:Kolkata

{{Main|Etymology of Kolkata}}

The word Kolkata ({{langx|bn|কলকাতা}} {{IPA|bn|kolˈkata|}}) derives from Kôlikata ({{Langx|bn|কলিকাতা|links=no}} {{IPA|bn|ˈkɔliˌkata|}}), the Bengali language name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.{{cite book |title=Globalizing cities: a new spatial order? |url=https://archive.org/details/globalizingcitie00marc |url-access=limited |last=Chakravorty |first=Sanjoy |editor1-last=Marcuse |editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Kempen |editor2-first=Ronald van |chapter=From colonial city to global city? The far-from-complete spatial transformation of Calcutta |year=2000 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-631-21290-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/globalizingcitie00marc/page/n75 56]–77 }}

There are several explanations for the etymology of this name:

• Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô ({{Langx|bn|কালীক্ষেত্র}} {{IPA|bn|ˈkaliˌkʰetrɔ|}}), meaning 'Field of [the goddess] Kali'. Similarly, it can be a variation of Kalikshetra (Sanskrit: कालीक्षेत्र, lit. 'area of Goddess Kali').
• Another theory is that the name derives from Kalighat.{{cite web |url=http://kalighattemple.com/ |title=Kalighat Kali Temple |website=kalighattemple.com |language=en |access-date=24 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917134630/http://kalighattemple.com/ |archive-date=17 September 2017 }}
• Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila ({{langx|bn|কিলকিলা}}), or 'flat area'.{{cite book |title=Water resources, conservation and management |last=Chatterjee |first=S.N. |year=2008 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers and Distributors |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-269-0868-4 |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpREeIZQvrcC |access-date=29 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619194712/http://books.google.com/books?id=lpREeIZQvrcC |archive-date=19 June 2013 }}
• The name may have its origin in the words khal ({{langx|bn|খাল}} {{IPA|bn|ˈkʰal|}}) meaning 'canal', followed by kaṭa ({{langx|bn|কাটা}} {{IPA|bn|ˈkaʈa|}}), which may mean 'dug'.{{Cite book |last=Nair |first=P. Thankappan |title=Calcutta in the 17th century |pages=54–58 |publisher=Firma KLM |location=Kolkata |year=1986 }}
• According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun ({{langx|bn|কলি চুন}} {{IPA|bn|ˈkɔliˌtʃun|}}) and coir or kata ({{langx|bn|কাতা}} {{IPA|bn|ˈkata|}}); hence, it was called Kolikata).

Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata or Kôlikata in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.{{cite web |url=http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~easwaran/papers/india.html |title=The politics of name changes in India |access-date=26 January 2012 |last=Easwaran |first=Kenny |publisher=Open Computing Facility, University of California at Berkeley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719150356/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~easwaran/papers/india.html |archive-date=19 July 2011 }} Both English variants are used.

{{Main|History of Kolkata}}

File:Fort William, Calcutta, 1735.jpg near Fort William in the Port of Calcutta in 1735]]

