localities of Ballygunge and Bhowanipore in South Kolkata.-Localities:Sarat Bose Road runs north to south almost parallel to...
, Bhawanipore, Tollygunge
Tollygunge
Tollygunge is a locality of South Kolkata. It is flanked by the Eastern Railway south suburban line to the north, Lake Gardens and Golf Green in the east, the Pashchim & Purba Putiaries in the south, and Behala in the west.-History:...
, Jodhpur Park
Jodhpur Park
-Jodhpur Park:Jodhpur Park is a locality in south Kolkata. It is a posh and typical south Kolkata locality and is surrounded by Dhakuria in the north, the Gariahat Road in the east, Prince Anwar Shah Road in the south and the Lake Gardens area in the west...
, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur
Jadavpur
Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Dhakuria to the north, Tollygunge to the west, Santoshpur to the east and Garia to the south...
and Kasba. Upscale localities are concentrated in the south. From southwest to southeast, the southern fringe areas include Garden Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin and Garia .
Two planned neighbourhoods of Kolkata are Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar) to the northeast of the city, and Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
, also called New Town, to the east of Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for IT/ITES and telecom companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits and have their own municipalities.
Climate
Tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories "Aw" and '"As."...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Aw). The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19–30 °C (66.2–86 F). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54–57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On average, May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (80.6–98.6 F), while January as the coldest month has temperatures varying from {convert|12|-|23|C|F|abbr=on|1}}.
Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorms or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are locally known as Kal baisakhi .
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supply the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1582 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August—306 mm (12 in). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March. Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
and haze
Haze
Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification of horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic...
. Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones, including the cyclones of 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands of people.
Economy
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
and the northeastern states
North-East India
Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...
. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange
Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Limited
Calcutta Stock Exchange located at the Lyons Range, Kolkata, India, was incorporated in 1908 and is the second largest bourse in India.-History:...
— India's second-largest bourse
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in eastern India to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to a rise in trade-unionism and frequent strikes supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to the city's sobriquet the "Dying City". The liberalisation of the Indian economy
Economy of India
The Economy of India is the ninth largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity . The country is a part of the G-20 major economies and the BRICS, in addition to being partners of the ASEAN. India has a per capita GDP of $3,608 as per 2010 figures, making it...
in the 1990s aided by changes in state government policy have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
Flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector
Informal economy
The informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
has comprised more than 40% of the labour force. For example, roadside hawkers
Hawkers in Kolkata
Hawkers in Kolkata numbering 275,000 generated business worth 8,772 crore in 2005. In Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal, almost 80 per cent of the pavements are encroached by hawkers and illegal settlers.In many countries, hawkers use pavements or other...
generated business worth Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
8,772 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
(around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005. State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. The city has a large unskilled and semi-skilled labour population, along with other blue-collar and knowledge workers. As in many other Indian cities, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
became a major growing sector in Kolkata since late 1990s, with the IT sector growing at 70% yearly — twice that of the national average. The 2000s also saw a surge of investments in the realty and infrastructure sector, coupled with retail and hospitality sector growth, with establishments of several shopping malls and hotels.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large corporations, both in public and private sector, with products and industries including steel, heavy engineering, mining, minerals, cement, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, textiles, and jute among others. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Tata Steel Processing & Distribution Ltd, Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited is an Indian state-controlled coal company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the world's largest coal miner with revenue exceeding 60,245 Crore . It was formerly owned entirely by the Union Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of...
, Haldia Petrochemicals, Exide Industries, Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors is an automobile manufacturer from India. It is part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog....
, Britannia Industries, Bata India
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
, Birla Corporation
Birla Corporation
Birla Corporation Limited, popularly known as Birla Corp is an Indian company based in Kolkata. It is the flagship company of the M P Birla group of companies....
, CESC Limited
Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation
The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation or CESC supplies electricity to area under the Kolkata municipal corporation in the city of Kolkata, India, mainly but also few areas of Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Parganas and 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, India.-History:On 7 January 1897 Kilburn & Co...
, RPG Group
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
, Bengal Ambuja, Phillips
Phillips
-Places:In the United States:*Phillips, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Phillips, Maine, town in Franklin County*Phillips, Nebraska, village in Hamilton County*Phillips, Minneapolis, Minnesota, community in the city of Minneapolis...
India, Eveready Industries
Eveready Industries
Eveready Industries India, Ltd is the flagship company of the B.M. Khaitan Group. The brand Eveready has been present in India since 1905....
, Visa Group, Damodar Valley Corporation
Damodar Valley Corporation
The Damodar Valley Corporation, popularly known as DVC, is the first multipurpose river valley project of independent India. The corporation came into being on July 7, 1948 by an Act of the Constituent Assembly of India . It is modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority of the USA. Jawaharlal...
and Peerless Group. Recently, various events like adoption of the "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La
Nathu La
Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The pass, at 4,310 m above mean sea level, forms a part of an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road. Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in Tibetan...
Pass in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
as a border trade-route with China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and immense interest in the South East Asian countries to invest in the Indian market, have put Kolkata in an advantageous position for development in the future, particularly with Myanmar. Kolkata is also an important centre for banking and finance, and is home of the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank
Allahabad Bank
Allahabad Bank , , which began operations in 1865, has its head-quarters in Kolkata. Currently the bank has 2500 branches across the country. The Chairman and Managing Director of the bank is Shri J. P. Dua. The bank has a branch in Hong Kong and a representative office in Shenzen.-19th...
, Uco Bank
UCO Bank
Uco Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and major commercial bank of India. Ghanshyam Das Birla, an eminent Indian industrialist, during the Quit India movement of 1942, had conceived the idea of organizing a commercial bank with Indian...
and United Bank of India
United Bank of India
United Bank of India is a state-owned financial services company headquartered in Kolkata, India. Presently the bank has a three-tier organizational setup consisting of its Head office in Kolkata, 31 Regional offices and 1600 branches spread all over India. However, its major presence is in...
.
Civic administration
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="1" style="float:right; width:200px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; background:#f4f5f6; border:#c6c7c8 solid; font-size:70%;"|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#c2d6e5; text-align:center;"| Kolkata City officials
|-
|Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
:
|
Sovan Chatterjee
|-
| Police Commissioner:
|
The civic administration of Kolkata is executed by several government agencies, and consists of overlapping structural divisions. At least five administrative definitions of the city are available; listed in ascending order of area, those are:
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)- The governance of the city proper—the area within which KMC has a directly elected council of 141 ward councilors who elect a council Chairman and an executive Mayor. The Mayor, in turn chooses a Deputy Mayor and not more than 10 elected councillors to form the Mayor-in-Council which works like a cabinet. In addition, there is a Municipal Accounts Committee (MAC)of five to seven elected councillors, other than the MiC, chosen through proportional representation, to act like a public accounts committee (PAC), usually headed by the Leader of Opposition. The MiC was introduced in 1980 and the system has been replicated in other Municipalities and Panchayats as Mayor/ Chairperson-in-council during 1981–1991. No other state in India has introduced a system of political executive in local government.
The main functions of the KMC are water supply
, drainage
and sewerage
, sanitation
, solid waste management, street
s and public places, street lighting, and building regulation
. Fire services are handled by a state agency – Kolkata Fire Brigade. Similarly, for the river port services, there is a Kolkata Port Trust
, an agency of the central government.
Other authorities: the Collector
of the Kolkata District
, the Kolkata Police
, the District Magistrate (DM)
of South 24 Parganas District
, and the (SP) of South 24 Parganas District
. As of 2010, the All India Trinamool Congress
holds the power in KMC, its mayor is Sovan Chatterjee
, while the deputy mayor is Farzana Alam. The city also has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata
.
As the capital of the state and the seat of the Government of West Bengal
, Kolkata houses not only the offices of the local governing agencies, but also the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
, the state Secretariat (Writers' Building
) and the Calcutta High Court
. Kolkata also has lower court
s; the Small Causes Court
for civil matters, and the Sessions Court
for criminal cases. The Kolkata Police
, headed by the Police Commissioner
, comes under the West Bengal
Home Ministry. The city elects three representatives to the Lok Sabha
(India's lower house) and 21 representatives to the state Legislative Assembly.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation supplies potable water to the city, sourced from the Hooghly River. The water is purified and treated at Palta
water pumping station located in North 24 Parganas. Almost all of Kolkata's daily refuse of 2500 tonne
s is transported to the dumping grounds in Dhapa to the east of the town. Agriculture
on this dumping ground is encouraged for natural recycling of garbage and sewer water. Parts of the city still lack sewage facilities leading to unsanitary methods of waste disposal. Electricity is supplied by the privately operated Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation
(CESC) to the city region, and by the West Bengal State Electricity Board
in the suburbs. Frequent interruption of power supply was a problem until the mid 1990s; however the situation has since improved immensely with seldom power cuts occurring presently. The city has 20 fire stations (under West Bengal Fire Service
) that attend to 7,500 fire and rescue calls on average per year.
