Kolkata, the land of contrasts and oppositions amalgamated with several cultural views existing side by side presents a unique viewpoint to the city. There has been a great history of cultural heritage along with the subsequent developments of our existing reality.
A brief note to the history of Kolkata-Kolkata was a colonial city which was the capital of the British India until 1911, when the capital was relocated to Delhi. It was declared as the financial capital of the British India as because it grew rapidly in the 19th century to become the second most important city of the British Empire after London.There was a fusional development of Indian philosophies with European traditions.
Kolkata is also noted for its revolutionary history which was ranging from the Indian to the leftist Naxalite and trade -union movements.At the different times Kolkata was rewarded the several title like the ‘Cultural Capital of India’, ‘The city of Processions’ ( মিছিলের শহর বা মিছিলের মুখ , ক্লান্তিহীন পদচারণা কিম্বা অসুখ ) ‘The City of Palaces’, and the ‘City of Joy’ which is very popular title among the French film makers too.
Kolkata has also been produced many a famous statesman who ruled over Indian political system too, it was a very common sayings previously “ What Kolkata thinks today , India thinks tomorrow” .It had a long glorious history of spiritual heritage too,specifically related to Swami Vivekanda and his eminent guru Sri Ramkrishna Pramahansa.
There are several epidemic attacks which devastated the city throughout the history, due to rapid urbanisation plague hit severely from the 1930 s , and very recently we all know how Covid attacked and stagnated the city lives. Kolkata is always an example of urbanisation challenges of the developing nations.
A brief note to the origin of city’s name –
- In the 16th Century Mughal Emperor Akbar and Bipradas Pipilai , a Bengali poet of the late 15th Century , both make mention of the area’s early name’s being Kolikata, from which Kolkata/ Calcutta derive.
- The most accepted view is that it comes from the Hindu goddess ‘Kali’ and the original name was Kalikshetra, ‘the place of Kali’ .
- The name comes from the location of the original settlement beside a khal( canal in Bengali)
- The place was known for its manufacture of shell-lime, the name deriving from kali ( lime) and kata ( “burnt shell” )
- The name is derived from the Bengali “Kilkila” ( flat area) , which is mentioned in the old literature.
- The name came into being when Job Charnock asked a farmer about the area name around the Hooghly River.The farmer misunderstood due to the language barrier and thought that he might be asked regarding his harvesting the field.He proudly replied “Kal Katta hoe chilo” meaning ‘ I cut it yesterday’. Job Charnock thought that the name of the place is Calcutta.
- The area where the city is now located was originally inhabited by the people of three villages:Kalikata , Sutanati and Gobindopur.
- The Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that Job Charnock , the Englishman generally believed to be the founder of the Calcutta, is not the founder of the city , henceforth Kolkata has no birthday.
- In the year 1690, The East India Company bought three villages( Sutanati, Kalikata and Gobindopur) from a local landlord family of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury. In the year 1691 ,the company began developing the city as a Presidency City. In 1727, on the order of King George I , a civil was set up in the city.
In 1772 , Calcutta became the capital of British India , the decision made by Governor General Warren Hastings.On 29 January 1780, Hickey’s Bengal Gazette of the Calcutta General Advertiser became the first newspaper to be printed in India.
Calcutta’s intellectual life received a great boost in 1784 with the foundation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal by Sir William Jones,with the encouragement of Warren Hastings.Together with the pandits of Kalighat Temple , with the local ulema , Jones worked closely in translating and producing new editions of rare and forgotten texts.His study of Sanskrit with Pandit Ramlochan at Nadiya led him to know the existence of the Indo -European family of languages. Many distinguished scholars, English and Bengali , such as Henry Thomas Colebrooke , James Prinsep and Pandit Radhakanta Sarman would grace the society’s meetings and publications over the following century , vastly enriching knowledge of India’s culture and past.
This era gave certain glorious views towards Western-style higher education institutions including Sanskrit College ( 1824) ,Calcutta Medical College ( 1835) ,University of Calcutta ( 1857) , Surendranath College ( 1885) and the Indian Association for the cultivation of Science ( 1887) , India’s first research institute.
The Baboo culture/ Babu culture and the Bengal Renaissance.
Calcutta at that time was famous for its “Babu Culture “ a mixture of English liberalism,European fin de siècle decadence ,Mughal conservatism,and indigenous revivalism ,inculcating aspects of socio-moral and political change.
Growth :
In 1750, Calcutta had a population of 120,000.Despite being almost totally destroyed by a cyclone in which 60000 died , after that Calcutta grew mostly in an unplanned way and now has a metropolitan population of approximately 14.6 million.
Historically, Calcutta was the centre of activity in the early stages of the national movement of independence.
The city has also experienced a growing manufacturing sector.Following similar moves elsewhere in the country,the state government changed the city’s official name from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001.
Now from the historical perspectives we come to the streets of Kolkata where one may find these historical places which must be visited.
1.Victoria Memorial,Kolkata
2.Fort William ,Kolkata
3.Belur Math which is situated just by the bank of Hooghly river which is the twin city of Kolkata named as Howrah.
4.Marble Palace ,Kolkata
5.Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Kolkata
6.Shaheed Minar, Kolkata
7.Indian Museum,Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata
8.Paul’s Cathedral,Maidan ,Kolkata
9.Writer’s Building,B B D Bagh ,Kolkata
10.Raj Bhavan Kolkata
11. Metcalfe Hall
12. Town Hall
13. Kalighat
14. Howrah Bridge
These are the places one must visit while visiting Kolkata.This is a city of cosmopolitan culture. People here living from the different parts of India. The most important thing regarding this place is that it’s a very cost effective place where the poorest of the poor people have their foods and daily need with the minimal wedges.
When we talk about any place or anything, food is an evident question which comes first in our mind. Like wise there is a vast history of foods along with street foods in Kolkata since Mughal Era.
Some of the famous food that must be tasted while roaming at the streets of Kolkata.
- Puchka ,Jhalmuri and Ghughni are some the very famous and well known street foods.
- Tele-bhaja literally translates to ‘fried in oil’.This deep fried snacks are including Aloor chop , beguni , phuluri , mochar chop and many more which are mouth drooling experience at all.
- Apart from this , the streets of Kolkata provide rich varieties of full meals like Luchi -cholar dal , Mughlai Paratha as well as variety of rolls.
- SoDifferent kind of South Indian foods like idli , sambhar, Dhosa, are very famous among the street foods .
- Kolkata has it’s own China Town which is famous for it’s authentic Chinese cuisine.
- Kulfi – Kulfi is very famous street food in Kolkata, known for it’s cooling and satisfying effects in summer times like malai , kesar , elaichi , the most famous mango kulfi is really enjoyable too.
The significance of street food culture having a great impact on the low socio economic group of people who can afford these foods everyday to support themselves and their families since the cooks have low operation and maintenance cost there by street foods are low in cost.
So, Kolkata is not only a place for historical importance but it’s a city to be explored with all it’s dignitaries, complexities , cosmopolitan views. It makes this place a city with the many oxymorons residing simultaneously in life.
