Everything about West Bengal totally explained
West Bengal (
Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ
Poshchim Bônggo ) is a
state in eastern
India. With
Bangladesh, which lies on its eastern border, the state forms the ethno-linguistic region of
Bengal. To its northeast lie the states of
Assam and
Sikkim and the country
Bhutan, and to its southwest, the state of
Orissa. To the west it borders the state of
Jharkhand and
Bihar, and to the northwest,
Nepal.
The region that's now West Bengal was a part of a number of empires and kingdoms during the past two millennia. The
British East India Company cemented their hold on the region following the
Battle of Plassey in 1757 CE, and the city of
Kolkata, then Calcutta, served for many years as the capital of
British India. A hotbed of the
Indian independence movement through the early 20th century,
Bengal was
divided in 1947 into two separate entities, West Bengal—a state of India, and
East Pakistan belonging to the new nation of
Pakistan. Following India's independence in 1947, West Bengal's economic and political systems were dominated for many decades by
Marxism,
Naxalite movements and
trade unionism.
An agriculture-dependent state, West Bengal occupies only 2.7% of the India's land area, though it supports over 7.8% of Indian population, and is the most densely populated state in India. West Bengal has been ruled by the
CPI(M)-led
Left Front for three decades, making it the world's longest-running democratically-elected
communist government. While the state has seen a resurgence in its economy from late 1990s after decades of stagnation, it still faces poverty, social tensions and bureaucratic corruption. A major cultural center since the colonial period, West Bengal is the native land of many notable poets, writers, artists and performers.
History
Remnants of civilisation in the greater
Bengal region date back 4,000 years, when the region was settled by
Dravidian,
Tibeto-Burman and
Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word
Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it's believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe
Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000
BCE. After the arrival of
Indo-Aryans, the kingdom of
Magadha was formed in 7th century BCE, consisting of the Bihar and Bengal regions. It was one of the four main kingdoms of
India at the time of
Mahavira and the
Buddha, and consisted of several
Janapadas. During the rule of
Maurya dynasty, the Magadha Empire extended over nearly all of
South Asia, including parts of
Persia and
Afghanistan under
Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is the mention of a land named
Gangaridai by the
Greeks around 100 BCE. The word is speculated to have come from
Gangahrd (Land with the
Ganges in its heart) in reference to an area in Bengal.
From the 3rd to the 6th centuries
CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the
Gupta Empire. The first recorded independent king of Bengal was
Shashanka, reigning around early 7th century. After a period of anarchy, the
Buddhist Pala dynasty ruled the region for four hundred years, followed by a shorter reign of the
Hindu Sena dynasty.
Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by
Sufi missionaries. Subsequent
Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.
Bakhtiar Khilji, a
Turkic general of the
Slave dynasty of
Delhi Sultanate, defeated
Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal. Consequently, the region was ruled by dynasties of
sultans and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. In the sixteenth century, Mughal general
Islam Khan conquered Bengal. However, administration by governors appointed by the court of the
Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence of the area under the
Nawabs of Murshidabad, who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in
Delhi.
European traders arrived late in the fifteenth century. Their influence grew until the
British East India Company gained taxation rights in Bengal
subah, or province, following the
Battle of Plassey in 1757, when
Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab, was defeated by the British. The
Bengal Presidency was established by 1765, eventually including all British territories north of the
Central Provinces (now
Madhya Pradesh), from the mouths of the Ganges and the
Brahmaputra to the
Himalayas and the
Punjab. The
Bengal famine of 1770 claimed millions of lives. Calcutta was named the capital of
British India in 1772. The
Bengal Renaissance and
Brahmo Samaj socio-cultural reform movements had great impact on the cultural and economic life of Bengal. The failed
Indian rebellion of 1857 started near Calcutta and resulted in transfer of authority to the
British Crown, administered by the
Viceroy of India. Between 1905 and 1911, an
abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones. Bengal suffered from the
Great Bengal famine in 1943 that claimed 3 million lives.