State-owned BSNL and private enterprises like Vodafone
, Airtel
, Reliance Communications
, Uninor
, Idea Cellular
, Aircel
, Tata DoCoMo
, Tata Indicom
, Virgin Mobile
and MTS India are the leading telephone and cell phone service providers in the city. Cellular coverage is extensive with both GSM and CDMA services being available. Broadband Internet penetration has steadily increased with BSNL, Tata Indicom
, Sify
, Airtel, Reliance
and Alliance
being the leading service providers.
language newspapers like Anandabazar Patrika
, Bartaman
, Sangbad Pratidin
, Jago Bangla, Aajkaal
, Dainik Statesman
, Ganashakti
, Ekdin are widely circulated. The Statesman
and The Telegraph
are two major English language newspapers that are produced and published from Kolkata. Other popular English language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include the Times of India, Hindustan Times
, The Hindu
, The Indian Express
and the Asian Age
. Being the biggest trading market in East India, Kolkata has a substantial readership of many financial dailies including The Economic Times
, The Financial Express, Business Line
and Business Standard
. Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi
, Urdu
, Gujarati
, Oriya
, Punjabi
and Chinese
are also read by a minority.
Some major periodicals from Kolkata are Desh
, Sananda, Unish Kuri, Kindle, Anandalok
and Anandamela
. Historically, Kolkata has also been the center of the Bengali little magazine movement.
(AIR), the state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM
radio stations in the city. Kolkata has 12 local FM
radio stations, including two from AIR. The state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan
provides two free terrestrial channels, while four MSO
provide a mix of Bengali
, Hindi
, English
and other regional channels via cable
. Bengali 24-hour television news channels include STAR Ananda
, Tara Newz
, Kolkata TV
, 24 Ghanta
, Ne Bangla
, News Time
and Channel 10
.
Public transport
is provided by the Kolkata suburban railway
, the Kolkata Metro
, tram
s and buses. The suburban network is extensive and extends into the distant suburbs. The Kolkata Metro
, run by the Indian Railways
, is the oldest underground rapid transport system in India since 1984. It runs parallel to the River Hooghly and spans the north-south length of the city covering a distance of 25 km. More than 5 lines of the Metro rail which are under construction, will help in creating a vast network of rapid transit system in the city. Buses are the preferred mode of transport and are run by both government agencies and private operators. Kolkata is India's only city to have a tram network, operated by Calcutta Tramways Company
. The slow-moving tram services are restricted to certain areas of the city. Water-logging due to heavy rains during the monsoon sometimes interrupts the public transport.
mechanised transport include the yellow metered taxis, while auto rickshaw
s ply in specific routes. Almost all the taxis in Kolkata are Ambassadors
. This is unlike most other cities where Tata Indica
s or Premier Padmini
s are more common. In some areas of the city, cycle rickshaw
s and hand-pulled rickshaws are also patronised by the public for short distances. Private owned vehicles are less in number and usage compared to other major cities due to the abundance in both variety and number of public vehicles. However, the city witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles; 2002 data showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven years. The road space (matched with population density) in the city is only 6%, compared to 23% in Delhi
and 17% in Mumbai
, creating major traffic problems. Kolkata Metro
Railway and a number of new roads and flyovers have decongested the traffic to some extent.
Kolkata has three major long distance railway stations at Howrah
, Sealdah
and Kolkata (Chitpur)
. The city is the headquarters of two divisions of the Indian Railways — Eastern Railway
and South Eastern Railway
.
The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
at Dum Dum
to the north of the city, operates both domestic and international flights. The airport
is presently being upgraded to accommodate increased air traffic. Kolkata is also a major river port of East India. The Kolkata Port Trust
manages both the Kolkata and Haldia
docks. There are passenger services to Port Blair
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship
service to various ports in India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India
. There are ferry services as well, connecting Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah across the Hooghly River.
4,486,679, while the urban agglomeration had a population of 13,216,546 in 2001. The sex ratio
is 928 females per 1000 males which is lower than the national average
, because many working males come from rural areas and neighbouring states (mainly Bihar, UP, Orissa), where they leave behind their families. Kolkata's literacy rate of 81% exceeds the all-India average of 66%. Kolkata Municipal Corporation area has registered a growth rate of 4.1%, which is the lowest among the million-plus cities in India.
Bengali
comprise the majority of Kolkata's population, with Marwaris
and Bihari
communities forming a large portion of the minorities. Some of Kolkata's minor communities
include Chinese
, Tamils
, Nepalis
, Oriyas
, Telugus
, Assamese
, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indian
s, Armenians
, Greeks
, Tibetans
, Maharashtrian
s, Konkanis, Malayalees, Punjabis and Parsis. Tibetans mostly came as traders. There were also many Armenians, Greeks and Jews, although these have declined in 20th century. After the establishment of Israel, many Jews left to live in Israel and the size of the Jewish community had a severe decrease. Chinatown in the eastern part of the city of Kolkata is the only Chinatown
in the country. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese
, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning
industry and the Chinese restaurants.
Bengali
is the dominant language spoken in Kolkata, which also serves as the Official State Language. English
is also used, particularly by the white-collar work force.
According to the census, 73% of the population in Kolkata is Hindu
, 23% Muslim
, 2% Christian
and 1% Jains
. Other minorities such as Sikhs, Buddhist, Jews and Zoroastrian constitute the rest of the city's population. 1.5 million people, who constitute about a third of the city's population, live in 2,011 registered and 3,500 unregistered (occupied by squatters) slum
s.
Kolkata reported 67.6% of total Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes registered in 35 Indian mega cities in 2004. Kolkata police district registered 10,757 IPC
cases in 2004, which was 10th highest in the country. The crime rate in the city was 71 per 100,000 against the national rate of 167.7 in 2006, which is the lowest among all the mega cities in India. Some estimates state that there are more than 60,000 brothel-based women and girls in prostitution in Kolkata. The population of prostitutes in Sonagachi
constitutes mainly of Nepalese
, India
ns and Bangladeshis. Some sources estimate there are 60,000 women in the brothels of Kolkata. The largest prostitution area in city is Sonagachi
.
Kolkata has long been known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage. As the former capital of India, Kolkata was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought. Kolkatans tend to have a special appreciation for art and literature; its tradition of welcoming new talent has made it a City of Furious Creative Energy. Cited by: For these reasons, Kolkata has often been dubbed as the Cultural Capital of India or the Literary Capital of India.
A characteristic feature of Kolkata is with the para
or neighbourhoods having a strong sense of community. Typically, every para has its own community club with a clubroom and often, a playing field. People here habitually indulge in adda, or leisurely chat, and these adda sessions are often a form of freestyle intellectual conversation. The city has a tradition of political graffiti
depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures to propaganda.
, Baroque
, Roman
, Orient
al and Indo-Islamic (including Mughal
) motifs. Several major buildings of the Colonial period are well maintained and have been declared "heritage structures", while others are in various stages of decay. Established in 1814, the Indian Museum
is the oldest museum in Asia
and houses vast collections of Indian natural history
and Indian art
. Marble Palace
is classic example of European mansion in the city. Netaji Bhawan
is museum and shrine dedicated for honor of Netaji, Indian freedom fighter of World War II. The Victoria Memorial
, one of the major places of interest in Kolkata
, has a museum documenting the city's history. The National Library of India
is India's leading public library. Academy of Fine Arts
and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions.
industry, dubbed "Tollywood" after Tollygunj, the location of Bengali movie studios. Its long tradition of Art-Film making
includes globally acclaimed directors
such as Academy Award winning director Satyajit Ray
, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen
, Tapan Sinha
and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen
, Buddhadeb Dasgupta
and Rituparno Ghosh
.
was modernized in the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
, Michael Madhusudan Dutt
, Rabindranath Tagore
, Kazi Nazrul Islam
and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. This literary modernization, coupled with the social reforms led by reformers like Ram Mohan Roy
, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Vivekananda
and others, constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance
. The rich literary tradition set by these authors has been carried forward in the works of Jibanananda Das
, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
, Manik Bandopadhyay
, Ashapurna Devi, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
, Buddhadeb Guha
, Mahashweta Devi, Samaresh Majumdar
, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay
and Sunil Gangopadhyay
among others.
, Jamini Roy
, Ramkinker Baij, Bikash Bhattacharya
, Paresh Maity and Devajyoti Ray
. In the 1960s, the city has seen the emergence of the famous Calcutta Group, which preceded the Progressive Artists Group in field of modern Indian art
. In 2005, the first exhibition on Pseudorealism
was held at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. The city continues to be the home of one of the most passionate lovers of art in country. Kolkata is often also called the backyard of Indian art.
as well as Bengali folk music such as baul
and kirtan
s and gajan, and modern songs including Bengali adhunik songs. From the early 1990s, there has been an emergence of new genres of music, including the emergence of what has been called Bengali Jeebonmukhi Gaan (a modern genre based on realism) by artists like Anjan Dutta
, Kabir Suman, Nachiketa
and folk
/alternative
/rock
bands like Moheener Ghoraguli
, Chandrabindoo
, Bhoomi
, Cactus
, and Fossils
.
include rice and Machher jhol (fish curry), with roshogolla, sandesh and mishti dohi (sweet yoghurt) as dessert. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various eelish
preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Street foods such as beguni
(fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll
(flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken
, mutton, or egg
stuffing), phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine
from China Town in the eastern parts of the city are quite popular. Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Kolkatans and at their social ceremonies.
as per tradition and global/western outfits. Among men, western dressing has greater acceptance, though the traditional dhoti
and panjabi/kurta
comes to life on festivals.
