Calcutta is a fabulous,
crazy place. The general media image is of poverty and despair
and bandhs and fights and gheraos.....mammoth processions of Durga
pooja and red flags...propah red nosed blimps in cavernous clubhouses...bejewelled
behnjis zari- crisp out of 'hum aap ke hain kaun' ( a popular
recent hindi movie) , cyber savvy computerjees flitting around
the world....which of this is true? All of it, say seasoned Calcuta
residents.
So is Calcutta a great place to re locate? You shouldn't have
any misgivings about a job in Cacutta. It is a great place, for
reasons below. Of course it may not suit some. To many categories,
it is actually heaven ( not just bengalis). Do you figure?
HISTORY
Calcutta
is a fairly recent city. The entire lower delta of the Ganga
has recently arisen from the sea level, actually, so it figures
there's not much old history in these parts. All the same in recent
times loyal residents have been claiming it goes back to a 12
th century village(?) with a similar sounding name. But generally
it is said during the times of the English, a trading post near
an old Kali temple on the banks of the Hooghly - Kali ghat - gradually
become Calcutta. Job Charnock an Englishman set up operations
at Sutanuti, where cotton bales were traded. This settlement became
the nucleus of the huge city.
Calcutta
is unlike most Indian cities. The contradictions are very sharp
but everyone seems to accept them casually. Cal was the birthplace
of a spreading awareness in the 18th century about new ways of
life: the early freedom movement was very prominent here. Heavy
industry, modern education, universities and research institutes,
the awakenings of reform and the struggle for Independence all
began in Calcutta. However over the decades there's been a decline.
Calcutta
took a long time to recover from the setback of partition. The
penniless refugees streamed into the city. Then a couple of decades
later, impatient of hearing slogans, jobless youth turned to naxalism.
Now after a time of stability there's some whiff of possible change
socially, not just in political games. Overall, the residents
have seen bad times so there's a strong undercurrent of socialist
ideas among most people and liberal outlook is the norm.
For
detailed information you could consult some of these sites.
CALCUTTA WEB---
really a painstaking and thorough job by these guys.
KOLKATA NET -- good information India travelite
-- adequate information
MORE LINKS -- not all may be up:
nitpu.wb.nic.in/dist.html----West Bengal Govt. Administration
www.westbengal.com----Westbengal.com -official site of West Bengal.
www.westbengalgovt.org/------WesBengalGovt.org - Govt. site
www.westbengal.nic.in/-----Westbengal - another Govt. site by
National Informatics Centre
www.kolkatabuzz.com-----Kolkatabuzz
www.calonline.com---------CalOnline
www.clickcalcutta.com------ClickCalcutta - portal with good/useful
contents.
www.cypo.com/-------------Calcutta Yellow Pages Online
www.calcuttacave.com-------directory.
www.hicalcutta.com
www.calcuttainfo.com
www.calcuttaonweb.com
www.webguidecalcutta.com
www.calbuzz.com/
www. schoolsofcalcutta.com--info on schools Travel oriented
www.allindia.com/cities/calcutta/default.asp
www.travel-india.com/cityac/calcutta/index.htm
www.travel.indiamart.com/places/cities/calcutta/index.html
www.india-tourism.de/english/east/west_bengal.html
www.hsd.ait.ac.th/ihsa/si/a13lc/calcutta/calcutta.html
www.travelfile.com/go/CALCUTTA_INDIA.html
www.rophy.demon.co.uk/index.htm - funny guide to night spots
www.meadev.gov.in/states/wb/wb.htm - West Bengal govt. site
