SUSTAINABILITY OF KOLKATA

Photo by ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTY on Unsplash

The Indian state of West Bengal's capital, Calcutta 2, is today known as Kolkata. It is a metropolis with a rich and varied history spanning more than two centuries. Calcutta was a tiny trading post on the Hooghly River when it was first established by the British East India Company in 1690. It developed into a bustling metropolis over time, and in 1772, it was named the capital of British India. The Indian state of West Bengal's capital, Calcutta, is today known as Kolkata. It is a metropolis with a rich and varied history spanning more than two centuries. Calcutta was a tiny trading post on the Hooghly River when it was first established by the British East India Company in 1690. It developed into a bustling metropolis over time and became the capital of.

Calcutta was known as the "Cultural Capital of India" because it was the centre of numerous literary, political, and cultural movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Prominent people who made important contributions to Indian politics, literature, and film, like Satyajit Ray, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Rabindranath Tagore, called the city home. Following India's independence in 1947, Calcutta saw tremendous urbanisation, political unrest, and economic expansion among other obstacles. In 2001, the city was formally renamed Kolkata, reflecting its Bengali roots. Kolkata is a bustling metropolis today that combines colonial architecture, historical sites, and contemporary infrastructure. Notable establishments such as the University of Calcutta, the Victoria Memorial, and the Indian Museum are located there. The city is also well-known for its street food, celebrations, and friendly people. Kolkata is nevertheless a city with a rich history, a diverse population, and a distinctly Indian ethos despite its complexity.

PARTS OF KOLKATA:

Kolkata's North:

A classic and historic area3,4 - Tiny streets and historic structures - The oldest neighbourhoods in the city, including Shyambazar and Bagbazar, are located here. - Known for its street food, local markets, and traditional Bengali cuisine - It contains the regions of Baranagar and Dum Dum.

Central Kolkata:

Hub for commerce and business - Roomy streets and contemporary structures, Home to Park Street and Esplanade, two of the city's main commercial areas, and known for its colonial architecture, which includes St. Paul's Cathedral and the Victoria Memorial, includes the Strand Road and B.B.D. Bagh areas.

Kolkata's South:

More upmarket and contemporary location, broad roadways, more recent construction, home to some of the wealthiest areas in the city, including Ba llygunge and Alipor; well-known for its hip cafes, restaurants, and retail centers including the regions of Gariahat and Rash Behari. Although these classifications are not rigid and may overlap, they provide a rough understanding of the distinct qualities of each sector.

Kolkata's cultural sustainability is a fascinating subject for a number of reasons:

Rich Heritage:

5 As the previous capital of British India and the centre of Indian nationalism, Kolkata has a distinctive cultural past. It is the location of famous landmarks, cultural institutions, and museums. Cultural Diversity: The population of Kolkata is diverse, consisting of individuals from different languages, ethnicities, and religions who live side by side and add to the city's rich cultural heritage. Traditional Arts and Crafts: Kolkata is known for its traditional arts, such as Bengali folk music, dance, and handicrafts, which are struggling to survive in the face of modernisation.

Street Culture:

The streets of Kolkata are renowned for their lively street culture, which includes street food vendors, street artists, and political graffiti that captures the political and social climate of the city. Colonial Legacy: British rule is still evident in many of Kolkata's structures, institutions, and cultural customs, which have shaped the city's cultural environment. Kolkata is modernising quickly, raising concerns about the elimination of old cultural traditions and the eviction of long-term residents. This process is known as gentrification.

Community Initiatives:

In spite of obstacles, Kolkata boasts a vibrant cultural landscape, with a multitude of festivals and community-led projects honouring the city's rich cultural legacy and advancing sustainability. Cultural sustainability is an interesting issue for debate since it provides a unique opportunity to comprehend the intricate interactions between tradition, modernity, and community in Kolkata.

Assessment of Socio-Cultural Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Two Neighborhoods in Kolkata Metropolitan Area:

Some examples of Cultural sustainability of Kolkata:

Vehicles - Pulled rickshaw, tram
Food - Rasgolla, Ledikeni,
Culture- Pottery (কুমোরটুলি),
The world's biggest and oldest red light area (Sona gachi), etc.