, in the autumn, is the most important festival and the most glamorous event in Kolkata. Other notable festivals include Jagaddhatri
Puja, Diwali
, Saraswati
puja, Eid
, Holi
, Christmas
, poila boishak
(new year), Rath Yatra
and Poush parbon (harvest festival). Some of the cultural festivals are Kolkata Book Fair, Dover Lane music festival
, Kolkata Film Festival
and National Theatre Festival
.
Kolkata's schools are either run by the state government or by private (many of which are religious) organisations. Schools mainly use Bengali
or English
as the medium of instruction
, though Urdu
is also used, especially in Central Kolkata. The schools are affiliated with any of the following — West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE)
, the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open School (NIOS)
and the A-Level (British Curriculum). Under the 10+2+3 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in a 2 year junior college
(also known as a pre-university) or in schools with a higher secondary facility affiliated with West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
, ICSE or CBSE. Students usually choose from one of three streams — liberal arts
, commerce
, or science
, though vocational streams are also available. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enrol in general or professional degree programmes.
seventeen universities or autonomous institutions and numerous colleges affiliated to them or to other universities located outside. The University of Calcutta
(founded in 1857) has 153 affiliated colleges. The Calcutta Madrasa College, founded in 1781, was upgraded to a university in 2007. The Jadavpur University
is a notable university known for its arts, science and engineering faculties. Calcutta Medical College is the first institution teaching modern medicine
in Asia. Other notable institutions are Presidency College
, St. Xavier's College
, Bethune College
(the first women's college in India), and Scottish Church College. Some institutions of national importance are the Asiatic Society
, Bose Institute
, S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences
, the Indian Statistical Institute
, the Indian Institute of Management, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
, the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre
, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
, the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta
, the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
, the Marine Engineering and Research Institute
, the Rabindra Bharati University
, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, the Calcutta Mathematical Society
, the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management
- The First B-School of India, the West Bengal University of Health Sciences
, the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences
, the West Bengal University of Technology
and the National Institute of Fashion Technology
.Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India(ICWAI)-Head office for Cost and Management Accountants is situated in Sudder Street in main city area.
Notable scholars from Kolkata include physicists Satyendra Nath Bose
, Meghnad Saha
and Jagadish Chandra Bose, chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy
, statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
, mathematician Raj Chandra Bose
, physician Upendranath Brahmachari
and educator Ashutosh Mukherjee
.
, East Bengal
, Chirag United S.C.
, and Mohammedan Sporting Club
is known as Mecca of Indian Football. Calcutta Football League
, which started in 1898, is the oldest football league in Asia
. Mohun Bagan AC, one of the oldest football clubs in Asia
, is the only club to be entitled 'National Club of India'. Kolkata is also home to Kolkata Knight Riders
IPL
cricket team franchise.
As in the rest of India, cricket
is extremely popular and is played throughout the city in its grounds and streets. Tournaments, especially those involving outdoor games like cricket, football, and badminton
or indoor games like carrom
are regularly organized on an inter-locality or inter-club basis. The maidan
area hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.
Notable sports stars from Kolkata include former Indian national cricket captains
Sourav Ganguly
and Pankaj Roy
, as well as current cricketers Ashok Dinda
, Wriddhiman Saha
, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary, Olympic
tennis
bronze medal
list Leander Paes
. Former football stars include Sailen Manna
, Chuni Goswami
, P.K. Banerjee
, and Subrata Bhattacharya.
The city is known for its large stadia. The Eden Gardens
is one of only two 100,000-seat cricket stadiums in the world. It hosted final of 1987 Cricket World Cup
. It is home to Bengal cricket team
and Kolkata Knight Riders
in IPL. Salt Lake Stadium
(also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan)—a multi-use stadium—is the world's second largest capacity football stadium. Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
is the second-oldest cricket club in the world. Kolkata has three 18-hole golf courses at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (the first golf club in the world outside Britain
), Tollygunge Club
and Fort William
. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) holds regular equestrian races and polo
matches. The Calcutta Polo Club
is now considered as the oldest polo club of the world. The Calcutta South Club
is the venue for some national and international tennis tournaments. From 2005, Sunfeast Open
, a Tier-III tournament of Women's Tennis Association
Tour, takes place in Netaji Indoor Stadium
. The Calcutta Rowing Club
hosts regular rowing
races and training. Although it is a minor sport, Kolkata is considered the "capital" of rugby union in India
. The city also gives its name to the name of the oldest international tournament in rugby union, the Calcutta Cup
, which is of Indian workmanship.
{| class="wikitable"
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! Sister city
! Country
|-
| Long Beach
||
United States United States
|-
| Odessa
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Ukraine Ukraine
|-
| Macau
||
MacauChina S.A.R.
|-
| Thessaloniki
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Greece Greece
|-
| Naples
||
Italy Italy
|-
| Dhaka
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Bangladesh Bangladesh
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| Guangzhou
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Mainland China China
|}
Sovan Chatterjee
Sovan Chatterjee is an Indian politician belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress. He is the current Mayor of the city of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal...
|-
| Police Commissioner:
|
Ranjit Kumar Pachnanda
|}The civic administration of Kolkata is executed by several government agencies, and consists of overlapping structural divisions. At least five administrative definitions of the city are available; listed in ascending order of area, those are:
- Kolkata DistrictKolkata DistrictKolkata district is an administrative district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It contains the center part of the city of Kolkata. The jurisdiction of the Kolkata...
, - the Kolkata Police area (Divisions of Kolkata PoliceDivisions of Kolkata PoliceKolkata Police is divided into 5 administrative divisions. Each division is under a Deputy Commissionar of Police.-North and North Suburban Division:...
), - the Kolkata Municipal CorporationKolkata Municipal CorporationKolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...
(KMC) area ("Kolkata city"), - "Greater Kolkata", which includes the KMC area and a few neighbourhoods adjacent to it, and
- the urban agglomeration or Kolkata Metropolitan AreaKolkata metropolitan areaKolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...
(KMDAKolkata Metropolitan Development AuthorityKolkata Metropolitan Development Authority is the statutory planning and development authority for the Kolkata Metropolitan Area in the state of West Bengal, India. The organisation was previously known as Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and still retains the previous logo...
) is responsible for the statutory planning and development of the metropolitan area).
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)- The governance of the city proper—the area within which KMC has a directly elected council of 141 ward councilors who elect a council Chairman and an executive Mayor. The Mayor, in turn chooses a Deputy Mayor and not more than 10 elected councillors to form the Mayor-in-Council which works like a cabinet. In addition, there is a Municipal Accounts Committee (MAC)of five to seven elected councillors, other than the MiC, chosen through proportional representation, to act like a public accounts committee (PAC), usually headed by the Leader of Opposition. The MiC was introduced in 1980 and the system has been replicated in other Municipalities and Panchayats as Mayor/ Chairperson-in-council during 1981–1991. No other state in India has introduced a system of political executive in local government.
The main functions of the KMC are water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
, drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
and sewerage
Sewerage
Sewerage refers to the infrastructure that conveys sewage. It encompasses receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, screening chambers, etc. of the sanitary sewer...
, sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
, solid waste management, street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s and public places, street lighting, and building regulation
Building code
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
. Fire services are handled by a state agency – Kolkata Fire Brigade. Similarly, for the river port services, there is a Kolkata Port Trust
Kolkata Port Trust
The Port of Kolkata is a riverine port in the city of Kolkata, India. It is the oldest operating port in India, having originally been constructed by the British East India Company....
, an agency of the central government.
Other authorities: the Collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
of the Kolkata District
Kolkata District
Kolkata district is an administrative district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It contains the center part of the city of Kolkata. The jurisdiction of the Kolkata...
, the Kolkata Police
Kolkata Police
The Kolkata Police Force is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal....
, the District Magistrate (DM)
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
of South 24 Parganas District
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
, and the (SP) of South 24 Parganas District
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
. As of 2010, the All India Trinamool Congress
All India Trinamool Congress
The All India Trinamool Congress is a state political party in West Bengal. Founded in 1 January 1998, the party is led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress is currently the second largest member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition...
holds the power in KMC, its mayor is Sovan Chatterjee
Sovan Chatterjee
Sovan Chatterjee is an Indian politician belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress. He is the current Mayor of the city of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal...
, while the deputy mayor is Farzana Alam. The city also has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata
Sheriff of Kolkata
The Sheriff of Kolkata is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Kolkata. The Sheriff has an office and staff but does not have executive powers. In the order of precedence, the Sheriff ranks just below the Mayor...
.
As the capital of the state and the seat of the Government of West Bengal
Government of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...
, Kolkata houses not only the offices of the local governing agencies, but also the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata —the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people...
, the state Secretariat (Writers' Building
Writers' Building
The Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
) and the Calcutta High Court
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...
