Densely populated and polluted,
Kolkata is often an ugly and
desperate place that to many people sums up the worst of India. Yet it's
also one of the country's more fascinating centres and has some scenes
of rare beauty. Certainly the people are a friendly bunch and
Bengali humour is renowned throughout India.
During the British Raj Kolkata was known as the Jewel of the
East and was the capital of the country till 1911. It still bears the Victorian
imprint on its streets and structures. Today, it is still the most important
city in the east, the nerve center of trade and industry of the
State.
Economically, Kolkata is suffering: the
port has been silting up, making navigation from Kolkata down to the
sea steadily more difficult and limiting the size of ships that can use
the port. Electrical power in Kolkata is so on-again off-again that
virtually every hotel, shop or small business has to have some sort of
standby power generator or battery lighting system.
Despite all these problems Kolkata is a
city with a soul, and one which many residents are inordinately fond of.
The Bengalis, so ready to raise arms against the British in the struggle
for independence, are also the poets and artists of India.
Amongst the squalor and confusion Kolkata
has place of sheer magic: flower sellers beside the misty,
ethereal Hooghly River; the majestic sweep of the Maidan; the arrogant
bulk of the Victoria Memorial; the superb collection of archaeological
treasures exhibited in the Indian Museum. They are all part of this
amazing city, as are massive Marxist and trade union rallies which can
block traffic in the city centre for hours at a time.
History
Kolkata is not an ancient city like Delhi, with its impressive
relics of the past. In fact, it's largely a British creation which dates
back only some 300 years and was the capital of British India until the
beginning of this century.
In 1686, the British abandoned Hooghly,
their trading post 38km up the Hooghly River from present-day Kolkata,
and moved downriver to there small villages - Sutanati, Govindpur and
Kailkata. Kolkata takes its name from the last of those three tiny
settlements.
Much of the Kolkata's most enduring
development took place between 1780 and 1820. Latter in the 19th
century, Bengal became an important centre in the struggle for Indian
independence, and this was a major reason for the decision to transfer
the capital to Delhi in 1911. Loss of political power did not alter Kolkata's economic control, and the city continued to prosper until
after WW11.
Orientation
Kolkata sprawls north-south along the eastern bank of the Hooghly
River, which divides it from Howrah on the western bank. If you arrive
from anywhere west of Kolkata by rail, you'll come into the immense
Howrah Station and have to cross the Howrah Bridge into Kolkata proper.
The more relevant parts of Kolkata are
south of the bridge in the areas around BBD Bagh and Chowringhee.
Population :113 Lakh
STD Code : 33
Altitude :
6m. (20 ft.)
Weather
The weather is very Indian, slightly on the
humid side. Summers are hot, the temperatures fluctuating between max. 30c - 35c
and a min. 14c - 25c. The rainy season begins in the month of June and lasts up to
October bringing in moderately severe rains. The temperature is also
moderate.
Location : Near the eastern coast of India, in the state of West Bengal.
Languages :
Bengali, English, Hindi.
Clothing :
Summer : Light cottons.
Winter : Light woolens.
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