Information On Kolkata

lt;/ref> |population_metro 15,644,040 |population_metro_cite lt;/ref> |population_metro_as_of 2010 |population_metro_rank 3rd |languages_type Languages of India |languages Bengali language English language Hindi lt;ref name"india.gov.in">http://india.gov.in/knowindia/official_language.php Official Language - Constitutional/Statutory Provisions] World Gazetteer. Retrieved 8 February 2010.}} |ethnic_groups Hindu Muslim Christian Jainism } |population_density 27462 |area_total 1480 |area_telephone 91-33-XXXX XXXX |postal_code 700 xxx |vehicle_code_range WB 01-79 |unlocode IN CCU |website Kolkatamycity.com |footnotes † lt;/sup> The Kolkata urban agglomeration also includes portions of North 24 Parganas , South 24 Parganas Howrah and Hooghly District districts. }} Kolkata (Bengali language wikt:কলকাতা , is the capital of the India state of West Bengal Kolkata is the cultural capital of Indiahttp://pages.cthome.net/india2/ Calcutta Travel Advice] and the commercial capital of Eastern India It is located in East India on the east bank of the Hooghly River lt;/ref> The Kolkata metropolitan area including suburbs has a population exceeding 15 million, making it the List of most populous metropolitan areas in India in India and one of the List of urban areas by population in the world. The city is also classified as the List of urban agglomerations by population (United Nations) in the world.lt;/ref> Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj until 1911. Once the centre of modern education, science, culture and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation in the years following Indias independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, an economic rejuvenation has led to a spurt in the citys growth. Like other metropolitan cities of India, Kolkata continues to struggle with urbanisation problems like poverty, pollution and traffic congestion Kolkata is noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian Independence Movement to the leftist and trade union movements.

Etymology

The name Kolkata and the anglicised name Calcutta have their roots in Kalikata the name of one of the three villages (Kalikata (village) Sutanuti Govindapur in the area before the arrival of the British.lt;/ref> "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra( "Land of the goddess] Kali ). Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila("flat area").lt;/ref> Again, the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, Khal followed by Katta(which may mean dug).lt;/ref> Another theory is that the place used to specialize in quicklime (kalicun and coir rope (kátá and hence the place was called Kalikátá.P. R. Sarkar, Path Calte Itikatha, 1985, AMPublications While the citys name was always pronounced "Kolkata" or "Kolikata" in the local Bengali language its official English name was changed from "Calcutta" to "Kolkata" in 2001, reflecting the Bengali pronunciation. Some view this as a move to erase the legacy of British rule.lt;/ref> This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources like the BBC have opted to call BombayMumbai lt;ref>lt;/ref> and CalcuttaKolkata.lt;/ref>

