Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is known as the Gamma city and is the capital of West Bengal. It is the third most populous metropolitan city and during the British reign it was the capital of the state of India until 1911. Kolkata is well known for its political events and active participation in the Indian communist movements. Kolkata has been blessed with many laurels as ‘Cultural Capital of India’, ‘The City of Processions’ and ‘City of Joy’.
Kolkata is known for its fame in all walks of life. The city is known to possess Bengal Dada, beauties like Sushmita Sen, Rani Mukherjee, legendary RD Burman and Sathyajit Ray, noble writer Rabindranath Tagore, be it sports, politics, culture, arts, food, travel; You name it and they have it. The sacred memory of our beloved Mother Teresa will always be cherished.
History: The history of Kolkata begins with the start of the English East India Company in 1690. Traditionally, Job Charnock, who while a trustee, was credited as the founder of the city.
During the 17th century, Kolkata was made up of three villages, Kalikata, Gobindapur and Sutanuti, which were indirectly ruled by the Nawab of Bengal named Siraj-Ud-Daulah. In the late 17th century, the British wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur to solidify their control against other foreign powers such as the Dutch, French, and Portuguese.
In 1702, Old Fort William was built, which was used as a regional base for his troops, and later, Calcutta was crowned as the presidential city, which later became the seat of the Bengal presidency. From 1690 to 1772, the British East India Company was the dominant force.
During the 19th century, the city was divided in two, the British one (known as the White City) centered on Chowringhee and the other Indian city centered on North Calcutta (known as the Black City). In 1905, due to the partition of Bengal based on common lands, it resulted in widespread public chaos and thus led to the boycott of British goods which was called the Swadeshi Movement.
The 1960s and 1970s saw economic stagnation due to severe power shortages, strikes, and a violent Marxist-Maoist movement, the Naxalites, which caused damage to the city’s infrastructure. In 1985, Rajiv Gandhi referred to Kolkata as a “dying city”, and in the mid-1990s, due to the introduction of economic reforms in India by the central government, the economy gained momentum and stability.
Topography and Climate: Situated in the eastern part of India with the Hooghly River flowing in a northeasterly direction. Kolkata has a tropical wet and dry climate where summers are hot and humid and extremely hot during May and June. The city experiences short winters for only two and a half months, prevailing between December and January. Monsoons dominate around June and September and due to geographical constraints, this city is often prone to cyclones.
Culture: Kolkata is known for its artistic and revolutionary heritage, it is known for embracing and appreciating any form of art and culture and due to this attribute, this city is also known as the Cultural Capital of India or the Literary Capital of India.
Durga Pooja is celebrated with great pomp and pageantry and is known as the Rio Carnival of the Eastern Hemisphere. The city is decorated with lights and each area has its own stalls (pandals) with the idol of Goddess Durga and each area and each street compete with each other to make their stalls look spectacular and beautiful. The oldest areas where Pooja is carried out with great enthusiasm are in North Kolkata such as Baghbazar Sarbojonin, Kumartuli, Ahiritola, Md. Ali Park and College Square.
Kolkata is known for its Rabindrasangeet and Indian classical music. Bengali folk music such as baul, kirtans and gajan also adds to the list.
Bengali is the native language spoken and the most striking features that represent the sense of community are the very presence of the neighborhood called para and the informal small talk known as adda. In the artistic vertical, the modality of popular theater called Jatra, is a renowned art along with the activities of the Theater Groups. Kolkata is the home of the Bengali film industry, known as ‘Tollywood’.
A special mention goes to the delicious cuisine which is mind blowing in every way. Lip-smacking junk food like Singara, Jilpi, Alu Chop, Jhaal Moori, and Phuchka are must-haves among food mongers. Authentic Bengali food is rice and machher jhol (fish curry), Alu posto (Poppy seeds are Posto), Begun bhaja (fried brinjal), Alu bhaja (fried potatoes), Dim bhaja (fried eggs) and “Luchi tarkari” . Fish-based delicacies are very famous and freshwater fish that add to the daily needs are catfish, sea bass, tarpon or mullet.
Among the sweet dishes the most famous are “Roshogolla”, “Chomchom”, “Shondesh”, “Rajbhog”, “Pantua”, “Pithe” and “Payesh”.
Places to visit:
- victory monument
- strong william
- howrah bridge
- marble palace
- Gardens of Eden (Stadium)
- Birla Planetarium
- writer’s building
- nicco park
- sahed minar
- National Library
- Belur Math
- Botanical Gardens
How to get to Kolkata:
Air: One of the major airports in India, which is IS/ISO 9001:2000 certified, is none other than the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, located at Dum Dum, which caters to both domestic and international traffic. The airport was formerly known as Dum Dum Airport but was later renamed after Bengali Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Lane: Railways are well connected in Kolkata as the city consists of two main railway stations; one located in Howrah and the other in Sealdah. India’s first underground rail service interconnecting the city was the Kolkata Metro.
Bus: The Esplanade Terminus is the main bus terminal found in the heart of the city.
Trolley car: Kolkata is the only city in India that has the tram network. Traveling by tram becomes cumbersome as the tracks run in the middle of busy roads and travelers find it difficult to reach the tram stops through traffic. Even during peak hours, the trams run with many empty seats, resulting in reduced revenue for the Calcutta Tram Company.