. Kolkata also has lower court
Lower court
A lower court is a court from which an appeal may be taken. In relation to an appeal from one court to another, the lower court is the court whose decision is being reviewed, which may be the original trial court or an appellate court lower in rank than the superior court which is hearing the...
s; the Small Causes Court
Small Causes Court
In Indian cities, the Small Causes Court is responsible for adjudicating matters related to civil cases. The court is responsible for cases relating to tax, , property disputes and other such cases...
for civil matters, and the Sessions Court
Sessions Court
A Sessions Court is a court of law which exists in several Commonwealth countries.-India:In Indian cities, the Sessions Court is responsible for adjudicating matters related to criminal cases. The court is responsible for cases relating to murders, theft, dacoity, pick-pocketing and other such cases...
for criminal cases. The Kolkata Police
Kolkata Police
The Kolkata Police Force is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal....
, headed by the Police Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
, comes under the West Bengal
Home Ministry. The city elects three representatives to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
(India's lower house) and 21 representatives to the state Legislative Assembly.
Utility services
Palta
The Palta are a Peruvian Native American ethnic group. They once spoke the unclassified and scarcely attested Palta language....
water pumping station located in North 24 Parganas. Almost all of Kolkata's daily refuse of 2500 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s is transported to the dumping grounds in Dhapa to the east of the town. Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
on this dumping ground is encouraged for natural recycling of garbage and sewer water. Parts of the city still lack sewage facilities leading to unsanitary methods of waste disposal. Electricity is supplied by the privately operated Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation
Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation
The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation or CESC supplies electricity to area under the Kolkata municipal corporation in the city of Kolkata, India, mainly but also few areas of Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Parganas and 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, India.-History:On 7 January 1897 Kilburn & Co...
(CESC) to the city region, and by the West Bengal State Electricity Board
West Bengal State Electricity Board
West Bengal State Electricity Board was a state owned electricity regulation board which came into being on 01.05.1955 and was operating within the state of West Bengal in India until 31.03.2007...
in the suburbs. Frequent interruption of power supply was a problem until the mid 1990s; however the situation has since improved immensely with seldom power cuts occurring presently. The city has 20 fire stations (under West Bengal Fire Service
West Bengal Fire Service
West Bengal Fire Service is the state owned service that attends fire/rescue calls throughout the Indian state of West Bengal, including the city of Kolkata. The service consists of 95 fire stations, 7500 Fire Force with over 350 fire appliances....
) that attend to 7,500 fire and rescue calls on average per year.
State-owned BSNL and private enterprises like Vodafone
Vodafone Essar
Vodafone Essar, formerly Hutchison Essar, is a cellular operator in India that covers 23 telecom circles in India. It is based in Mumbai. On July 2011, Vodafone Group agreed terms for the buy-out of its partner Essar from its Indian mobile phone business. The UK firm paid $5.46 billion to its...
, Airtel
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
, Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...
, Uninor
Uninor
Uninor is a mobile operator in India. The company holds Unified Access Service licences to offer mobile telephony services in each of India’s 22 telecom circles, and has received spectrum to roll out services in 21 of these...
, Idea Cellular
Idea cellular
Idea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....
, Aircel
Aircel
Aircel group is a mobile phone service provider in India. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India. The Aircel group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited, whose current...
, Tata DoCoMo
Tata DoCoMo
TATA DoCoMo, referred to as DoCoMo , is a Tata Teleservices Limited owned cellular service provider on the GSM and CDMA platform-arising out of the Tata Group's strategic joint venture with Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo in November 2008...
, Tata Indicom
Tata Indicom
Tata Teleservices Limited is a Indian broadband and telecommunications provider based in Mumbai, India. It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group, an Indian conglomerate...
, Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
and MTS India are the leading telephone and cell phone service providers in the city. Cellular coverage is extensive with both GSM and CDMA services being available. Broadband Internet penetration has steadily increased with BSNL, Tata Indicom
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
, Sify
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
, Airtel, Reliance
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...
and Alliance
Alliance
An alliance is an agreement or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests.See also military alliance and business alliance.-International relations:...
being the leading service providers.
Media
Newspapers and periodicals
BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
language newspapers like Anandabazar Patrika
Anandabazar Patrika
Anandabazar Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai by the ABP Group. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.28 million copies making it the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language...
, Bartaman
Bartaman
Bartaman Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata by Bartaman Pvt. Ltd. Apart from the Kolkata edition, the newspaper has four other simultaneous editions, published daily from four major towns of West Bengal -- Siliguri, Burdwan, Malda and Midnapore...
, Sangbad Pratidin
Sangbad Pratidin
Sangbad Pratidin is an Indian Bengali newspaper published from Kolkata, India. It started publishing from 9 August 1992, owned by Swapan Sadhan Basu....
, Jago Bangla, Aajkaal
Aajkaal
Aajkaal is a Bengali newspapers in Kolkata, India. The newspaper was started in 1981 by Abhik Kumar Ghosh, and was part of the transformation of the Indian newspaper industry in the 1980s...
, Dainik Statesman
Dainik Statesman
Dainik Statesman is a Bengali daily newspaper run by The Statesman group with its central office being The Statesman House at Chowringhee. Dainik Statesman started circulation from June 28 2004...
, Ganashakti
Ganashakti
Ganashakti Patrika is the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of India West Bengal State Committee, which first appeared as a fortnightly in 1967...
, Ekdin are widely circulated. The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
and The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
are two major English language newspapers that are produced and published from Kolkata. Other popular English language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include the Times of India, Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
, The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, The Indian Express
The Indian Express
The Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is published in Mumbai by Indian Express Group. After Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split in 1999 among his family members into two with the southern editions taking the name The New Indian Express, while the old...
and the Asian Age
Asian Age
The Asian Age is an Indian daily newspaper with editions in four major cities in India and one in London. The newspaper was launched in February 1994, simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai and London. At present, it has editions in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and London. The Asian Age brings out...
. Being the biggest trading market in East India, Kolkata has a substantial readership of many financial dailies including The Economic Times
The Economic Times
The Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
, The Financial Express, Business Line
Business line
Business Line or The Hindu Business Line is an Indian business newspaper published by Kasturi & Sons, the publishers of the newspaper The Hindu located in Chennai, India.-History:...
and Business Standard
Business Standard
Business Standard is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published by Business Standard Ltd in two languages, English and Hindi...
. Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
and Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
are also read by a minority.
Some major periodicals from Kolkata are Desh
Desh magazine
Desh is a Bengali language literary magazine published by Anadabazar Patrika Limited from India. This magazine, which is in publication since 1933, has been edited by editors like Sagarmoy Ghosh in the past. The present editor is Harsha Dutta...
, Sananda, Unish Kuri, Kindle, Anandalok
Anandalok
Anandalok is a Bengali magazine published by Ananda Publishers from Kolkata, India. The magazine is a filmy magazine. The periodocal is usually published on 15th and 30th of every month.Anandalok started in 25 January 1975, and was edited by Rituparno Ghosh...
and Anandamela
Anandamela
Anandamela or, Anondamela, or, Anonodomela is a children's periodical in the Bengali language published by ABP Limited from Kolkata, India...
. Historically, Kolkata has also been the center of the Bengali little magazine movement.
Radio and TV
All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
(AIR), the state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio stations in the city. Kolkata has 12 local FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
radio stations, including two from AIR. The state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
provides two free terrestrial channels, while four MSO
Multi system operator
A Multiple System Operator or Multi System Operator is an operator of multiple cable television systems. A cable system in the United States, by Federal Communications Commission definition, is a facility serving a single community or a distinct governmental entity, each with its own franchise...
provide a mix of Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and other regional channels via cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
. Bengali 24-hour television news channels include STAR Ananda
STAR Ananda
STAR Ananda is a Bengali language 24-hour cable and satellite television news channel. The channel is a joint venture between STAR Group and Anandabazar Patrika...
, Tara Newz
Tara Newz
Tara Newz , is a 24 hour Bengali language news channel, covers local news of West Bengal, India and Bangladesh as well as national and international news, operated by Broadcast Worldwide Limited, a Public Limited Company, with other channels under its umbrella, viz. TARA Muzik, and TV Southasia...
, Kolkata TV
Kolkata TV
Kolkata TV is a 24-hour Bengali news channel launched by SST Media in 2006. Now owned by Associated Broadcasting Company Limited which had purchased 86% stake in Kolkata TV. The channel is now a part of TV9 network of channels. It is being run by its 171 employees. The headquartered of the channel...
, 24 Ghanta
24 Ghanta
is a 24x7 Bengali news channel, covers local news of West Bengal, India as well as other national and International News, owned by the Zee Akaash News Pvt. Ltd.. The channel believes in Leftism...
, Ne Bangla
Ne Bangla
Northeast Bangla is a bengali language 24x7 news channel launch in 2004 and owned by M/s. Rainbow Productions Ltd. NE Bangla’s impending launch would usher in an era of unprecedented and much-needed Bengali language programming created and provided from Agartala and Kolkata...