History

File:HooglyKolkata1945.jpg ]] The discovery of the nearby Chandraketugarh lt;/ref> an archaeological site, provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The citys documented history, however, begins with the arrival of the 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 this city. However some academics have recently challenged the view that Charnock was the founder of the city, and in response to a public interest litigation the High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a specific founder.lt;/ref> At that time Kolkata, under direct rule of the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-Ud-Daulah comprised three villages Kalikata Gobindapur, India and Sutanuti The United Kingdom in the late 17th century wanted to build a fort near Gobindapur in order to consolidate their power over other foreign powers—namely the Netherlands the Portugal and the France In 1702, the British completed the construction of old Fort William, India lt;/ref> 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 lt;/ref> Faced with frequent skirmishes with French East India Company 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.lt;/ref> A force of Company sepoy 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 lt;/ref> In the early 19th century the marshes surrounding the city were drained and the government area was laid out along the banks of the River Hooghly Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess 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".lt;/ref> The city was a centre of the British East India Companys opium trade during the 18th and 19th century.lt;/ref> File:St Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata.jpg was built in Calcutta during the British Raj]] By the 1850s, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas—one British (known as the White Town) centred around Chowringhee the other Indian (known as Black Town) centred around North Calcutta.lt;/ref> The city underwent rapid industrial growth from the 1850s, especially in the textile and jute sectors; this caused a massive investment in infrastructure projects like railroads and telegraph by British government. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new [[Babu (title)|Babu]]class of urbane Indians — whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, read newspapers, were Anglophile , and usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities.Jack I. (2001). "http://www.nybooks.com/shop/product-file/61/thea261/introduction.pdf Introduction] to URL accessed on 2006-04-26. 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 Indian National Association — the first of its kind in nineteenth century India. Gradually Calcutta became a centre of the Indian independence movement especially Revolutionary movement for Indian independence The Partition of Bengal (1905) on communal grounds resulted in widespread public agitation and the boycott of British goods (Swadeshi movement .lt;/ref> 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.lt;/ref> File:Kolkata Old Map.jpg The city and its port were bombed several times by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II lt;/ref> the first occasion being 20 December 1942,lt;/ref> and the last being 24 December 1944.lt;/ref> During the War, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 caused by a combination of military, administrative and natural factors.lt;/ref> In 1946, demands for the creation of a Muslim state led to Direct Action Day resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people.lt;/ref>lt;/ref>lt;/ref> The partition of India also created 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.lt;/ref> Over the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Maoism movement — the Naxalite — damaged much of the citys infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation.and Judith Vidal-Hall, "Naxalites", in Index on Censorship, Volume 35, Number 4 (2006). p. 73. In 1971, war between India and Pakistan led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata resulting in a massive strain on its infrastructure.lt;/ref> In the mid-1980s, Bombay, now Mumbai overtook Kolkata as Indias most populous city. Kolkata has been a strong base of Indian communism as West Bengal has been ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))-dominated Left Front for 32 years now — the worlds longest-running democratically elected communist government.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> The citys 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.

Geography

Image:Kolkata SPOT 1354.jpg ] Kolkata is located in eastern India at in the Ganges Delta at an elevation ranging between to http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01844 NASA image]. It is spread linearly along the banks 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 citys burgeoning population.lt;/ref> The remaining wetland, known as East Calcutta Wetlands has been designated a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention lt;/ref> Like the most of the Indo-Gangetic plain , the predominant soil 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 and and the upper one ranging between and in thickness. lt;/ref> According to the Bureau of Indian Standards the town falls under Earthquake hazard zoning of India in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes)lt;/ref> while the wind and cyclone zoning is "very high damage risk", according to United Nations Development Programme report.

Urban structure

File:Kolka.jpg Kolkata city, under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of lt;/ref> The Kolkata conurbation (Kolkata Metropolitan Area , however, is spread over and comprises 157 postal areas, as of 2006.lt;/ref> The metropolitan area is formally administered by several local governments including 38 Kolkata neighbourhoods The urban agglomeration comprises 72 cities and 527 towns and villages. The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporates parts of the districts North 24 Parganas South 24 Parganas Howrah District Hooghly District and Nadia District File:GPO, KOLKATA.jpg 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 deduced from the :Image:PIA01844 modest.jpg of the city, from NASA The north-south expansion is roughly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata North Kolkata locality is the oldest part of the city, with 19th century architecture and narrow alleyways. South Kolkata grew mostly after Indian independence movement and consists of posh localities such as Ballygunge Alipore New Alipore The Bidhannagar, Kolkata area to the northeast of the city is a planned section of Kolkata. Rajarhat also called New Town is a planned township being developed on the north-eastern fringes of the city. Central Kolkata houses the central business district around the B. B. D. Bagh area. The Writers' building General Post Office, Kolkata Calcutta High Court Lalbazar and several other government and private offices are located here. The Maidan (Kolkata) is a large open field in the heart of the city where several sporting events and public meetings are held. Several companies have set up their offices around the area south of Park Street, Kolkata which has become a secondary central business district.

