It was my first time to Kolkata...a short quick New Year trip....just the right time to be there! Although I had never been to Kolkata, I had heard so much about the city. Some said that it is a sea of impoverished humanity, dirty and squalorous, some said that it had an old world charm about it! I found Kolkata, a city of great character - yes, it has its areas of filth and its old world charm, but more than that, it has an atmosphere that defies words!
Kolkata is said to have been in existence since two millennia but it entered the history books with the British East India Company and Job Charnock is said to have been the founder of the city, around 1698 or thereabouts. Fort William was completed in 1712. Nawab Sirajuddaulah captured the city in 1756 and put all the British soldiers there in a stiflingly enclosed small room which became famous as the Black Hole of Calcutta. Robert Clive recaptured in 1757 and soon after Calcutta as it was called by the British, became the capital of the Bengal Presidency. From 1833 to 1912, Calcutta was the capital of British India. Richard Wellesley, Governor General of India from 1797 to 1805 was responsible for the development of this city and its architecture. There was much industrial growth here in the 1850s and this led to the growth of the infrastructure. There was the White Town around the Chowringhee area which was British and there was the Black Town in the northern part of Calcutta which was Indian. This brought about an interesting fusion of the British & Indian cultures! In 1911, the capital of British India shifted to Delhi so Calcutta lost some of its importance. During World War II, Calcutta was bombarded by the Japanese several times. In 1943 there was the Bengal famine which led to many, many deaths. The partition of India brought about great communal violence in the city - Hindus versus the Muslims. In the 1960s & 70s, the Maoist/Marxist movements came up and became known as the Naxalites. The formation of Bangladesh in the 1971 war with Pakistan was another highlight of Calcutta. From 1977 - 2011, the Communist Part of India (CPM) governed West Bengal, the longest serving communist government in India. In 2001, Calcutta became Kolkata.
There are quaint areas of Kolkata worth mentioning, the Newmarket is really an interesting experience; so is the hand pulled rickshaw ride. Trips to Park Street's Flury's, the Howrah Bridge, the Victoria Memorial and to Nizam's where the 'kathi roll' was invented, are a must! A place where the club culture is rampant alongside extreme poverty, where communism and market forces are at play, the sports crazy Bengalis with their sweets, theatre and love for all things cultural - the opposites co-exist in a rare combination, here in Kolkata! You can view this video here.
Kolkata is said to have been in existence since two millennia but it entered the history books with the British East India Company and Job Charnock is said to have been the founder of the city, around 1698 or thereabouts. Fort William was completed in 1712. Nawab Sirajuddaulah captured the city in 1756 and put all the British soldiers there in a stiflingly enclosed small room which became famous as the Black Hole of Calcutta. Robert Clive recaptured in 1757 and soon after Calcutta as it was called by the British, became the capital of the Bengal Presidency. From 1833 to 1912, Calcutta was the capital of British India. Richard Wellesley, Governor General of India from 1797 to 1805 was responsible for the development of this city and its architecture. There was much industrial growth here in the 1850s and this led to the growth of the infrastructure. There was the White Town around the Chowringhee area which was British and there was the Black Town in the northern part of Calcutta which was Indian. This brought about an interesting fusion of the British & Indian cultures! In 1911, the capital of British India shifted to Delhi so Calcutta lost some of its importance. During World War II, Calcutta was bombarded by the Japanese several times. In 1943 there was the Bengal famine which led to many, many deaths. The partition of India brought about great communal violence in the city - Hindus versus the Muslims. In the 1960s & 70s, the Maoist/Marxist movements came up and became known as the Naxalites. The formation of Bangladesh in the 1971 war with Pakistan was another highlight of Calcutta. From 1977 - 2011, the Communist Part of India (CPM) governed West Bengal, the longest serving communist government in India. In 2001, Calcutta became Kolkata.
There are quaint areas of Kolkata worth mentioning, the Newmarket is really an interesting experience; so is the hand pulled rickshaw ride. Trips to Park Street's Flury's, the Howrah Bridge, the Victoria Memorial and to Nizam's where the 'kathi roll' was invented, are a must! A place where the club culture is rampant alongside extreme poverty, where communism and market forces are at play, the sports crazy Bengalis with their sweets, theatre and love for all things cultural - the opposites co-exist in a rare combination, here in Kolkata! You can view this video here.