The discovery and archaeological study of Chandraketugarh, {{cvt|35|km}} north of Kolkata, provide evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited for over two millennia.{{cite book |title=A history of ancient and early medieval India: from the Stone Age to the 12th century |last=Singh |first=Upinder |author-link=Upinder Singh |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |pages=642–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC&pg=PA395 |access-date=25 January 2012 }}{{cite news |last=Das |first=S. |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030115/asp/frontpage/story_1575128.asp |title=Pre-Raj crown on Clive House: abode of historical riches to be museum |work=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=15 January 2003 |access-date=26 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930061030/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030115/asp/frontpage/story_1575128.asp |archive-date=30 September 2007 }} Kolkata or Kalikata in its earliest mentions, is described to be a village surrounded with jungle on the bank of river Ganga as a renowned port, commercial hub and a Hindu pilgrimage site for Kalighat Temple. The first mention of the Kalikata village was found in Bipradas Pipilai's Manasa Vijay (1495), where he describes how Chand Sadagar used to stop in Kalighat to worship Goddess Kali during his path to trade voyage.{{Cite web |last=Basu |first=Kunal K. |date=2023-06-29 |title=Adi Ganga: চাঁদ সওদাগর থেকে জীবনানন্দ...আদি গঙ্গার অজানা কাহিনি |url=https://eisamaygold.com/vacation/historical-journey-of-adiganga-from-chand-sadagar-to-jibanananda-das/1688027748227 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222020917/https://eisamaygold.com/vacation/historical-journey-of-adiganga-from-chand-sadagar-to-jibanananda-das/1688027748227 |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 December 2024 |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Eisamay Gold |language=bn }}{{Cite book |last=Mitra |first=Radharaman |script-title=bn:কলকাতা বিচিত্রা |year=1991 |language=bn }} Later Kalikata was also found to be mentioned in Mukundaram Chakrabarti's Chandimangal (1594), Todar Mal's taxation-list in 1596 and Krishnaram Das's Kalikamangal (1676–77).{{Cite web |last=Biswas |first=Antara |date=2021-08-28 |title=আজও নানা রহস্যে ঘেরা জব চার্নকের আগের কলকাতার ইত |url=https://dailynewsreel.in/history-of-kolkata-before-job-charnock/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Daily News Reel |language=en-US |archive-date=4 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404182217/https://dailynewsreel.in/history-of-kolkata-before-job-charnock/ |url-status=live }} Kalighat was then considered a safe place for businessmen. They used to carry on trade through the Bhagirathi and took shelter there at night.{{Cite book |last=Bhaumik |first=Sudarshana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKh4EAAAQBAJ |title=The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas c. 1700–1931 |date=2022-08-26 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-64143-1 |pages=92–93 |language=en |access-date=25 April 2024 |archive-date=21 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521063749/https://books.google.com/books?id=bKh4EAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }} Kolkata's recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock is often regarded as the founder of the city;{{cite book |last=Nair |first=P. Thankappan |author-link=P. Thankappan Nair |year=1977 |chapter=A Portrait of Job Charnock |title=Job Charnock: The Founder of Calcutta: In Facts and Fiction: An Anthology |location=Calcutta |publisher=Engineering Times Publications |pages=16–17 |oclc=4497022 |quote=There are no two opinions that Calcutta is not the product of the vision of Job Charnock ... Charnock alone founded Calcutta. }} however, in response to a public petition,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3034419.stm |title=Court changes Calcutta's history |date=16 May 2003 |access-date=25 July 2016 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306211159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3034419.stm |archive-date=6 March 2016 }} the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder.{{Cite news |last=Gupta |first=Subhrangshu |title=Job Charnock not Kolkata founder: HC says city has no foundation day |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030518/nation.htm#3 |work=The Tribune |location=Chandigarh, India |date=18 May 2003 |access-date=7 December 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129050204/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030518/nation.htm#3 |archive-date=29 November 2006 }} The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village, where a handful of merchants began their operations by building a factory; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village; and Gobindapur was a trading post for Indian merchant princes. These villages were part of an estate belonging to the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of zamindars. The estate was sold to the East India Company in 1698.{{cite book |editor1-last=Banerjee |editor1-first=Himadri |editor2-last=Gupta |editor2-first=Nilanjana |editor3-last=Mukherjee |editor3-first=Sipra |title=Calcutta mosaic: essays and interviews on the minority communities of Calcutta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC |access-date=29 January 2012 |year=2009 |publisher=Anthem Press |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-905835-5-8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509233321/http://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC&dq |archive-date=9 May 2013 }}{{rp|1}}

In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River to protect their trading factory.{{cite journal |last=Mitter |first=Partha |journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians |volume=45 |issue=2 |date=June 1986 |pages=95–114 |title=The early British port cities of India: their planning and architecture circa 1640–1757 |jstor=990090 |doi=10.2307/990090 |issn=0037-9808 }} Facing frequent skirmishes with French forces, the British began to upgrade their fortifications in 1756. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, condemned the militarisation and tax evasion by the company. His warning went unheeded, and the Nawab attacked; his capture of Fort William led to the killings of several East India company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta.{{cite book |title=The Indian Empire: its peoples, history, and products |last=Hunter |first=William Wilson |author-link=William Wilson Hunter |year=1886 |publisher=Trübner & co |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/indianempireitsp00huntrich/page/381 381]–82 |url=https://archive.org/details/indianempireitsp00huntrich |access-date=25 January 2011 }} A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year. Per the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad following the battle of Buxar, East India company was appointed imperial tax collector of the Mughal emperor in the province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, while Mughal-appointed Nawabs continued to rule the province.{{cite book |last1=Ahmed |first1=Farooqui Salma |last2=Farooqui |first2=Salma Ahmed |title=A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxhAtCflwOMC&pg=PA369 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-3202-1 |page=369 |access-date=2 January 2016 |year=2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102024457/https://books.google.com/books?id=sxhAtCflwOMC&pg=PA369 |archive-date=2 January 2016 }} Declared a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1773.{{cite book |last=Arnold-Baker |first=Charles |title=The Companion to British History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75ZGCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT504 |date=30 July 2015 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-40039-4 |page=504 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303193215/https://books.google.com/books?id=75ZGCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT504 |archive-date=3 March 2018 }}