Climate

Kolkata has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw. The annual mean temperature is monthly mean temperatures range from to lt;/ref> Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30s 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 °F – 57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is and the lowest is On an average, May is the hottest month with daily temperatures ranging from a low of to a maximum of while January the coldest month has temperatures varying from a low of to a maximum of Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorm or hailstorms and heavy rains with ice sleets lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are Convection rain in nature, and is locally known as Kal baisakhi( Norwesters).lt;/ref> Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of South-West monsoon lt;/ref> lash the city between June and September and supplies the city with most of its annual rainfall of The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August— 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 lt;/ref>http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081030/jsp/calcutta/story_10035984.jsp Severe air pollution in the city has caused rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments such as lung cancer.lt;/ref> lt;/ref> |dateAugust 2010 }}

Economy

Image:162133667 be22812cab b.jpg building at Salt Lake Sector-V Electronics Complex ] Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of East India and the North-East India It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Limited — Indias second-largest bourse lt;/ref> Kolkata was ranked the hardest Indian city in which to do business in 2009.lt;/ref> Until recently, flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal economy has comprised more than 40% of the labour force.Chakravorty S (2000). "From Colonial City to Global City? The Far-From-Complete Spatial Transformation of Calcutta" in lt;/ref> For example, Hawkers in Kolkata generated business worth Indian rupee 8,772 crore (around 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2005.lt;/ref> State and federal government employees make up a large percentage of the citys 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. lt;/ref> In recent years there has been a surge of investments in the housing infrastructure sector with several new projects coming up in the city led by companies such as DLF Limited and Unitech Group Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large Indian corporations with products ranging from electronics to jute. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited India Government Mint, Kolkata Haldia Petrochemicals Exide Industries Hindustan Motors Britannia Industries Bata Shoes Birla Corporation Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Coal India Limited Damodar Valley Corporation PwC India, Peerless Group United Bank of India UCO Bank and Allahabad Bank Recently, various events like adoption of "Look East" policy by the government of India, opening of the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim as a border trade-route with People's Republic of China and immense interest in the South East Asia countries to enter the Indian market and invest have put Kolkata in an advantageous position.lt;/ref>lt;/ref>

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]] |
[[Sovan Chatterjee]] lt;ref name"Mayor">lt;/ref> |- | Police Commissioner |
[[Gautam Mohan Chakraborty]] lt;ref>lt;/ref>
|} Image:Relations among Kolkata District, police area, KMC.jpg 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 District # the Kolkata Police area, # the 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 Area (Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority is responsible for the statutory planning and development of the metropolitan area). Image:Calcutta High Court.jpg ] 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 wastes management streets 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.Source: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act 1980. Other authorities: the Collector of the Kolkata District the Kolkata Police the Collector of South 24 Parganas District and the Superintendent of Police of South 24 Parganas District lt;/ref> 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 lt;/ref> 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 ; 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 (Indias lower house) and 21 representatives to the state Legislative Assembly.lt;/ref>

Utility services and media

Image:Kolkatavsnl.JPG (previously known as VSNL , a major telecom service provider in India]] The KMC supplies potable water to the city, sourced from the River Hooghly The water is purified and treated at Palta water pumping station located in North 24 Parganas Almost all of Kolkatas daily refuse of 2500 tonne 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. lt;/ref> Parts of the city still lack sewage facilities leading to unsanitary methods of waste disposal. lt;/ref> Electricity is supplied by the privately operated Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation 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. lt;/ref> State-owned BSNL and private enterprises like Vodafone Essar Bharti 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 group Sify Airtel Reliance and Alliance being the leading service providers. Bengali language language newspapers like [[Anandabazar Patrika]] [[Bartaman]] [[Sangbad Pratidin]] [[Jago Bangla]] [[Aajkaal]] [[Dainik Statesman]]and [[Ganashakti]]are widely circulated. Popular English language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include the [[Times of India]] [[Hindustan Times]] [[The Hindu]] [[The Indian Express]] [[The Statesman]] [[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]]and [[Asian Age]] Some major periodicals are [[Desh magazine|Desh]] [[Sananda]] [[Unish Kuri]] [[Kindle]] [[Anandalok]]and [[Anandamela]] Being the biggest trading market in Eastern India, Kolkata has a substantial readership of many financial dailies including [[The Economic Times]] [[The Financial Express]] [[Business Line]]and [[Business Standard]]lt;/ref> Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi Gujarati language Oriya language Urdu Punjabi language and Overseas Chinese are also read by a minority. All India Radio the state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM broadcasting radio stations in the city. Kolkata has 12 List of FM radio stations in India#Kolkata frequency modulation radio stations, including two from AIR The state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan provides two free terrestrial channels, while four Multi system operator provide a mix of Bengali language Hindi English language and other regional channels via Cable television :Category:24-hour television news channels include STAR Ananda Tara Newz Kolkata TV 24 Ghanta Ne Bangla News Time and Channel 10