, News Time
News Time
News Time is a 24-hour bengali news channel launched in 2010. The channel is owned by Rose Valley Group Pvt Ltd, a multi-business conglomerate company with pan India presence...
and Channel 10
Channel 10 (India)
Channel 10 is a premier Bengali language television network that carries news and current affairs in India. It is based in Kolkata and broadcast primarily in the South Asian region and sparingly across the USA through partner networks.- Competitors :...
.
Transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
is provided by the Kolkata suburban railway
Kolkata Suburban Railway
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is the rail system for the suburbs surrounding the city of Kolkata . Railways such as this are important and heavily-used infrastructure in India....
, the Kolkata Metro
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro is a mass rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line and five lines currently under construction...
, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s and buses. The suburban network is extensive and extends into the distant suburbs. The Kolkata Metro
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro is a mass rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line and five lines currently under construction...
, run by the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
, is the oldest underground rapid transport system in India since 1984. It runs parallel to the River Hooghly and spans the north-south length of the city covering a distance of 25 km. More than 5 lines of the Metro rail which are under construction, will help in creating a vast network of rapid transit system in the city. Buses are the preferred mode of transport and are run by both government agencies and private operators. Kolkata is India's only city to have a tram network, operated by Calcutta Tramways Company
Calcutta Tramways Company
The Calcutta Tramways Company Limited is a West Bengal, India government-run company which runs trams in Kolkata and buses in and around Kolkata...
. The slow-moving tram services are restricted to certain areas of the city. Water-logging due to heavy rains during the monsoon sometimes interrupts the public transport.
mechanised transport include the yellow metered taxis, while auto rickshaw
Auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
s ply in specific routes. Almost all the taxis in Kolkata are Ambassadors
Hindustan Ambassador
The Hindustan Ambassador is a car manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India. It has been in production since 1958 with few modifications or changes and is based on the Morris Oxford III model, first made by the Morris Motor Company at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom from 1956 to 1959.Despite...
. This is unlike most other cities where Tata Indica
Tata Indica
The Tata Indica is a hatchback automobile range manufactured by Tata Motors of India. It is the first passenger car from Tata Motors and is also considered India's first indigenously developed passenger car. , more than 910,000 Indicas were produced. The annual sales of Indica has been as high as ...
s or Premier Padmini
Premier Padmini
'Premier Padmini' was an automobile manufactured in India from 1967 to 2000.Premier Automobiles Limited, the erstwhile flagship company of India's Walchand Hirachand Group, assembled Fiat's Fiat 1100 cars from the 1950s until 1997...
s are more common. In some areas of the city, cycle rickshaw
Cycle rickshaw
The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport; it is also known by a variety of other names such as velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, becak, trisikad, or trishaw or, simply, rickshaw which also refers to auto rickshaws, and the, now uncommon, rickshaws pulled by a person on foot...
s and hand-pulled rickshaws are also patronised by the public for short distances. Private owned vehicles are less in number and usage compared to other major cities due to the abundance in both variety and number of public vehicles. However, the city witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles; 2002 data showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven years. The road space (matched with population density) in the city is only 6%, compared to 23% in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and 17% in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, creating major traffic problems. Kolkata Metro
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro is a mass rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line and five lines currently under construction...
Railway and a number of new roads and flyovers have decongested the traffic to some extent.
Kolkata has three major long distance railway stations at Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
, Sealdah
Sealdah
Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
and Kolkata (Chitpur)
Chitpur
Chitpur is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names....
. The city is the headquarters of two divisions of the Indian Railways — Eastern Railway
Eastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
and South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (India)
The South Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Garden Reach, Kolkata. It comprises four divisions:# Adra Railway Division# Chakradharpur Railway Division# Kharagpur Railway Division...
.
The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
at Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
to the north of the city, operates both domestic and international flights. The airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
is presently being upgraded to accommodate increased air traffic. Kolkata is also a major river port of East India. The Kolkata Port Trust
Kolkata Port Trust
The Port of Kolkata is a riverine port in the city of Kolkata, India. It is the oldest operating port in India, having originally been constructed by the British East India Company....
manages both the Kolkata and Haldia
Haldia
Haldia has a typical moderate climate with winter temperatures ranging from a low of around 7 degrees Celsius to a high of 22 degrees Celsius. Winters are chilly and is when the residents hold the Haldia Utsav festival. Summers can be very hot and humid. Usual summer temperatures in May, the...
docks. There are passenger services to Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
service to various ports in India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India
Shipping Corporation of India
The Shipping Corporation of India is a company owned by the Government of India based out of Mumbai that operates and manages vessels that services both national and international lines.-History:...
. There are ferry services as well, connecting Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah across the Hooghly River.
Demographics
are called Calcuttans. According to the provisional population of 2011, Kolkata city has a population of4,486,679, while the urban agglomeration had a population of 13,216,546 in 2001. The sex ratio
Human sex ratio
In anthropology and demography, the human sex ratio is the sex ratio for Homo sapiens . Like most sexual species, the sex ratio is approximately 1:1. In humans the secondary sex ratio is commonly assumed to be 105 boys to 100 girls, an assumption that is a subject of debate in the scientific...
is 928 females per 1000 males which is lower than the national average
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
, because many working males come from rural areas and neighbouring states (mainly Bihar, UP, Orissa), where they leave behind their families. Kolkata's literacy rate of 81% exceeds the all-India average of 66%. Kolkata Municipal Corporation area has registered a growth rate of 4.1%, which is the lowest among the million-plus cities in India.
Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
comprise the majority of Kolkata's population, with Marwaris
Marwaris
Marwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....
and Bihari
Bihari people
The Biharis are an ethnic group originating from the present state of Bihar with a history going back three millennia...
communities forming a large portion of the minorities. Some of Kolkata's minor communities
Ethnic communities in Kolkata
Kolkata, though comparatively young compared to the Indian city states like Delhi and Hyderabad, has nevertheless been a melting pot for international and Indian communities, even more so than the upscale and cosmopolitan Bombay and Delhi...
include Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
, Tamils
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
, Nepalis
Nepali people
Nepali people can refer to:*People of Nepal*Ethnic Nepalis of Indian citizenry residing in Gorkhaland area of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and other parts of India.* Indian Gorkhas*Lhotshampas of Bhutan.*Nepali diaspora the world over....
, Oriyas
Oriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...
, Telugus
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
, Assamese
Assamese people
The Assamese people are a well-defined subgroup of People of Assam. Though sometimes they are defined as the Assamese-speaking Indo-Aryans of the Brahmaputra valley,, this definition is not legally binding...
, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
s, Armenians
Armenians in India
The association of Armenians with India and the presence of Armenians in India are very old, and there has been a mutual economic and cultural association of Armenians with India for the last several centuries...
, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Tibetans
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
, Maharashtrian
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
s, Konkanis, Malayalees, Punjabis and Parsis. Tibetans mostly came as traders. There were also many Armenians, Greeks and Jews, although these have declined in 20th century. After the establishment of Israel, many Jews left to live in Israel and the size of the Jewish community had a severe decrease. Chinatown in the eastern part of the city of Kolkata is the only Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
in the country. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
industry and the Chinese restaurants.
Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
is the dominant language spoken in Kolkata, which also serves as the Official State Language. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is also used, particularly by the white-collar work force.
According to the census, 73% of the population in Kolkata is Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, 23% Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, 2% Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and 1% Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
. Other minorities such as Sikhs, Buddhist, Jews and Zoroastrian constitute the rest of the city's population. 1.5 million people, who constitute about a third of the city's population, live in 2,011 registered and 3,500 unregistered (occupied by squatters) slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s.
Kolkata reported 67.6% of total Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes registered in 35 Indian mega cities in 2004. Kolkata police district registered 10,757 IPC
Indian Penal Code
Indian Penal Code is the main criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code, intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. It was drafted in 1860 and came into force in colonial India during the British Raj in 1862...
cases in 2004, which was 10th highest in the country. The crime rate in the city was 71 per 100,000 against the national rate of 167.7 in 2006, which is the lowest among all the mega cities in India. Some estimates state that there are more than 60,000 brothel-based women and girls in prostitution in Kolkata. The population of prostitutes in Sonagachi
Sonagachi
Sonagachi is the largest red-light district in kolkata,, India and one of the largest in Asia. It is an area with several hundred multi-story brothels and some 10,000 sex workers...
constitutes mainly of Nepalese
Nepali people
Nepali people can refer to:*People of Nepal*Ethnic Nepalis of Indian citizenry residing in Gorkhaland area of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and other parts of India.* Indian Gorkhas*Lhotshampas of Bhutan.*Nepali diaspora the world over....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns and Bangladeshis. Some sources estimate there are 60,000 women in the brothels of Kolkata. The largest prostitution area in city is Sonagachi
Sonagachi
Sonagachi is the largest red-light district in kolkata,, India and one of the largest in Asia. It is an area with several hundred multi-story brothels and some 10,000 sex workers...
.
Culture
A characteristic feature of Kolkata is with the para
Para (Bengali)
-Definition:Para is a Bengali word which means a neighbourhood or locality, usually characterised by a strong sense of community. The names of several localities in cities and villages of West Bengal, Bangladesh and Tripura end with the suffix para...
or neighbourhoods having a strong sense of community. Typically, every para has its own community club with a clubroom and often, a playing field. People here habitually indulge in adda, or leisurely chat, and these adda sessions are often a form of freestyle intellectual conversation. The city has a tradition of political graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures to propaganda.
