Know your city
Kolkata is a city of many pseudonyms and characters. Originally called Kalikata, there are numerous suggestions as to how the name was derived, one of the most accepted is the translation ‘Land of Kali’, Kali is a revered Hindu Goddess who is especially popular in Bengal. Around 1690 the area started to be used as a port for the trading of goods and so started the transition of a cluster of small villages into the city of Kolkata, the pronunciation of which was changed by the British to Calcutta. The State Government reinstated the name of Kolkata early in the 21 st century but it will take many years for people to accept and use the name on a daily basis.
Kolkata has variously been called the City of Palaces and the City of Joy but most people’s recollection in the UK would be the more negative one of the ‘Black Hole of kolkata’ along with the perception of it being one of the largest slums in Asia propounded by Mother Teresa’s work with the multitude of poor & suffering in the city.
However, Kolkata is one of the most liberal, educated, historic and a culturally vibrant city in India and as such has a different character and fascination to explore during your gap year or career break. There can be no denying there is a lot of poverty, homelessness and inequality but this is prevalent all over India, not just Kolkata.
A characteristic feature of Kolkata is the ‘para’ or neighbourhoods having a strong sense of community. Typically, every para has its own community club with a clubroom and often, a playing field. People here habitually indulge in ‘adda’ or leisurely chats, and these adda sessions are often a form of freestyle intellectual conversation. The city has a tradition of political grafitti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures to propaganda.
History of the city
From humble beginnings as three small agricultural villages the British arrived and identified the area as having potential as a key trading port for the Asia region. Fortifications for defending the interests of the British East India Company and its employees were built and there were several small wars and skirmishes with other countries and local interest before kolkata was secured and became the second city of the British Empire. A major blow for the city came when the British made the decision to move the capital of India to New Delhi in 1911. Although Kolkata continued to be the largest city for trade & commerce for many years after this it slowly faded and is now India’s third largest behind Delhi and Mumbai. This came about for various reasons, not least the constant re-election of the communist party in West Bengal and their policies since the sixties, it has taken kolkata a little longer to start riding the wave of Indian economic growth and the resultant wealth seen elsewhere in the country, but it is now one of the fastest growing cities and starting to see the benefits for the city.
Business in the city
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India and the north eastern states. It is home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange - India's second-largest after Mumbai. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in the Eastern region to have an international airport. Once India's leading city and Capital, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the years following India's independence due to the prevalent unstabilised political condition and rise in trade-unionism supported by left-wing parties. Between the 1960s to the mid 1990s, flight of capital was enormous as many large factories were closed or downsized and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources coupled with a worldwide glut in demand in the city's traditional industries (e.g. jute) added to the depressed state of the city's economy. The liberalisation of the Indian economy in the 1990s along with the election of a new reformist Chief Minister in 2001 have resulted in the improvement of the city's fortunes.
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, Bata India and Birla Corporation. 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 China and immense interest in the countries of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to enter the Indian market and invest have put Kolkata in an advantageous position. The only downside to the current growth is the lack of supporting infrastructure. This is apparent in any trip on a road through the city. Potholes give way to craters, the number of vehicles on the road is the highest of any city and the congestion and pollution massive. There are attempts to make specialist business areas with metro links to ease travel but these initiatives will have great trouble keeping up with the speed of growth overall in the area. All in all it is fascinating to be able to experience a city in transition and certainly a place not to be missed during your gap year travels.
Around Kolkata
Weather
Kolkata has an interesting mixed climate. During the summer season of April and May temperatures can rise to 40 degrees centigrade (104 Fahrenheit) and humidity levels increase dramatically to over 90% but then the monsoon arrives June to September and cools the city down to a more bearable average of 30 degrees. The south west monsoon brings the majority of the city’s annual rainfall of 1.5 metres with temperatures then falling away from November to February to cool days of around 16 degrees C and cold nights which can get as low as 10 degrees C !
Out & About
Shantiniketan
This is a famous university town in West Bengal around 2.5 hours from Kolkata. It has become a tourist spot because of its association with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), one of Bengal's greatest figures. Tagore was Asia's first Nobel laureate when in 1913 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The wealth of his works as a philosopher, visual artist, playwright, novelist, poet and composer is legendary and helped to reshape Bengali music and literature in the late 19th and early
20th centuries.
Attracted by the beauty of the place, Rabindranath Tagore's father Maehashi Debendranath Tagore established Shantiniketan (abode of peace) in 1863. In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore set up a Bramhacharya school here which later came to be known as the Patha Bhavan. With the financial backing of the Maharajah of Tripura, the Visva-bharati Society was established in 1921. Tagore envisioned a center of learning which would have the best of both the east and the west.
The main attractions of Shantiniketan include the various buildings of the Visva-Bharati campus which houses a research institute and a museum. The Kala Bhavan gallery has paintings by Bengal's renowned artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. The sculptures of Ramkinkar Baiz are also amongst the attractions of Shantiniketan.
Sunderbans National Park
This National Park is located in the Ganges Delta around 150km south of Kolkata and is made up of hundreds of tiny islands and marshland as well as some mainland. It is said there are tigers here that swim in the brackish water as normally as polar bears do in the sea! There is a very diverse amount of wildlife and birds in the park which can be visited by boat.