Bengal played a major role in the
Indian independence movement, in which
revolutionary groups such as
Anushilan Samiti and
Jugantar were dominant. Armed attempts against the
British Raj from Bengal reached a climax when
Subhash Chandra Bose led the
Indian National Army from
Southeast Asia against the British. When India
gained independence in 1947, Bengal was
partitioned along religious lines. The western part went to India (and was named West Bengal) while the eastern part joined
Pakistan as a province called
East Bengal (later renamed
East Pakistan, giving rise to
Bangladesh in 1971). Both West and East Bengal suffered from large refugee influx during the partition in 1947, leading to the political unrests later on. In 1955, the former
French enclave of
Chandannagar, which had passed into Indian control after 1950, was integrated into West Bengal; portions of Bihar were subsequently merged with West Bengal.
During the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent
Marxist-Naxalite movement damaged much of the state's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. The
Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 resulted in the influx of millions of refugees to West Bengal, causing significant strains on its infrastructure. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the
Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent
Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by
CPI(M) has governed for the subsequent three decades.
The state's economic recovery gathered momentum after
economic reforms in India were introduced in the mid-1990s by the
central government, aided by election of a new reformist
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya in 2000. As of 2007, armed activists have been organising minor terrorist attacks in some parts of the state, while clashes with the administration are taking place at several sensitive places on the issue of industrial land acquisition.
Geography and climate
West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the
Himalayas in the north to the
Bay of Bengal in the south. The state has a total area of . The
Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern
Himalaya. This region contains
Sandakfu —the highest peak of the state. The narrow
Terai region separates this region from the plains, which in turn transitions into the
Ganges delta towards the south. The
Rarh region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and the
western plateau and high lands. A small coastal region is on the extreme south, while the
Sundarbans mangrove forests form a remarkable geographical landmark at the Ganges delta.
The
Ganges is the main river, which divides in West Bengal. One branch enters Bangladesh as the
Padma or
Pôdda, while the other flows through West Bengal as the
Bhagirathi River and
Hooghly River. The
Teesta,
Torsa,
Jaldhaka and
Mahananda rivers are in the northern hilly region. The western plateau region has rivers such as the
Damodar,
Ajay and
Kangsabati. The Ganges delta and the Sundarbans area have numerous rivers and creeks. Pollution of the Ganges from indiscriminate waste dumped into the river is a major problem. At least nine districts in the state suffer from
arsenic contamination of groundwater, and an estimated 8.7 million people drink water containing arsenic above the
World Health Organisation recommended limit of 10
µg/
L.
West Bengal's climate varies from tropical
savannah in the southern portions to humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons are summer, rainy season, a short autumn, and winter. While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India, with the highest day temperature ranging from to . At nights, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. In early summer brief
squalls and thunderstorms known as
Kalbaisakhi, or Nor'westers, often occur. Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. West Bengal receives the
Bay of Bengal branch of the
Indian ocean monsoon that moves in a northwest direction. Winter (December–January) is mild over the plains with average minimum temperatures of . including one nominated from the
Anglo-Indian community. Terms of office run for 5 years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. Auxiliary authorities known as
panchayats, for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs. The state contributes 42 seats to
Lok Sabha and 16 seats to
Rajya Sabha of the
Indian Parliament.
The main players in the
regional politics are the
Left Front alliance (led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)), the
All India Trinamool Congress, the
Indian National Congress, and other major parties. Following the
West Bengal State Assembly Election in 2006, the Left Front coalition under
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya of the CPI(M) was elected to power. West Bengal has been ruled by the Left Front for the past 30 years, making it the world's longest-running democratically-elected
communist government. and the
fourth-largest city in India.
Siliguri is an economically important town, strategically located in the northeastern
Chicken's Neck of India.
Asansol,
Durgapur and
Raniganj are cities in the western industrial belt. Other major
cities and towns in West Bengal are
Howrah,
Haldia,
Kharagpur,
Burdwan,
Darjeeling,
Midnapore,
Tamluk,
Malda and
Cooch Behar.
Economy
| Gross State Domestic Product at Current Prices (93–94 Base)
figures in crores of Indian Rupees
|
| Year |
Gross State Domestic Product |
| 1999–2000 |
135,182 |
| 2000–2001 |
143,532 |
| 2001–2002 |
157,136 |
| 2002–2003 |
168,047 |
| 2003–2004 |
189,099 |
| 2004–2005 |
208,578 |
| 2005–2006 |
236,044 |
Agriculture is the leading occupation in West Bengal.
Rice is the state's principal food crop. Other food crops are
maize,
pulses,
oil seeds,
wheat,
barley,
tobacco,
sugarcane and
potatoes.
Jute is the main
cash crop of the region.