Transport

Image:KolkataVIP road.jpg a busy thoroughfare connecting the city with airport]] Image:Kolkata Tram.jpg Image:Vidyasagar setu.jpg connecting Kolkata with Howrah ] Public transport is provided by the Kolkata suburban railway the Kolkata Metro tram 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 system in India since 1984.lt;/ref> It runs parallel to the River Hooghly and spans the north-south length of the city covering a distance of 22.3 km. Buses are the preferred mode of transport and are run by both government agencies and private operators. Kolkata is Indias only city to have a tram network, operated by Calcutta Tramways Company lt;/ref> 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.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Hired forms of mechanised transport include the yellow metered taxis, while auto rickshaw ply in specific routes. Almost all the taxis in Kolkata are Hindustan Ambassador This is unlike most other cities where Tata Indica or Fiat are more common. In some areas of the city, cycle rickshaw and hand-pulled rickshaw 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. lt;/ref> 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.lt;/ref> 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.lt;/ref> Kolkata Metro Railway and a number of new roads and flyovers have decongested the traffic to some extent. Image:Howrah Bridge 01.jpg Kolkata has three major long distance railway station at Howrah Station Chitpur and Sealdah A third station named Kolkata Railway Station has been launched at Chitpur in early 2006.lt;/ref> The city is the headquarters of two divisions of the Indian Railways — Eastern Railway (India) and South Eastern Railway (India) lt;/ref> 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 eastern India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata and Haldia docks.lt;/ref> There are passenger services to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship service to various :Category:Ports and harbours of India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India There are ferry services as well, connecting Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah

Demographics

lt;/ref> }} }} Residents of Kolkata are called Calcuttans As of 2001, Kolkata city had a population of 4,580,544, while the urban agglomeration had a population of 13,216,546. Current estimates for 2009 project the citys population to be 5,080,519.http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x&mengcis&lngen&dat32&geo-104&srtnpan&colaohdq&ptc&va&srtpnan World Gazetteer: India - largest cities and towns and statistics of their population] Retrieved 4 June 2009 The human sex ratio is 928 females per 1000 maleslt;/ref>which is lower than the Demographics of India because many working males come from rural areas and less-developed states (mainly Bihar,UP), where they leave behind their families. Kolkatas literacy rate of 81%lt;/ref> exceeds the all-India average of 66%.lt;/ref> Kolkata Municipal Corporation area has registered a growth rate of 4.1%, which is the lowest among the million-plus cities in India.lt;/ref> Bengali people comprise the majority of Kolkatas population , with Marwaris and Bihari people (mainly migrant labourers) communities forming a large portion of the minorities .lt;/ref> Some of Ethnic communities in Kolkata include Overseas Chinese Tamil people Nepali people Oriya people Telugu people Assamese people Gujaratis Anglo-Indian , Armenians Greeks Tibetan people Maharashtrian , Punjabis and Parsi people Bengali language is the dominant language spoken in Kolkata, which also serves as the Official State Language. English language is also used ,specially among the White collar work force. According to the census, 73% of the population in Kolkata is Hindu 23% Muslim 2% Christian and 1% Jainism Other minorities such as Sikhs Buddhist Jew and Zoroastrian constitute the rest of the citys population.lt;/ref> 1.5 million people, who constitute about a third of the citys population, live in 2,011 registered and 3,500 unregistered (occupied by squatter ) slum .lt;/ref> Kolkata reported 67.6% of total Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes registered in 35 Indian mega cities in 2004.lt;/ref> Kolkata police district registered 10,757 Indian Penal Code cases in 2004, which was 10th highest in the country.lt;/ref> 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.lt;/ref>