Darjeeling
Home of the famous Darjeeling tea this hill station offers great views of the Himalaya and Everest from Tiger Hill. The most picturesque way to reach the town is on the World Heritage railway, a narrow gauge steam train that winds its way through the tea estates to the town.
Kolkata: Out and About
Sikkim - Mount Katchenjunga
Sikkim is a border state of India and has part of the Himalayan range, notably Katchenjunga (8,300 metres) within its boundary. Treks can be made up to around 4,500 metres and special expeditions can be arranged for professional mountaineers to go higher.
Dhaka
Dahka is the capital of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan and East Bengal of India prior to that. Recently a train has been inaugurated to travel between Kolkata and Dakka making the normally difficult and lengthy journey quick and easy. Bangladesh is a delta country and as such is very low lying and lush but suffers very much from inundation and floods on a regular basis.
You would need a visa for Bangladesh and a multiple entry Indian visa if you are leaving India to travel into another country.
North East of India
North East India is a very distinct part of the country. 9 States form this region of India and they are very individual. The more southern of the states, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram for example are mainly Christian or tribal and look more like Thai or Burmese natives. Their culture is very different to that of Hindu India as is the scenery. The North Eastern states are joined to the main peninsula of India by a very thin strip of land to the north of Bangladesh and travel is relatively difficult. Permits are needed to some of the states before travel but these can be obtained in India itself.
Don't be put off by the cost of travel either. Trains are amazingly good value especially if you travel overnight as your bed is included. As an example, the fare for an air conditioned coach with a bed and - around a 9 hour journey - would be around 10 pounds.
Many journeys can be done on night bus with full sleeper cabin. A 12 hour night journey would typically cost around £5 enabling you to manage you gapyear on a budget.
Internal air travel is also very good value with many lost cost airlines now operating in India.
India is the most friendly and easy country to travel in, so make sure you take advantage of it while on your gap year travels!
Culture and Customs
Entertainment
A large sign greets you on the way into the city from the airport, Welcome to the City of Joy. This name has come from the wealth of Calcuttans 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".
The city has a tradition of dramas in the form of ‘jatra’ (a kind of folk-theatre), theatres and Group Theatres. Kolkata is known for its Bengali cinema industry, with Kolkatans having special affection for the legendary actor Uttam Kumar, and for its art films. The contribution to Indian film making or ‘Bollywood’ as we know it is massive with Bengali born director Satyajit Ray receiving the Life Time Award Oscar.
The City is also known for its appreciation of Indian classical music of the rich literary tradition set by Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Jibanananda Das and Kazi Nazrul Islam amongst others.
There are cinemas showing Bollywood and Hollywood films alongside the sometimes more lengthy and turgid Bengali art films. Bars and night clubs tend to be mainly found in the hotels of the city but are open until late and have a very diverse clientele, providing ample opportunities for relaxation after a hard days work on your gap year projects.
Festivals & Culture
Bengalis love to read and have a strong artistic streak with music, theatre and crafts featuring strongly as part of their culture. There is also a love of sport in the city with the first Indian football clubs being founded here. In 1911 a local team, wearing nothing on their feet, beat the local British regiment in the Indian equivalent of the World Cup! This fostered a great interest in the game although since then interest has wained and cricket can now be called the national sport of the country. Kolkata is also the home of the oldest cricket and golf clubs outside the UK. No gap year is complete without a visit to the legendary Eden Gardens and if you are lucky enough you may be able witness a cricket match here.
kolkata has a very ethnically diverse and tolerant society with a varied religious make up and all major festivals are celebrated.
Durga Puja
This is the most notable of the religious and social festivals in Kolkata. Durga Puja is a Hindu celebration and occurs over a period of five days in September / October. Durga, in Sanskrit means "She who is incomprehensible or difficult to reach" and the Goddess Durga is seen as Mother of the Universe, representing infinite power and a symbol of female dynamism. She is also called by many other names, such as Parvati, Ambika, and Kali. In the form of Parvati, She is known as the divine spouse of Lord Shiva and is the mother of Her two sons, Ganesha and Karttikeya, & daughter Paravati & Lakshmi. As a destroyer of demons, she is worshiped during the Durga puja, especially popular among Bengalis.
Other Festivals
Some of the cultural festivals in the city are Kolkata Book Fair, the biggest in the country, the Dover Lane Music Festival, the Kolkata Film Festival and the National Theatre Festival.
Kolkata: Food
Food
Key elements of Kolkata’s cuisine include rice and macher jhol (fish curry), with rasgulla (a sweet pudding), and mishti doi (sweet yoghurt) as dessert. The city has many lakes and fresh water rivers around it and this has led to Bengal having a vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various Hilsa preparations, this fish is a favorite among Bengalis and called ‘the river vegetable’ so as not to offend the sensibilities of the mainly vegetarian Hindu’s who love to eat it!
Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or meat stuffing), phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce) are all firm favorites, just make sure you buy from a reputable street vendor and that the food is cooked freshly in front of you and not been standing for a long time. Chinese food is very popular due to there having been a large Chinatown in the city for many years. Thai and Malaysian cuisine is also popular and means there is a large variety of food to choose from in the area.
