The Cultural Heart of India
Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of West Bengal, and is often referred to as the
"Cultural Capital of India." With its rich history, vibrant traditions, and diverse heritage, Kolkata is a city that offers an exceptional blend of the old and the new. It stands as a testament to India's colonial past while embracing the rapidly changing present. The city has been home to numerous intellectuals, artists, and revolutionaries who have significantly shaped India's modern identity.
In this essay, we explore the various aspects that make Kolkata unique — its history, cultural legacy, architectural splendor, festivals, and the people who call this city home.
Historical Significance
Kolkata's history dates back to the 17th century when it was a small village under the control of the Mughal Empire. However, its transformation into a major center of trade and culture began with the British East India Company’s establishment of a trading post in 1690. Under British rule, Kolkata emerged as the capital of British India until 1911, a period that saw the city flourish as a hub for commerce, politics, and intellectual activity.
The city's architecture, largely influenced by colonial designs, is a testament to this era. The iconic Victoria Memorial, the Howrah Bridge, and the Indian Museum are just a few examples of the city's grandeur during British rule. Kolkata became a melting pot of different cultures, with English-speaking elites, traders, and a growing Indian middle class forming a complex social fabric. It was during this period that Kolkata became the birthplace of many social reform movements, with figures like Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, and Subhas Chandra Bose shaping the intellectual and political discourse of the time.
The People of Kolkata
About three-fourths of the population is Hindu. Muslims constitute the largest minority group, and there are some Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. The dominant languageis Bengali, but Urdu, Odia, Tamil, Punjabi, and other languages also are spoken. Kolkata is a
The density of population is extremely high, and overcrowding has reached virtually intolerable proportions in many sections of the city. Kolkata experienced a high rate of population growth for more than a century, and events such as the partitioning of Bengal in 1947 and warfare in Bangladesh in the early 1970s precipitated massive population influxes. Large refugee colonies also have sprung up in the northern and southern suburbs. In addition, a great number of migrants from other states—mostly from neighbouring Bihar and Odisha and eastern Uttar Pradesh—have come to Kolkata in search of employment.
Festivals and Celebrations
Kolkata is famous for its grand festivals, the most iconic of which is Durga Puja. This Hindufestival, which celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura, is
Other festivals celebrated with great fervor in Kolkata include Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year), Kali Puja, Eid, and Christmas. The city’s diverse population, which includes Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and others, ensures that these festivals are celebrated with enthusiasm, fostering a sense of unity and communal harmony.
Architecture
In contemporary Kolkata the skyline is broken in some areas by skyscrapers and tall multistory blocks. The cityscape has changed rapidly. The Chowringhee area in central Kolkata, once a row of palatial houses, has been given up to offices, hotels, and shops. In northern and central Kolkata, buildings are still mainly two or three stories high. In southern and south-central Kolkata, multistoried apartment buildings have become more common.
Western influence is dominant in many of Kolkata’s architectural monuments, though Indian influences also are apparent. The Raj Bhavan (the state governor’s residence) is an imitation of Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, England; the High Court resembles the Cloth Hall at Ypres, Belgium; the Town Hall is in Grecian style with a Doric-Hellenic portico; St. Paul’s Cathedral is of Indo-Gothic-style architecture; the Writers’ Building is of Gothic-style architecture with statuary on top; the Indian Museum is in an Italian style; and the General Post Office, with its majestic dome, has Corinthian columns. The beautiful column of the Shaheed Minar (Ochterlony Monument) is 165 feet (50 metres) high—its base is Egyptian, its column Syrian, and its cupola in the Turkish style. Victoria Memorial Hall represents an attempt to combine classical Western influence with Mughal architecture; the Nakhoda Mosque is modeled on the tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar at Sikandra; the Birla Planetarium is based on the stupa (Buddhist reliquary) at Sanchi. The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, the most important example of postindependence construction, follows the style of ancient Hindu palace architecture in northwestern India.
Administration and society
Government of Kolkata
Government in the city proper is the responsibility of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation; the corporation’s council is composed of one elected representative from each of the city’s wards. The council members annually elect a mayor, a deputy mayor, and a number of committees to conduct the activities of the corporation. A commissioner, the executive head of the corporation, is responsible to its elected membership. The city is also a part of the Kolkata Metropolitan District, an entity created to oversee planning and development on a regional basis. This district includes a large rural hinterland around the urban centres.
Because Kolkata is the capital of the state of West Bengal, the governor resides in the city in the historic Raj Bhavan. The state Legislative Assembly is located in the city, as is the Secretariat, housed in the Writers’ Building, with the state ministries in charge of various departments. The Kolkata High Court, exercising original jurisdiction over the city and appellate jurisdiction over West Bengal, is also located there. A number of national government institutions—including the National Library, the Indian Museum, and the Geological Survey of India—are in the city as well.
Education
Education has long been a mark of higher social status in Kolkata. The city has been a centre of learning since the resurgence in Indian education that began in Bengal in the early 19th century. The first English-style school, the Hindu College (later called Presidency University), was founded in 1817.
Primary education is supervised by the government of West Bengal and is free in schools run by the municipal corporation. A large number of children, however, attend recognized schools that are under private management. Most secondary schools are under the supervision of the state, but some are accredited through the national government.
Kolkata has three major universities: the University of Calcutta, Jadavpur University, and Rabindra Bharati University. The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, has more than 150 affiliated colleges. Besides these colleges, university colleges of arts (humanities), commerce, law, medicine, science, and technology specialize in postgraduate teaching and research. Jadavpur University (1955) has faculties in the arts (humanities), science, and engineering. Although the university has a small number of colleges affiliated with it, its main focus is on graduate and postgraduate instruction on a single campus. Rabindra Bharati University (1962), founded in honour of Rabindranath Tagore, specializes in humanities and the fine arts (dance, drama, and music).
Research institutions include the Indian Statistical Institute, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, the Bose Institute (natural science), and the All-India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, which is a constituent college of the University of Calcutta.