Architecture
buildings adorned with GothicGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
, Roman
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
, Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
al and Indo-Islamic (including Mughal
Mughal architecture
Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture, is the distinctive style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It is symmetrical and decorative in style.The Mughal dynasty was...
) motifs. Several major buildings of the Colonial period are well maintained and have been declared "heritage structures", while others are in various stages of decay. Established in 1814, the Indian Museum
Indian Museum
The Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings...
is the oldest museum in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and houses vast collections of Indian natural history
Indian natural history
Natural history in India has a long heritage with a recorded history going back to the Vedas. Natural history research in early times included the broad fields of paleontology, zoology and botany...
and Indian art
Indian art
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is...
. Marble Palace
Marble Palace (Kolkata)
Marble Palace is a palatial nineteenth-century mansion in North Kolkata. It is located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007. It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta...
is classic example of European mansion in the city. Netaji Bhawan
Netaji Bhawan
Netaji Bhawan or Netaji Bhavan is a memorial hall of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Kolkata, owned and managed by Netaji Research Bureau. It includes museum, archives and library....
is museum and shrine dedicated for honor of Netaji, Indian freedom fighter of World War II. The Victoria Memorial
Victoria Memorial (India)
The Victoria Memorial, officially the Victoria Memorial Hall, is a memorial building dedicated to Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, which is located in Kolkata, India – the capital of West Bengal and a former capital of British India. It currently serves as a museum and a...
, one of the major places of interest in Kolkata
Places of interest in Kolkata
Kolkata has been nicknamed the City of Palaces. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city.During the British colonial era from 1700–1912, when Kolkata was the capital of British India, Kolkata witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely...
, has a museum documenting the city's history. The National Library of India
National Library of India
The National Library of India at Belvedere, Calcutta is the second largest library in India after the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and India's library of public record....
is India's leading public library. Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta
The Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata is one of the oldest fine arts societies in India.- History :The academy was formally established in 1933. It was initially located in a room loaned by the Indian Museum, and the annual exhibitions used to take place in the adjoining verandah.In the 1950s,...
and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions.
Theatre
The city has a tradition of dramas in the form of jatra (a kind of folk-theatre), theatres and Group Theaters. Kolkata is the home of the Bengali cinemaBengali cinema
Bengali cinema refers to the Bengali language filmmaking industries in the Bengal region of South Asia. There are two major film-making hubs in the region: one in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the other in Dhaka, Bangladesh .The history of cinema in Bengal dates back to the 1890s, when the first...
industry, dubbed "Tollywood" after Tollygunj, the location of Bengali movie studios. Its long tradition of Art-Film making
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
includes globally acclaimed directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
such as Academy Award winning director Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen is a Bengali Indian filmmaker. He was born on 14 May 1923, in the town of Faridpur, now in Bangladesh in a Hindu family. After finishing his high school there, he left home to come to Calcutta as a student and studied physics at the well-known Scottish Church College and at the...
, Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha , was a Indian film director. He was arguably the most uncompromising filmmaker outside the orbit of Parallel Cinema.-Personal life and background:...
and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen
Aparna Sen
Aparna Sen is a critically acclaimed Bengali Indian filmmaker, script writer, and actress. She is the winner of three National Film Awards and eight international film festival awards.-Biography:...
, Buddhadeb Dasgupta
Buddhadeb Dasgupta
Buddhadeb Dasgupta is a poet and prominent contemporary Indian filmmaker, most known for films like Bagh Bahadur, Tahader Katha, Charachar and Uttara...
and Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh is a Bengali film director. He has won 8 National Film Awards in India and several awards at international film festivals abroad.- Early life and background :...
.
Literature
In the nineteenth and twentieth century, Bengali literatureBengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
was modernized in the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE , born Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya , was an Indian Bengali polymath and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance....
, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was a famous Bengali writer, poet and journalist. He was the composer of India’s national song Vande Mataram, originally a Bengali and Sanskrit stotra personifying India as a mother goddess and inspiring the activists during the Indian Freedom Movement...
, Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt or Michael Madhusudan Dutta was a popular 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagardari , on the bank of Kopotaksho [কপোতাক্ষ] River, a village in Keshobpur Upozila, Jessore District, East Bengal . His father was Rajnarayan Dutt, an eminent lawyer, and...
, Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam , sobriquet Bidrohi Kobi, was a Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi...
and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. This literary modernization, coupled with the social reforms led by reformers like Ram Mohan Roy
Ram Mohan Roy
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian religious, social, and educational reformer who challenged traditional Hindu culture and indicated the lines of progress for Indian society under British rule. He is sometimes called the father of modern India...
, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
and others, constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
. The rich literary tradition set by these authors has been carried forward in the works of Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das was a noted Bengali poet. He is considered one of the precursors who introduced modernist poetry to Bengali Literature, at a period when it was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's Romantic poetry....
, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was one of the most famous Bengali novelist and writer of modern Bengali literature...
, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was one of the leading Bengali novelists. He wrote 65 novels, 53 story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies and 2 travel stories...
, Manik Bandopadhyay
Manik Bandopadhyay
Manik Bandopadhyay ; ; was an Indian Bengali novelist and is considered one of the leading lights of modern Bangla fiction. During a short lifespan of forty-eight years, plagued simultaneously by illness and financial crisis, he produced 36 novels and 177 short-stories...
, Ashapurna Devi, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay is a Bengali author who writes Bengali books. He has written stories for both adults and children.-Life:Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay was born in Bikrampur , now in Bangladesh. He spent his childhood in Bihar and many places in Bengal and Assam accompanying his father, who worked...
, Buddhadeb Guha
Buddhadeb Guha
Buddhadeb Guha is a popular Bengali fiction writer. He studied at the well-known St Xavier's College of the University of Calcutta....
, Mahashweta Devi, Samaresh Majumdar
Samaresh Majumdar
Samaresh Majumdar is a well known contemporary Bengali writer. He spent his childhood years in the tea gardens of Duars, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. He was a student of the Jalpaiguri Zilla School, Jalpaiguri. He completed his bachelors in Bengali from Scottish Church College, Kolkata. His...
, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay
Sanjeev Chattopadhyay
Sanjeev Chattopadhyay is a fiction writer. His style is characterized by use of short satirical sentences mixed with very lively language.-Childhood and education:...
and Sunil Gangopadhyay
Sunil Gangopadhyay
Sunil Gangopadhyay , is a celebrated Indian poet and novelist.-Early life:...
among others.
Art
Kolkata is also an important centre of art and has hosted many important artists like Abanindranath TagoreAbanindranath Tagore
Abanindranath Tagore was the principal artist of the Bengal school and the first major exponent of swadeshi values in Indian art. He was also a noted writer, particularly for children...
, Jamini Roy
Jamini Roy
-Early life:Jamini Roy was born in 1887 into a middle-class family of land-owners in a village called Beliatore in the District of Bankura in Bengal .When he was sixteen he was sent to study at the Government School of Art in Calcutta...
, Ramkinker Baij, Bikash Bhattacharya
Bikash Bhattacharya
Bikash Bhattacharya or Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya is an Indian politician. He served as mayor of Kolkata 2005-2010, heading the Kolkata municipal corporation, in the state of West Bengal.-Short biography:...
, Paresh Maity and Devajyoti Ray
Devajyoti Ray
Devajyoti Ray is an Indian painter and installation artist whose works attained significance in the post-liberalization phase of Indian economy. His works have been exhibited internationally and have been acquired by many art academies...
. In the 1960s, the city has seen the emergence of the famous Calcutta Group, which preceded the Progressive Artists Group in field of modern Indian art
Indian art
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is...
. In 2005, the first exhibition on Pseudorealism
Pseudorealism
Pseudorealism, also spelled pseudo-realism, is a term used in a variety of discourses connoting any artistic and dramatic technique, or work of art, film and literature perceived as superficial, not-real or non-realistic...
was held at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. The city continues to be the home of one of the most passionate lovers of art in country. Kolkata is often also called the backyard of Indian art.
Music
The city is also noted for its appreciation of Rabindrasangeet and Indian classical musicIndian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
as well as Bengali folk music such as baul
Baul
Baul .Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.-Etymology:The origin of the word...
and kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
s and gajan, and modern songs including Bengali adhunik songs. From the early 1990s, there has been an emergence of new genres of music, including the emergence of what has been called Bengali Jeebonmukhi Gaan (a modern genre based on realism) by artists like Anjan Dutta
Anjan Dutta
Anjan Dutta is a popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan . Anjan Dutta's style of music is different from the others in the sense that it has simple tunes, one that is reminiscent of western folk music. His lyrics are simple and more natural...