Culture

Image:Kolkatatemple.jpg in Kolkata]] Image:India Education .jpg ] Image:Durga 2005.jpg 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.lt;br /> Cited by: lt;/ref> For these reasons, Kolkata has often been dubbed as the Cultural Capital of India or the Literary Capital of India. Image:Calcutta Kolkata Victoria Memorial.jpg File:5465g muhammad-ali-park pratima-foeticide.jpg A characteristic feature of Kolkata is the [[para (Bengali)|para]]or neighbourhoods having a strong sense of community. Typically, every parahas its own community club with a clubroom and often, a playing field. People here habitually indulge in [[adda (Indian)|adda]]or leisurely chat, and these adda sessions are often a form of freestyle intellectual conversation.lt;/ref> The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures to propaganda. Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Gothic architecture Baroque architecture Roman architecture Orient l and Indo-Islamic (including Mughal architecture 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 collection of Indian natural history and Indian art lt;/ref> The Victoria Memorial (India) one of the major Places of interest in Kolkata has a museum documenting the citys history. The National Library of India is Indias leading public library. Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions. 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 cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" after Tollygunj the location of Bengali movie studios. Its long tradition of Art film includes globally acclaimed Film director such as Academy Award winning director Satyajit Ray Mrinal Sen Tapan Sinha Ritwik Ghatak and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Rituparno Ghosh Key elements of Bengali cuisine include rice and Machher jhol (fish curry),lt;/ref> with rasgulla sandesh and mishti dohi (sweet yoghurt) as dessert. Bengals vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various hilsa preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Vegetarian cuisines are sometimes without onion and garlic. Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken mutton or egg (food) stuffing), phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine from China Town, Kolkata in the eastern parts of the city are quite popular.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Bengali women commonly wear the [[sari|shaŗi]]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. Durga Puja is the most important and the most glamorous event in Kolkata.lt;/ref> It usually takes place in the month of October, although it can also fall in September or November, depending on the traditional calendar. Other notable festivals include Jagaddhatri Puja, Diwali Saraswati puja, Eid ul-Fitr Holi Christmas Pohela Baishakh (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 Image:Kolkata Book Fair 2010 4389.JPG Bengal has been nourished with a rich heritage of literature. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, Bengali literature 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 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. The city is also noted for its appreciation of Rabindrasangeet and Indian classical music as well as Bengali folk music such as baul and kirtan and gajan and modern songs including Bengali adhunik songs From the early 1990s, there has been an emergence of Indian rock#Rock scenes 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 (band) Bhoomi (band) Cactus (band) and Fossils (band)

Education

Image:IIM Calcutta Auditorium 1.jpg one of the best business schools in India]] Image:kolkata univ jeroje.jpg , a renowned seat of learning, and the oldest western style university in South Asia]] Kolkatas schools are either run by the state government or by private (many of which are religious) organisations. Schools mainly use Bengali language or English language as the medium of instruction though Urdu is also used , especially in Central Kolkata. The schools are affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education the CBSE the National Institute of Open Schooling and the Advanced Level in the United Kingdom (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. File:Indian Museum Kolkata.jpg Kolkata houses Education in Kolkata#Universities and numerous colleges affiliated to them or to other universities located outside. The University of Calcutta (founded in 1857) has 153 affiliated colleges.http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/98292/Hubs+of+excellence.html?page3 Hubs of excellence] Bengal Engineering & Science University and Jadavpur University are notable engineering universities. Calcutta Medical College is the first institution teaching modern medicine in Asia.lt;/ref> Other notable institutions are Presidency College, Kolkata St. Xavier's College, Calcutta Bethune College (the first womens 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, Calcutta 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 IISER the Calcutta Mathematical Society the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management the West Bengal University of Technology and the National Institute of Fashion Technology

