Posts Tagged ‘history’
Portuguese India
Monday, September 26th, 2011
Kolkota, history and modern day. Portrait of India
Kalkota, formerly called Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in eastern India on the east bank of the River Hooghly. When referred to as “Kolkata”, including it’s suburbs, its population exceeds 15 million, making it India’s third-largest city. This also makes it the world’s 14th largest metropolitan area. It is the main economic and financial hub of East India.
The name Kolkata and the anglicised name Calcutta have their root in Kalikata, the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. “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”). Or, the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, Khal, followed by Katta (which may mean dug).
While the city’s name was always pronounced “Kolkata” in the local Bengali Language , its official English name was only changed from “Calcutta” to “Kolkata” in 2001, reflecting the Bengali pronunciation. Some view this as a move to erase the legacy of British rule.
This change has not always been reflected by overseas media. While news sources like the BBC have opted to call Bombay Mumbai, Kolkata remains Calcutta. Many Indians also refer to the city by its British name.
Calcutta served as the capital of India during the British Raj until 1911. Once the centre of modern education, industry, science, culture and politics in India, Kolkata has witnessed intense political violence, clashes and economic stagnation since 1954. Since the year 2000, there has been a measure of economic rejuvenation. Like other metropolitan cities in India, Kolkata continues to struggle with the problems of urbanisation: poverty, pollution and traffic congestion.
Kolkata is noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist and trade union movements. Kolkata is also known worldwide for its many bridges that link the city to its sister city of Howrah. Kolkotta, part of East India, was the birthplace of Buddhism, which later spread to the further East, and gradually dissipated in India itself. In the 17th Century the Portuguese were in Chittagong, India, what is now Bangladesh. This helps explain why the language of Bengali has many Portuguese words (such as chabe-Bengali chave-Portuguese, word for key, janala, which means window, with slightly different spelling, in both languages, as just two examples).
Kolkata is decribed as “the city of palaces,” because of its many beautiful palaces and was the capital of British India in 1772. By the early 19th century, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas—one British (known as the White Town), the other Indian (known as Black Town).The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese during WWII. In 1946, demands for a Muslim state led to the death of 2,000 people in this city. This, and similar uprisings throughout India, led to the creation of East and West Pakistan, East Pakistan eventually becoming Bangladesh, and West Pakistan, Pakistan. Both countries are predominantly Muslim, in contrast to India whici spredmoninatly Hindu. Muslims fled to East and West Pakistan, and Hindus, to what is now India. India is approximately 10% Muslim today, Bangladesh is over 97% Muslim.
Key elements of Kolkata’s cuisine include rice and macher jhol (fish curry), with rasagolla, sandesh and mishti doi (sweet yoghurt) as dessert. Bengal’s vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various hilsa preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken, mutton, or egg stuffing), phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce) and Chinese food from China Town in the eastern parts of the city are quite popular.
Bengali women commonly wear the sha?i as per tradition as well as global/western outfits. Among men, western dressing has greater acceptance. Cricket, football, (soccer) and hockey are popular sports in the city. Kolkata is one of the major centres of football (soccer) activity in India. Kolkata is known as mecca of Indian football.
The city is also noted for its appreciation of Indian classical music as well as Bengali folk music such as baul. From the early 1990s, there has been an emergence and popularization of new genres of music, including fusions of baul and jazz by several Bangla bands, as well as the emergence of what has been called Jeebonmukhi Gaan (a modern genre based on realism) by music-artists like Kabir Suman, Anjan Dutta, and bands like Chandrabindoo, Cactus, Lakkhichhara, Fossils and Insomnia.
While at one time Kolkotat had a reputation for being unbearably dirty, in recent years, with economic resurgence in India, it has become a more developed city, very tolerable and somewhat pleasant. Kolkota is most well-known for the Italian missionary nun, Mother Theresa, who ministered to the poor, but it also has a rich literary heritage.
About the Author
John Scott is an educator in Newark, NJ, and works in Newark public schools. His certficate is in Early Childhood and High School Psychology. Mr. Scott writes and collects poetry and encourages poetry as a healthy creative outlet for children and teens. Please read the world poetry collection, Dawn of a New Discovery and the Rabindranath Tagore poetry collecton in the book Bengali Flower.
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