, Kabir Suman, Nachiketa
Nachiketa
Nachiketa is the child protagonist in an ancient Hindu fable about the nature of the soul and Brahman. The story is told in the Katha Upanishad , though the name has several earlier references. He was taught Self-knowledge, the separation of the human soul from the body, by the god of Death, Yama...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
/rock
Bangla rock
Bangla rock is a music genre in which the song is written in Bengali language. It was originated in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The first known Bangla rock band was Moheener Ghoraguli and also India's first rock band...
bands like Moheener Ghoraguli
Moheener Ghoraguli
Moheener Ghoraguli or Mohiner Ghoraguli was a Bengali independent music group from Kolkata, established in 1975, it was arguably Bengal's and India's first band...
, Chandrabindoo
Chandrabindoo (band)
Chandrabindoo , based in Kolkata, is a bangla band. Their name refers both to the last character in the Bengali alphabet and to a dialogue from the nonsense work HaJaBaRaLa by Sukumar Ray....
, Bhoomi
Bhoomi (band)
Bhoomi is a music group based in Kolkata, India. They are a Bangla language band. In July 2006 they became the first Indian band to play at the United Nations.-Beginnings:...
, Cactus
Cactus (band)
Cactus is an American hard rock supergroup, formed in 1970.-Biography:Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 by the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and Xylophone player Adele Smitchell acted as the counterpart and...
, and Fossils
Fossils (band)
Fossils is a Bangla Rock band formed in Kolkata, West Bengal, India in 1998.The group is considered one of the pioneering rock acts in Kolkata's Bangla music scene....
.
Cuisine
Key elements of Kolkata's cuisineBengali cuisine
Bengali cuisine is a culinary style originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern South Asia which is now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent country of Bangladesh. Other regions, such as Tripura, and Barak Valley region of Assam also have large native Bengali...
include rice and Machher jhol (fish curry), with roshogolla, sandesh and mishti dohi (sweet yoghurt) as dessert. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various eelish
Hilsa
Ilish , also spelled Elish, is the most popular fish to Bengalis. Its the national fish of Bangladesh and extremely popular in parts of India such as West Bengal, Orissa, Tripura, Assam as well. Ilish also can be found at India's Assamese-, Bengali- Oriya-speaking regions and in Telugu-speaking...
preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Street foods such as beguni
Beguni
Beguni is a Bengali snack made of eggplant slices deep fried in batter. The similar European version is known as aubergine fritters....
(fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll
Kati roll
Kati roll also known as Kathi Roll is street-food originating from Kolkata, India. Its original form was a kati kabab enclosed in a paratha, but over the years many variants have evolved all of which now go under the generic name of Kati Roll...
(flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, mutton, or egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
stuffing), phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine
Indian Chinese cuisine
Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the small Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata for over a century...
from China Town in the eastern parts of the city are quite popular. Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Kolkatans and at their social ceremonies.
Textiles
Bengali women commonly wear the shaŗiSari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
as per tradition and global/western outfits. Among men, western dressing has greater acceptance, though the traditional dhoti
Dhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
and panjabi/kurta
Kurta
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Pakistan , Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both men and women...
comes to life on festivals.
Festivals
Durga PujaDurga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
, in the autumn, is the most important festival and the most glamorous event in Kolkata. Other notable festivals include Jagaddhatri
Jagaddhatri
In Hinduism, Jagaddhatri or Jagadhatri is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. Her worship is more common in West Bengal than the other parts of India...
Puja, Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
, Saraswati
Saraswati
In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....
puja, Eid
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
, Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, poila boishak
Pohela Baishakh
Bengali New Year or Poyela Boishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar, celebrated in both Bangladesh and West Bengal, and in Bengali communities in Assam and Tripura...
(new year), Rath Yatra
Rath Yatra
Ratha Yatra is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July. Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area...
and Poush parbon (harvest festival). Some of the cultural festivals are Kolkata Book Fair, Dover Lane music festival
Dover Lane music festival
The Dover Lane Music Festival or The Dover Lane Music Conference is an annual Indian classical music festival held in the month of January at Nazrul Mancha, an open-air auditorium in south Kolkata...
, Kolkata Film Festival
Kolkata Film Festival
The Kolkata Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1995, it is second oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by West Bengal Film Centre under...
and National Theatre Festival
National Theatre Festival
Nandikar's National Theatre Festival was started in 1984. It is arranged annually in Kolkata, India, between 16 and 25 December. Initiated and organized, as the name suggest, by the theatre group Nandikar...
.
Education
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
or English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as the medium of instruction
Medium of instruction
Medium of instruction is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. Where the first language of students is different from the official language, it may be used as the medium of instruction for part or all of schooling. Bilingual or...
, though Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
is also used, especially in Central Kolkata. The schools are affiliated with any of the following — West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education is the West Bengal state government administered autonomous examining authority for the Standard 10 examination of West Bengal, India. The examination for the 10th standard is called the Madhyamik Pariksha or secondary examination...
, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE)
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India, for class 10, i.e., grade 10...
, the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open School (NIOS)
National Institute of Open Schooling
The National Institute of Open Schooling , is the Board of Education for open schools in India. It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of India in 1989 to provide education inexpensively to remote areas...
and the A-Level (British Curriculum). Under the 10+2+3 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in a 2 year junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
(also known as a pre-university) or in schools with a higher secondary facility affiliated with West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education is the West Bengal state government administered autonomous examining authority for the Standard 12 examination of West Bengal, India...
, ICSE or CBSE. Students usually choose from one of three streams — liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, or science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, though vocational streams are also available. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enrol in general or professional degree programmes.
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
(founded in 1857) has 153 affiliated colleges. The Calcutta Madrasa College, founded in 1781, was upgraded to a university in 2007. The Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
is a notable university known for its arts, science and engineering faculties. Calcutta Medical College is the first institution teaching modern medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Asia. Other notable institutions are Presidency College
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
, St. Xavier's College
St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
St. Xavier's College is located in Kolkata, India, and is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th century, who travelled to India. It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It gained autonomy in July 2006, thus becoming the first autonomous college of...
, Bethune College
Bethune College
Bethune College is a women's college in India. It was founded as a school in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune and in 1879 developed as the first women's college in India. It is located at 181, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata -700006, just opposite the current campus of Scottish Church College,...
(the first women's college in India), and Scottish Church College. Some institutions of national importance are the Asiatic Society
Asiatic Society
The Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
, Bose Institute
Bose Institute
Bose Institute is a research institute in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Plant biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Animal physiology, Immunotechnology and Environmental science. The institute was established in 1917 by Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose, who was the founder of modern...
, S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences
S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences
S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences is an autonomous research institute under Department of Science and Technology of Government of India, located in Salt Lake, Kolkata. Named after scientist Satyendra Nath Bose, this institution was established in 1986.Students of this institute can...
, the Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university in Kolkata's northern outskirt of Baranagar, India founded by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in 1931...
, the Indian Institute of Management, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, established in July 1876 at 210 Bowbazar street, Calcutta, is a national institution for higher learning whose primary purpose is to foster high quality fundamental research in frontier disciplines of the basic sciences. Founded by Dr. Mahendra...
, the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre
Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre
The Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre is a research and development unit of the Indian Department of Atomic Energy. The VECC, located in Calcutta, India, performs research in basic and applied nuclear sciences. The Centre houses a 224 cm cyclotron—the first of its kind in India—which has been...
, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
The Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics is an institution of basic research and training in physical and biophysical sciences located in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, India. The institute is named after the famous Indian physicist Meghnad Saha.-History:...
, the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta
Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta
The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta is an autonomous research centre devoted to the research and advancement of the social sciences in South Asia...
, the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, abbreviated to WBNUJS or NUJS is an autonomous law university offering courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is situated in Salt Lake City of Kolkata, West Bengal, India...
, the Marine Engineering and Research Institute
Marine Engineering and Research Institute
The Marine Engineering and Research Institute , formerly known as the Directorate of Marine Engineering Training , is India's national institute for the training of marine engineers....
, the Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University is a university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore...
, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, the Calcutta Mathematical Society
Calcutta Mathematical Society
The Calcutta Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and education in India...
, the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management
Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management
The Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management is a graduate business school in Kolkata, India. It is the first institute in India to offer an MBA degree of any Indian university...
- The First B-School of India, the West Bengal University of Health Sciences
West Bengal University of Health Sciences
The West Bengal University of Health Sciences has been set up by an Act of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in the year 2003 for better management of the health and medical education related courses which were so far taught separately by the University of Calcutta, and the Universities of...
, the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences
West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences
-University:The West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences was established on January 2. 1995 by a Legislative Act . Prior to this, Veterinary education in the State was imparted by Bengal Veterinary College, a premier Institution of the country which was established in the year 1893...
, the West Bengal University of Technology
West Bengal University of Technology
The West Bengal University of Technology, commonly referred to as WBUT or UTech, is a public state university located in the suburban satellite township of Salt Lake City, Kolkata, West Bengal, India...
and the National Institute of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology is a prestigious fashion institute in India. It was set up in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and is a premier institution in design, management and technology, developing professionals leadership positions in the...
.Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India(ICWAI)-Head office for Cost and Management Accountants is situated in Sudder Street in main city area.
Notable scholars from Kolkata include physicists Satyendra Nath Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose FRS was an Indian mathematician and physicist noted for his collaboration with Albert Einstein in developing a theory regarding the gaslike qualities of electromagnetic radiation. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, providing the foundation...