Tea is also produced commercially; the region is well known for
Darjeeling and other high quality teas. However, the
service sector is the largest contributor to the
gross domestic product of the state, contributing 51% of the state domestic product compared to 27% from agriculture and 22% from industry. State industries are localized in the Kolkata region and the mineral-rich western highlands. Durgapur–Asansol colliery belt is home to a number of major steel plants. The state has promoted
foreign direct investment, which has mostly come in the software and electronics fields; However, the rapid industrialisation process has given rise to debate over land acquisition for industry in this agrarian state.
NASSCOM–
Gartner ranks West Bengal power infrastructure the best in the country.
West Bengals state domestic product (SDP) grew in 2004 with 12.7 % and in 2005 with 11.0 %
.
Transport
The total length of surface road in West Bengal is over ;
national highways comprise and state highways . The road density of the state is 103.69 km per 100 sq km (166.92 mi per 100 sq mi), higher than the national average of 74.7 km per 100 sq km (120 mi per 100 sq mi). Average speed on state highways varies between 40–50
km/h (25–31
mi/h); in villages and towns, speeds are as low as 20–25 km/h (12–16 mi/h) due to the substandard quality of road constructions and low maintenance. Total railway length is . Kolkata is the headquarters of two divisions of the
Indian Railways—
Eastern Railway and
South Eastern Railway. The
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) plies in the northern parts of the state. The
Kolkata metro is the country's first underground railway. The
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of NFR, is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The state's only international airport is
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at
Dum Dum, Kolkata; which is the 7th busiest in india.
Bagdogra airport near
Siliguri is another significant airport in the state. Kolkata is a major river-port in eastern India. The
Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks and the
Haldia docks. There is passenger service to
Port Blair on the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and
cargo ship service to
ports in India and abroad, operated by the
Shipping Corporation of India.
Ferry is a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the state, especially in the Sundarbans area. Kolkata is the only city in India to have
trams as a mode of transport and these are operated by the
Calcutta Tramways Company.
Several government-owned organisations operate substandard bus services in the state, including the
Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the
North Bengal State Transport Corporation, the
South Bengal State Transport Corporation, the
West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation, and the Calcutta Tramways Company, thus leading to mismanagement. There are also private bus companies. The railway system is a nationalised service without any private investment. Hired forms of transport include metered taxis and
auto rickshaws which often ply specific routes in cities. In most of the state,
cycle rickshaws, and in Kolkata,
hand-pulled rickshaws, are also used for short-distance travel.
Demographics
The vast majority of the 80,221,171 people of West Bengal are
Bengalis.
Bihari minority is scattered throughout the state and communities of
Sherpas and ethnic
Tibetans can be found in regions bordering Sikkim. People of Nepalese origin called
Gurkha have a large population in Darjeeling district. West Bengal is also home to indigenous tribal
Adivasis such as
Santals,
Kol,
Koch-Rajbongshi and
Toto tribe.
The official language is
Bengali.
Hindi and
English are also used commonly.
Nepali is spoken primarily in the
Darjeeling district. Languages such as
Rajbongshi,
Santali and
Ho are used in some parts of the state.
Hinduism is the principal religion—72.5% of the population are Hindus.
Muslims comprise 25%;
Sikhism,
Christianity and other religions make up the remainder. West Bengal has a population density of making it the most densely populated state in India. The state contributes 7.81% of India's population. The state's 1991–2001 growth rate of 17.84% is lower than the national rate of 21.34%. About 72% of people live in rural areas. The proportion of people living below the poverty line in 1999–2000 was 31.85%. This is the fourth-lowest crime rate among the 32
states and union territories of India. However, the state reported the highest rate of Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes. In reported crimes against women, the state showed a crime rate of 7.1 compared to the national rate of 14.1. Other folk music forms include
Gombhira and
Bhawaiya. Folk music in West Bengal is often accompanied by the
ektara, a one-stringed instrument. West Bengal also has an heritage in
North Indian classical music. The most popular and characteristic of Bengali music are "Rabindrasangeet", songs composed and set into tune by Rabindranath Tagore (the Shakespeare or Goethe of Bengal) and Nazrulgeeti (By Kazi Nazrul Islam). Also prominent are other musical forms like Dwijendrageeti, Atulprasad and Rajanikantha's songs. The "Adhunik" or modern music from films and other composers are also popular. From the early 1990s, there has been an emergence and popularisation 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 artists like
Anjan Dutta,
Nachiketa and bands like
Chandrabindoo,
Cactus. Bengali dance forms draw from folk traditions, especially those of the tribal groups, as well as the broader Indian dance traditions.
