Calcutta (now Kolkata)

Calcutta (now Kolkata)
Name	Calcutta (now Kolkata)
Native name	কলকাতা
Settlement type	Metropolis
Country	India
State	West Bengal
Founded	1690s
Area km2	205
Population	4.5 million (city) / 14.8 million (metro)
Timezone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Calcutta (now Kolkata) Calcutta (now Kolkata) is a major metropolis on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River in the Indian state of West Bengal. Established as a trading post by the East India Company in the 17th century, it later became the capital of British India until 1911 and remained a central node for Indian National Congress, Bengali Renaissance, and Indian independence movement. The city combines colonial architecture like the Writers' Building and Victoria Memorial with cultural institutions such as the Indian Museum and University of Calcutta.

Etymology and Name Changes

The name derives from the Bengali name কলকাতা, linked historically to the villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata that predated the East India Company settlement. During the British Raj the anglicized form "Calcutta" became standard in gazetteers and colonial administration records until the postcolonial period. In 2001 the municipal government adopted the official name change to Kolkata, aligning with the city's pronunciation and reflecting linguistic assertions associated with the Bengali language and regional identity in West Bengal politics.

History

The area’s recorded history includes early mentions in Mughal-era maps and trade logs involving Portuguese India and Dutch East India Company contacts near the Sunderbans. The Battle of Plassey and later Grant of Diwani solidified control for the East India Company, enabling Calcutta to become the capital of British India in 1772 under Lord Clive and later Lord Wellesley. The city was a center for the Indian independence movement with leaders such as Subhas Chandra Bose, activists tied to the All India Forward Bloc, and intellectuals associated with the Bengal Renaissance including Rabindranath Tagore and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The 1905 Partition of Bengal (1905) and 1911 capital shift to New Delhi were pivotal events; subsequent decades saw the city affected by the Bengal famine of 1943, postpartition refugee influx linked to the Partition of India, leftist politics represented by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and economic transitions during liberalization under leaders influenced by Manmohan Singh era reforms.

Geography and Climate

Located in the Ganges Delta on the banks of the Hooghly River, the city’s topography is a low-lying alluvial plain with wetlands connected to the Sunderbans ecosystem. The metropolitan area extends toward Howrah across the Howrah Bridge and includes neighborhoods like Salt Lake City and Dumdum. Kolkata experiences a tropical wet-and-dry climate influenced by the Bay of Bengal and seasonal monsoon patterns associated with the Indian Monsoon, with hot humid summers, a monsoon season bringing cyclones influenced by Cyclone Amphan-type events, and mild winters noted by residents and recorded by the India Meteorological Department.

Demographics

The city hosts diverse communities with major language groups including speakers of Bengali language, Hindi, Urdu, and English language users concentrated around business districts like Esplanade and educational hubs associated with the University of Calcutta and Jadavpur University. Religious communities represented include adherents of Hinduism in India, Islam in India, Christianity in India, and Sikhism in India, with cultural landmarks such as Kalighat Temple and Nakhoda Mosque. Migration flows since the Partition of India and rural-urban shifts tied to the Green Revolution and later industrial decline shaped population growth, while municipal governance under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation manages civic services across wards.

Economy and Industry

Historically a hub for jute industry and tea trade—linked to plantations in Assam and export houses—the city later diversified into sectors including information technology in India clusters, financial institutions like the Reserve Bank of India offices and the Calcutta Stock Exchange, and port activities at the Port of Kolkata. Colonial-era warehouses and mercantile families engaged with the British East India Company evolved into modern conglomerates interacting with markets in Mumbai and Chennai. Economic shifts after liberalization connected Kolkata to global supply chains in textiles, engineering, and software services, while infrastructure projects tied to the National Highways Authority of India and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor affect freight and industrial logistics.

Culture and Society

Kolkata is synonymous with the Bengali Renaissance and cultural figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Rabindranath Tagore's contemporaries, and institutions like the Indian Museum and Academy of Fine Arts. The city’s literary scene includes periodicals tied to Ananda Bazar Patrika and theatrical traditions exemplified by Nandikar and Bengal theatre movements. Festivals such as Durga Puja and Kali Puja attract civic participation, while culinary specialties like Bengali cuisine dishes connect to markets such as Kumartuli and New Market. Sports culture includes clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal Club, with historical football victories that resonated within anti-colonial narratives during matches against visiting British Army teams.

Infrastructure and Transportation

The city’s transport network integrates the Kolkata Metro—India’s earliest metro system—with suburban rail lines operated by Eastern Railway and road arteries including the Vidyasagar Setu and Howrah Bridge. The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport links the metro to domestic and international routes, while riverine services on the Hooghly River supplement ferry crossings to Howrah and Kudghat. Urban utilities have evolved with projects by the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation and sanitation initiatives involving the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, intersecting with heritage conservation of sites like the Victoria Memorial and adaptive reuse of colonial warehouses in districts like Prinsep Ghat.

Category:Cities in India