Know your City

Introduction Kolkata

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.

Email this page

Click on the Cities for more information

Kolkata

Live Weather
from weather.com

Calcutta Weather Forecast, India

More about Kolkata Weather
Kolkata has a tropical climate.Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorm and heavy rains lash the city, bringing relief from the humid heat.Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supplies the city with most of its annual rainfall of 1,582 mm. The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August (306 mm). The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per annum, with the maximum sunlight occurring in March.