In 1793, ruling power of the Nawabs were abolished, and East India company took complete control of the city and the province. In the early 19th century, the marshes surrounding the city were drained; the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River. Richard Wellesley, Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William between 1797 and 1805, was largely responsible for the development of the city and its public architecture.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKfoHi5412UC |title=Calcutta: a cultural and literary history |access-date=11 October 2007 |last=Dutta |first=Krishna |publisher=Signal Books |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-1-902669-59-5 |year=2003 |page=58 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728081609/http://books.google.com/books?id=UKfoHi5412UC |archive-date=28 July 2011 }} Throughout the late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade.{{Cite journal |last=Pati |first=Biswamoy |title=Narcotics and empire |volume=23 |issue=10 |year=2006 |journal=The Hindu; Frontline |url=http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2310/stories/20060602000307600.htm |access-date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016231426/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2310/stories/20060602000307600.htm |archive-date=16 October 2006 }} A census in 1837 records the population of the city proper as 229,700, of which the British residents made up only 3,138.The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol. IV, (1848) London, Charles Knight, p.35 The same source says another 177,000 resided in the suburbs and neighbouring villages, making the entire population of greater Calcutta 406,700.

File:Chowringhee Square, Calcutta in 1945.jpg in 1945]]

File:Corner of Harrison Street (Burra Bazar) and Strand Road, Calcutta in 1945.jpg

In 1864, a typhoon struck the city and killed about 60,000 in Kolkata.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/calcutta-cyclone-1864-1356569-2018-10-05 |title=154 years ago, this infamous cyclone in Calcutta took over 60,000 lives and flooded the entire city |author=Tanya Saihgal |date=5 October 2018 |magazine=India Today |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006043941/https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/calcutta-cyclone-1864-1356569-2018-10-05 |url-status=live }}

By the 1850s, Calcutta had two areas: White Town, which was primarily British and centred on Chowringhee and Dalhousie Square; and Black Town, mainly Indian and centred on North Calcutta.{{Cite book |last=Hardgrave |first=Robert L. Jr |editor1-first=Pratapaditya |editor1-last=Pal |title=Changing visions, lasting images: Calcutta through 300 years |year=1990 |publisher=Marg Publications |location=Bombay |isbn=978-81-85026-11-4 |pages=31–46 |chapter=A portrait of Black Town: Balthazard Solvyns in Calcutta, 1791–1804 |chapter-url=http://www.laits.utexas.edu/solvyns-project/hardgraveportrait.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112023055/http://www.laits.utexas.edu/solvyns-project/hardgraveportrait.html |archive-date=12 January 2012 }} The city underwent rapid industrial growth starting in the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute industries; this encouraged British companies to massively invest in infrastructure projects, which included telegraph connections and {{Stnlnk|Howrah}}. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new babu class of urbane Indians, whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, and Anglophiles; they usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities.{{cite book |last1=Chaudhuri |given1=NC |year=2001 |title=The autobiography of an unknown Indian |publisher=New York Review of Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-940322-82-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofu00chau |pages=v–xi }} In the 19th century, the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased sociocultural sophistication among city denizens. In 1883, Calcutta was host to the first national conference of the Indian National Association, which was the first avowed nationalist organisation in India.{{cite book |last1=Stępień |first1=Jakub |last2=Tokarski |first2=Stanisław |last3=Latos |first3=Tomasz |last4=Jarecka-Stępień |first4=Katarzyna |title=Towards freedom. Ideas of "solidarity" in comparison with the thought of the Indian National Congress |year=2011 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Stowarzyszenia "Projekt Orient" |location=Kraków, Poland |isbn=978-83-933917-4-5 |pages=58–59 |chapter=Indian way to independence. The Indian National Congress }}