, Meghnad Saha
Meghnad Saha
Meghnad Saha FRS was an Indian astrophysicist best known for his development of the Saha equation, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars.-Early life:...
and Jagadish Chandra Bose, chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy
Prafulla Chandra Roy
Prafulla Chandra Ray was a Indian academician, a chemist and entrepreneur. He was the founder of Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, India's first pharmaceutical company...
, statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis FRS was an Indian scientist and applied statistician. He is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure. He made pioneering studies in anthropometry in India...
, mathematician Raj Chandra Bose
Raj Chandra Bose
Raj Chandra Bose was an Indian mathematician and statistician best known for his work in design theory and the theory of error-correcting codes in which the class of BCH codes is partly named after him. He was notable for his work along with S. S. Shrikhande and E. T...
, physician Upendranath Brahmachari
Upendranath Brahmachari
Sir Upendranath Brahmachari, KIH was a noted Indian scientist and a leading medical practitioner of his time...
and educator Ashutosh Mukherjee
Ashutosh Mukherjee
Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, CIE was a prolific Bengali educator and the first Indian Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta from 1906 to 1924. Perhaps the most emphatic figure of Indian education, he was a man of great personality, high self-respect, courage and towering administrative ability...
.
Sports
The most-followed sports in Kolkata are football and cricket. Kolkata, a major centre of football activity in India and home of top national football clubs such as Mohun Bagan ACMohun Bagan Athletic Club
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is a sports club in India, best known for its football team based in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal. It is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, having been established in 1889...
, East Bengal
East Bengal Club
Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club are an Indian professional football club based at Kolkata. They are known to be one of the best footballing sides in India. They have won the most IFA Shields in Indian Football and are tied for the most National Football League and Durand Cup championships with...
, Chirag United S.C.
Chirag United Sports Club
Prayag United S.C. is an Indian football Club from Kolkata in West Bengal, India. The club currently plays in the I-League.-1927-2009:Prayag United S.C. was originally established in 1927 as Eveready Association. In 2006, it was renamed as United Sports Club to attract title sponsor and the...
, and Mohammedan Sporting Club
Mohammedan Sporting Club (Kolkata)
Mohammedan Sporting Club, founded in 1891 at Kolkata, is one of the oldest and leading football clubs in India. The club currently plays in the second division of I-League and premier division of CFL....
is known as Mecca of Indian Football. Calcutta Football League
Calcutta Football League
Calcutta Football League is the football league where several football clubs of the Indian city of Kolkata participate. The CFL is now having a Seven League Division....
, which started in 1898, is the oldest football league in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Mohun Bagan AC, one of the oldest football clubs in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, is the only club to be entitled 'National Club of India'. Kolkata is also home to Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders is the franchise representing Kolkata in the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 cricket tournament. Sourav Ganguly led the team in IPL1 and IPL3, Brendon McCullum in IPL2, and Gautam Gambhir in IPL4...
IPL
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
cricket team franchise.
As in the rest of India, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is extremely popular and is played throughout the city in its grounds and streets. Tournaments, especially those involving outdoor games like cricket, football, and badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
or indoor games like carrom
Carrom
Carrom is a family of tabletop games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. Carrom is known by many names around the world, including carrum, couronne, carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta and finger billiards...
are regularly organized on an inter-locality or inter-club basis. The maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
area hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.
Indian national cricket captains
This is a list of all cricketers who have captained Indian national cricket team at the international level. The list includes all Indian captains of men's, women's and youth cricket. India became a full member of the Imperial Cricket Conference on 31 May 1926...
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
and Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy was an Indian cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman, he is best known for establishing the world record opening partnership of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood until 2008. He was honoured with the Padma Shri...
, as well as current cricketers Ashok Dinda
Ashok Dinda
Ashok Dinda is an Indian cricketer. He plays for Bengal and Delhi Daredevils. Earlier he use to play for Kolkata Knight Riders He has been one of the most economical bowlers in the Indian Premier League....
, Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and specialist wicket-keeper. Saha has played Test cricket for India and represents Bengal and the Chennai Super Kings in Indian domestic cricket.-Bengal:...
, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary, Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
list Leander Paes
Leander Paes
Leander Adrian Paes, pronounced pās, is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament...
. Former football stars include Sailen Manna
Sailen Manna
Sailendra Nath Manna , known popularly as Sailen Manna, is an Indian International Footballer and is considered to be one of the best defenders India has ever produced. He has represented and captained India in different international competitions including Olympics and Asian Games...
, Chuni Goswami
Chuni Goswami
Subimal Goswami commonly known by his nickname Chuni Goswami is an Indian international footballer and first class cricketer. He was born in Kishoreganj District of undivided Bengal . As a striker, he played 50 international matches representing India...
, P.K. Banerjee
Pradip Kumar Banerjee
Pradip Kumar Banerjee or PK Banerjee as he is called often, is one of the famous football players in India. He was born in Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. He was one of the first recipients of Arjuna Award, when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in...
, and Subrata Bhattacharya.
The city is known for its large stadia. The Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
is one of only two 100,000-seat cricket stadiums in the world. It hosted final of 1987 Cricket World Cup
1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
. It is home to Bengal cricket team
Bengal cricket team
Bengal cricket team is considered Eastern India's strongest cricket team, it is the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy and were runners-up twice consecutively in the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 season. Their ranks are occasionally bolstered by the return of Sourav Ganguly to the domestic competition...
and Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders is the franchise representing Kolkata in the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 cricket tournament. Sourav Ganguly led the team in IPL1 and IPL3, Brendon McCullum in IPL2, and Gautam Gambhir in IPL4...
in IPL. Salt Lake Stadium
Salt Lake Stadium
Salt Lake Stadium , is a multi-purpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal.-Information:...
(also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan)—a multi-use stadium—is the world's second largest capacity football stadium. Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
is the second-oldest cricket club in the world. Kolkata has three 18-hole golf courses at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (the first golf club in the world outside Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), Tollygunge Club
Tollygunge Club
The Tollygunge Club, popularly called the Tolly, is a country club with, among other facilities, a 18-hole course located in Tollygunge in South Kolkata. The course has a yardage of 6520/5686 and Par: 71....
and Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) holds regular equestrian races and polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
matches. The Calcutta Polo Club
Calcutta Polo Club
Calcutta Polo Club is a polo club located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 1862 and is considered as the oldest polo club of the world which is still in existence.- History :...
is now considered as the oldest polo club of the world. The Calcutta South Club
Calcutta South Club
Calcutta South Club in Woodburn Park Road, Kolkata, India is a venue for lawn tennis. Davis cup matches are held here. It is in Bhawanipore locality of South Kolkata.There is also tennis training centre. The south club was established in 1920...
is the venue for some national and international tennis tournaments. From 2005, Sunfeast Open
Sunfeast Open
The Sunfeast Open was an annual WTA Tour tennis tournament that was started in Kolkata in 2005. The event was a Tier III-tournament with a prize money of USD 175,000 and was played on indoors greenset. The fourth edition of the WTA Sunfeast Open, slated to be held in Kolkata from October 6-12,...
, a Tier-III tournament of Women's Tennis Association
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
Tour, takes place in Netaji Indoor Stadium
Netaji Indoor Stadium
The Netaji Indoor Stadium is an indoor sports arena, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The facility seats 12,000 people. This indoor stadium is located just beside the Eden Gardens. It is the home of the Sunfeast Open, an annual WTA Tour tennis tournament....
. The Calcutta Rowing Club
Calcutta Rowing Club
The Calcutta Rowing Club, located in Kolkata, India, was founded in 1858 and is one of the oldest rowing clubs of its kind outside the United Kingdom.- History :...
hosts regular rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
races and training. Although it is a minor sport, Kolkata is considered the "capital" of rugby union in India
Rugby union in India
Rugby union is currently a minor sport in India. However it is a fast growing sport as some Indian sporting clubs are beginning to embrace the game...
. The city also gives its name to the name of the oldest international tournament in rugby union, the Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
, which is of Indian workmanship.
Sister cities
Kolkata has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world.{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sister city
! Country
|-
| Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
||
United States United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|-
| Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
||
Ukraine UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
|-
| Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
||
MacauChina S.A.R.|-
| Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
||
Greece GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
|-
| Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
||
Italy ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
|-
| Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
||
Bangladesh BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
|-
| Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
||
Mainland China ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
|}
See also
- Bengal Chamber of Commerce and IndustryBengal Chamber of Commerce and IndustryThe Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a chamber of commerce based in West Bengal, India.Established in 1853, it is the oldest such institution in India.The organization has its headquarters at the former Royal Exchange in B. B. D...
- Bengali Hindus
- List of most populous cities in India
- List of people from Kolkata
- List of people from West Bengal
- Neighbourhoods in Kolkata
- Kolkata in the mediaKolkata in the mediaSeveral fiction, non-fiction and cinemas were based on Kolkata, or depicted Kolkata from certain point of views.Some of such works are listed here.-Travelogues:*The Great Railway Bazaar *Following the Equator -Books:...
- Outline of India
External links