Sports

Image:Edensoutheast.jpg the second Largest cricket stadium in the world.]] Association football (sometimes referred to as soccer), cricket and field hockey are popular sports in the city. Kolkata, a major centre of football activity in India and home of top national football clubs such as Mohun Bagan Athletic Club Chirag United Sports Club Mohammedan Sporting Club (Kolkata) and East Bengal Club is known as Mecca of Indian Football.lt;/ref> 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 Indian Premier League 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 (Kolkata) area hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes. Image:Salt Lake Stadium - Yuva Bharati Krirangan , Kolkata - Calcutta 3.jpg List of stadiums by capacity stadium in the world.]] Notable sports stars from Kolkata include former Indian national cricket captains Sourav Ganguly and Pankaj Roy Olympic Games tennis bronze medal ist Leander Paes Former football stars include Olympic medalist Sailen Manna Chuni Goswami Pradip Kumar 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.lt;/ref> Salt Lake Stadium (also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan)—a multi-use stadium—is the worlds List of stadiums by capacity capacity football stadium.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.lt;/ref> Kolkata has three 18-hole golf courses at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (the first golf club in the world outside United Kingdom ,lt;/ref> Tollygunge Club and Fort William, India 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.lt;/ref> 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 Sport 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.

Sister cities

Kolkata has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> | class"wikitable" border"1" style"font-size:100%; background:#FFFFEF; float:center;" |- ! style"background:#811541" | Sister City ! style"background:#811541" | Country |- | Long Beach, California || rowspan"2" | United States |- | Dallas |- | Odessa || Ukraine |- | Macau || Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China|China S.A.R.]] |- | Thessaloniki || Greece |- | Naples || Italy |- | Dhaka || Bangladesh |}

See also

* List of people from Kolkata * Places of interest in Kolkata * West Bengal * List of million-plus cities in India

References

Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* http://www.kolkataweb.com Kolkataweb, a guide to Kolkata] * * eographic locale |list [[Geographic coordinate system|Lat. and Long.]] {{Coord|22|34|11|N|88|22|11|E|display=inline}} }} }} Category:Kolkata Category:Indian capital cities Category:Cities and towns in West Bengal Category:Eastern Railway (India) Zone Category:South Eastern Railway (India) Zone Category:Former national capitals Category:Metropolitan cities in India af:Kalkutta ang:Caligardamana ar:كلكتا an:Calcuta as:কল্কতা az:Kəlkütə bn:কলকাতা be:Горад Калькута be-x-old:Калката bo:ཀ་ལི་ཀུ་ཏ bs:Kolkata br:Kolkata bg:Колката ca:Calcuta cs:Kalkata cy:Kolkata da:Kolkata de:Kalkutta et:Kolkata el:Καλκούτα es:Calcuta eo:Kolkato eu:Kalkuta fa:کلکته hif:Kolkata fr:Calcutta fy:Kolkata ga:Calcúta gl:Calcuta - কলকাতা gu:કોલકાતા ko:콜카타 hy:Կալկաթա hi:कोलकाता hr:Kalkuta io:Kalkuta id:Kolkata os:Калькуттæ is:Kolkata it:Calcutta he:קולקטה kn:ಕೊಲ್ಕತ್ತ pam:Kolkata ka:კოლკატა ks:कलकाता kw:Kolkata sw:Kolkata la:Colcata lv:Kalkāta lt:Kolkata lmo:Calcuta hu:Kalkutta mk:Калкута mg:Kolkata ml:കൊൽക്കത്ത mr:कोलकाता arz:كولكاتا ms:Kolkata nl:Calcutta ne:कोलकाता new:कोलकाता ja:コルカタ no:Calcutta nn:Kolkata or:କଲିକତା pnb:کلکتہ pms:Kolkata pl:Kalkuta pt:Calcutá ro:Calcutta rm:Kolkata (Calcutta) qu:Kolkata ru:Калькутта sah:Колката sa:कलकाता scn:Calcutta simple:Kolkata sk:Kalkata sl:Kolkata sr:Калкута sh:Kolkata fi:Kalkutta sv:Calcutta tl:Kolkata ta:கொல்கத்தா te:కోల్‌కత th:โกลกาตา tr:Kolkata tk:Kalkutta uk:Колката ur:کولکاتہ ug:Kalkutta vec:Calicute vi:Kolkata vo:Kolkata war:Kolkata zh-yue:加爾各答 bat-smg:Kalkota zh:加尔各答

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