The history of the pulled rickshaw:

Sometimes referred to as the rickshaw6, it is intriguing and goes all the way back to the middle of the 1800s. Here's a quick rundown:

1869: Japanese businessman Izumi Yosuke created the first pulled rickshaw in Japan as a more affordable and effective substitute for horse-drawn carriages.
1870s: As a short-distance form of transportation, pulled rickshaws gained popularity in Asian cities, especially in China, India, and Southeast Asia.
1870s: As a short-distance form of transportation, pulled rickshaws gained popularity in Asian cities, especially in China, India, and Southeast Asia.
1880s: The rickshaw business expanded quickly, leading to the emergence of thousands of rickshaw pullers as a new industry. Early in the 20th century, rickshaws came to represent colonialism and exploitation, with many pullers having to put up with subpar pay and working conditions.
Mid-20th century: With the advent of automobiles and other motorized vehicles, the use of pulled rickshaws declined in many cities. From the 1970s to the 1980s, initiatives were undertaken to better the working conditions and unionize rickshaw pullers.
Current day: Pulled rickshaws are still in use as a common short-distance form of transportation in several Asian cities, including Kolkata. Notwithstanding, the sector encounters obstacles like rivalry from contemporary modes of transportation and worries regarding the well-being of rickshaw pullers. Pulled rickshaws are ingrained in Kolkata's culture and character and have a rich history there. Notwithstanding the difficulties, a lot of work is being done to protect this age-old form of transportation and advance the welfare of rickshaw pullers. In India,

The history of trams includes 1873–1901:

Trams7 were pulled by horses. The first horse-drawn trams in India ran for miles between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street on February 24, 1873. The Calcutta Tramway Company was formed and registered in London on December 22, 1880. Meter-gauge horse-drawn tram tracks were laid from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat via Bowbazar Street, Dalhousie Square, and Strand Road.

1883-1902: Steam trams. In 1882, steam locomotives were deployed experimentally to haul tram cars. In the next year, a new route opened for steam tram service towards. Tram lines were installed along Dufferin Road, which passes through Maidan. High-speed steam trams were to travel on designated tracks, which were intended for use by locals, visitors, and early walkers. Electric trams from 1902 to 1951 - The tramway's electricity and standard gauge (4 ft 8+1/2 in/1,435 mm) track conversion started in 1900. On March 27, 1902, the first electric tramcar in Calcutta travelled from Esplanade to Kidderpore. On June 14 of the same year, service from Esplanade to Kalighat was started.

Only the conventional route from Dharmatala to Maidan would continue to be accessible to tourists, according to a 2024 statement by current Transport Minister Snehashis Chakraborty. All other routes would be shut down.

The Rasgolla 12's brief history: (Name and Origin)

A popular dessert in eastern South Asia is rasgulla. The words "ras" (juice) and "gulla" (ball) are the source of the name. Although West Bengal and Odisha disagree on the precise origin, it is generally agreed upon that the eastern Indian subcontinent is where it began. *Original Odishan Puri Temple Tradition Claims (15th century): Historians from Odisha state that the Pahala rasgulla developed from the khira mohana, or original rasgulla, in Puri. It has long been offered to the Puri deity Lakshmi at the Jagannath Temple. Inventors' claims in the Bengal region (19th century): The white, spongy rôśôgolla is thought to have been brought to modern-day West Bengal in 1868 by Nobin Chandra Das, a confectioner from Kolkata. Das began processing the chhena and semolina combination in boiling sugar syrup to make rôśôgolla. Modern Popularity: In 1930, Nobin Chandra's son, Krishna Chandra Das, invented vacuum packing, which made canned Rasgullas available. This led to the dessert's popularity being known outside of Kolkata and eventually outside of India. These days, you may find canned rasgullas at grocery stores outside of the Indian subcontinent, as well as in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.

The Ledikeni history :

West Bengal, India's Kolkata, is the birthplace of Ledikeni9. It was initially put together in the 1800s. The most widely accepted myth states that Bhim Chandra Nag, a local confectioner, created Ledikeni first as a tribute to Lady Charlotte Canning, the wife of the Governor-General of India, Lord Charles Canning. Lady Charlotte Canning travelled a much and clearly captured the interest of the locals. Instead of holding tea parties at her Calcutta castle, she was a woman who travelled around India, folding her voluptuous Victorian crinolines into carriages and palanquins to spend more time with her husband, arranging tea parties at her palace in Calcutta. Ledikeni is a reddish-brown, light-fried sweet ball soaked in sugar syrup and made with flour and Chhena (divided milk). It's a special take on the delicious gulab jamun. Unlike gulab jamun, which is made of khoya, or reduced milk, it is made of chenna, or split milk. Lady Charlotte Canning is honoured with the name Ledikeni. 'Lady Canning' ultimately became 'Lady Kenny' and so on till Ledikeni emerged as the confused name over time.

HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM KUMORTULI'S PAST IN CALCUTTA:

History:

After defeating Siraj ud-Daulah in 1757, the British East India Company took control of the region around Fort William, which was erected where the settlement of Gobindapur once stood. Most of the current inhabitants relocated to Sutanuti. The settlements of Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti grew to become the modern city of Calcutta. Holwell assigned distinct districts to the British East India Company's labourers on the directors' directions. When the Burrabazar invasion drove them out of the region in the late nineteenth century, the majority of the artisans who had resided in the North Kolkata neighbourhoods either disappeared completely or drastically decreased in number. Marwari merchants essentially drove out other residents in numerous North Kolkata neighbourhoods.10

The Kumortuli potters who shaped the clay

Geography:

Kumortul11i is largely situated between Rabindra Sarani (previously Chitpur Road) and the Hooghly River in Kolkata Municipal Corporation's Ward No. 8. It is situated between Shobhabazar and Beniatola (Ahiritola).

Culture:

A Hindu temple called Dhakeswari Mata Temple is situated at Kumortuli, close to Sovabazar in Kolkata. It is located close to Kumartolly on the Hooghly River's eastern bank. Devi Durga, the temple's principal deity, was brought to Kolkata from Dhakeswari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1947.

Famous Residents:

During the Bengal Renaissance, Kumortuli, which lies near the center of Kolkata, was home to many well-known or famous individuals. In Kumortuli, a wealthy former inhabitant named Nandram Sen is honored with a road. In the 1700s, he became wealthy as a result of his position as Kolkata's first tax collector. Gobindram Mitter, the tax collector who succeeded Nandram, had a spacious residence on a 16-acre plot of land during this period. One of the "Great Houses of Old Calcutt12 is now the name given to his residence. - Up until the 19th century, Banamali Sarkar's renowned home, which is preserved as a rhyming proverb in Bengali, was located there. In Kumortuli11, a meandering lane bears his name.

WORLD'S BIGGEST AND OLDEST RED LIGHT AREA (SONA GACHI)

The woman who travelled around India, folding her voluptuous Victorian crinolines into carriages and palanquins to spend more time with her husband, arranging tea parties at her palace in Calcutta. Located in Kolkata, India, Sona Gachi, often referred to as Sonagachi13,14, is one of the biggest red-light districts in Asia. Its history begins in the British colonial era of the eighteenth century. Here's a quick rundown: Early days, At first, Sona Gachi was a tiny community where courtesans and prostitutes lived in order to serve British officials and soldiers. 18th and 19th centuries: Sona Gachi flourished to accommodate the growing demand for prostitutes as Kolkata developed into a significant commercial hub. Late 19th century: Sona Gachi was formally designated as a red-light district by the British colonial authority, which also put laws in place to regulate prostitution. Early 20th century, thousands of women and children were forced into prostitution in Sona Gachi, which grew to be a significant hub for human trafficking. India attained independence in 1947. As well as the Indian authorities tried to stop Sona Gachi from operating, but it carried on with its illicit business. 1970s-1980s With organized crime syndicates taking control of the sex trade, Sona Gachi saw a rebirth. 1990s Groups like the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC) started to work toward the rehabilitation and 2empowerment of sex workers. giving advocacy and support. With an estimated 11,000 sex workers, Sona Gachi is still one of the world's biggest red-light districts. Although there are ongoing initiatives to protect sex workers and stop human trafficking, this is still a contentious and complicated topic. Please be aware that Sona Gachi has a rich and varied history, and this synopsis just offers a cursory look at how it has changed over time.

Kolkata has historically been home to a variety of unique buildings, streets, restaurants, theaters, yatras, Bengali chemical phenyl, boroline, Shalpata thonga, clay pot, banana leaf plate, Bengali Community of Kolkata, Victoria, Sealdah Medical College, Durga Puja, College Street Book Quarter, National Library and other landmarks that will hopefully continue to evoke nostalgia in the city in the future.

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