Chau dance of Purulia is a rare form of mask dance.
Mainstream
Hindi films are popular, as are films from the
Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood".
Tollygunj in
Kolkata is the location of Bengali movie studios and the name "Tollywood" (similar as
Hollywood,
USA) is derived from that name. The Bengali film industry is also known for
art films or Indy films. Its long tradition of filmmaking has produced acclaimed
directors like
Satyajit Ray,
Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and
Ritwik Ghatak. Contemporary directors include
Buddhadev Dasgupta,
Goutam Ghose,
Aparna Sen and
Rituparno Ghosh.
Rice and fish are traditional favorite foods, leading to a saying in Bengali,
machhe bhate bangali, that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali". Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes
hilsa preparations, a favorite among Bengalis. Bengalis make distinctive
sweetmeats from milk products, including
Rôshogolla,
Chômchôm,
Kalojam and several kinds of
Pithe. Popular
street food includes
Beguni,
Kati roll, and
phuchka.
Panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water) is a traditional dish consumed in rural areas.
Bengali women commonly wear the
shaŗi, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear Western attire. Among men, western dressing has greater acceptance. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the
panjabi with
dhuti, often on cultural occasions.
Durga Puja in October is the most popular festival in the West Bengal.
Pohela Baishakh (the Bengali New Year),
Rathayatra,
Dolyatra or
Basanta-Utsab,
Nobanno,
Poush parbon (festival of
Poush),
kalipuja,
saraswatipuja,
laxmipuja,
Christmas,
Eid ul-Fitr and
Eid ul-Adha are other major festivals.
Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of
Gautama Buddha, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals while
Christmas, called
Bôŗodin (Great day) in
Bangla is celebrated by the minority Christian population. West Bengal has been home to several famous religious teachers, including Sri
Chaitanya, Sri
Ramakrishna,
Swami Vivekananda, and
Paramahansa Yogananda.
Education
West Bengal schools are run by the state government or by private organisations, including religious institutions. Instruction is mainly in English or Bengali, though Hindi and
Urdu are also used. The secondary schools are affiliated with the
Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the
Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), or the
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Under the
10+2+3 plan, after completing secondary school, students typically enroll for 2 years in a
junior college, also known as pre-university, or in schools with a higher secondary facility affiliated with the
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education or any central board. Students choose from one of three streams, namely,
liberal arts,
commerce or
science. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enroll in general or professional degree programs.
West Bengal has eighteen universities. The
University of Calcutta, one of the oldest and largest public universities in India, has more than 200 affiliated colleges. The
Bengal Engineering & Science University and
Jadavpur University are prestigious technical universities.
Visva-Bharati University at
Santiniketan is a central university and an institution of national importance.
West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences is located in Kolkata. The state has higher education institutes of national importance including the
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, the
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (the first management institute in India of its
kind), the
National Institute of Technology at Durgapur, the
Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, the
Asiatic Society, the
Indian Statistical Institute, the
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences and the
Marine Engineering and Research Institute.
Media
West Bengal had 505 published newspapers in 2005, of which 389 were in Bangla.
[ Ananda Bazar Patrika, published from Kolkata with 1,234,122 daily copies, has the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language newspaper in India.][ Other major Bengali newspapers are Aajkaal, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, Uttarbanga Sambad and Ganashakti. The Telegraph, The Statesman, Asian Age, Hindustan Times and The Times of India are some of the newspapers published in English. Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi, Gujarati, Oriya, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali are also read by a select readership.
Doordarshan is the state-owned television broadcaster. Multi system operators provide a mix of Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, English and international channels via cable. include STAR Ananda and Kolkata TV, among others. All India Radio is a public radio station. Private FM stations are available only in cities like Kolkata. BSNL, Reliance Infocomm, Tata Indicom, Vodafone Essar, Aircel and Airtel are available cellular phone operators. Broadband internet is available in select towns and cities and is provided by the state-run BSNL and by other private companies. Dial-up access is provided throughout the state by BSNL and other providers.]
Further Information
Get more info on 'West Bengal'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://west_bengal.totallyexplained.com">West Bengal Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