The partition of Bengal in 1905 along religious lines led to mass protests, making Calcutta a less hospitable place for the British.{{cite book |last1=Chatterji |first1=Joya |title=The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967 |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46830-5 |page=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjQ0iWSq2R0C&pg=PA9 |language=en |access-date=31 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401093431/https://books.google.com/books?id=FjQ0iWSq2R0C&pg=PA9 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Tom |title=Why Delhi? The Move From Calcutta |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/11/11/why-delhi-the-move-from-calcutta/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=11 November 2011 |access-date=31 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606045722/https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/11/11/why-delhi-the-move-from-calcutta/ |archive-date=6 June 2018 |url-status=live }} The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911.{{Cite book |last=Hall |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Hall (urbanist) |title=Cities of tomorrow |year=2002 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-631-23252-0 |pages=198–206 }} Calcutta continued to be a centre for revolutionary organisations associated with the Indian independence movement. The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese between 1942 and 1944, during World War II.{{cite web |last=Randhawa |first=K. |publisher=BBC |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/50/a5756150.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204062423/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/50/a5756150.shtml |archive-date=4 February 2012 |title=The bombing of Calcutta by the Japanese |date=15 September 2005 |access-date=26 April 2006 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/war-in-the-pacific/timeline |title=Pacific War timeline: New Zealanders in the Pacific War |publisher=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage |access-date=13 October 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021064031/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/war-in-the-pacific/timeline |archive-date=21 October 2008 }} Millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 (at the same time of the war) due to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors.{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=A |year=1973 |title=Poverty and famines |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-828463-5 |pages=52–85 }} Demands for the creation of a Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000.{{Cite report |last=Burrows |first=Frederick |author-link=Frederick Burrows |date=22 August 1946 |title=A copy of a secret report written on 22 August 1946 to the Viceroy Lord Wavell, from Sir Frederick John Burrows, concerning the Calcutta riots |url=http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indianindependence/indiapakistan/partition4/index.html |publisher=The British Library |docket=IOR: L/P&J/8/655 f.f. 95, 96–107 |access-date=25 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104191417/http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indianindependence/indiapakistan/partition4/index.html |archive-date=4 January 2012 }}{{cite journal |last=Das |first=Suranjan |year=2000 |title=The 1992 Calcutta Riot in Historical Continuum: A Relapse into 'Communal Fury'? |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=281–306 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X0000336X |jstor=313064 |s2cid=144646764 }}{{Cite book |last=Suhrawardy |first=H. S. |year=1987 |title=Memoirs of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy |chapter=Direct action day |chapter-url=http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/study_res/suhrawardy/direct_action.html |editor1-last=Talukdar |editor1-first=M. H. R. |pages=55–56 |publisher=The University Press |location=Dhaka, Bangladesh |isbn=978-984-05-1087-0 |author-link=H. S. Suhrawardy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060314030646/http://globalwebpost.com/farooqm/study_res/suhrawardy/direct_action.html |archive-date=14 March 2006 }} The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left for East Bengal (later East Pakistan, present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.{{cite book |last1=Gandhi |given1=R |year=1992 |title=Patel: a life |publisher=Navajivan |location=Ahmedabad, India |asin=B0006EYQ0A |page=497 }}

During the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist–Maoist movement by groups known as the Naxalites damaged much of the city's infrastructure, resulting in economic stagnation.—{{citation |last=Banerjee |first=Partha Sarathi |date=5 February 2011 |title=Party, Power and Political Violence in West Bengal |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=46 |issue=6 |pages=16–18 |jstor=27918111 |issn=0012-9976}}
—{{citation |last=Gooptu |first=Nandini |date=1 June 2007 |title=Economic Liberalisation, Work and Democracy: Industrial Decline and Urban Politics in Kolkata |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=42 |issue=21 |pages=1922–1933 |jstor=4419634}}
—{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/05/ian-jack-kolkata |title=India's riptide of modern aspiration has not reached Kolkata – but that can't last |last1=Jack |first1=Ian |date=4 February 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=6 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107093315/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/05/ian-jack-kolkata |archive-date=7 November 2016 }} During East Pakistan's secessionist war of independence in 1971, the city was home to the government-in-exile of Bangladesh. During the war, refugees poured into West Bengal and strained Kolkata's infrastructure.{{cite book |last1=Bennett |given1=A |surname2=Hindle |given2=J |year=1996 |title=London review of books: an anthology |publisher=Verso Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-85984-121-1 |pages=63–70 }} The Eastern Command of the Indian military, which is based in Fort William, played a pivotal role in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 and securing the surrender of Pakistan. During the mid-1980s, Mumbai (then called Bombay) overtook Kolkata as India's most populous city. In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dubbed Kolkata a "dying city" in light of its socio-political woes.{{cite news |last=Follath |first=Erich |work=Spiegel Online |location=Hamburg |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,387701,00.html |title=From poorhouse to powerhouse |access-date=15 January 2011 |date=30 November 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707163423/http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,387701,00.html |archive-date=7 July 2011 }} In the period 1977–2011, West Bengal was governed from Kolkata by the Left Front, which was dominated by the Communist Party of India (CPM). It was the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government, during which Kolkata was a key base for Indian communism.{{cite news |last=Biswas |first=S. |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4909832.stm |title=Calcutta's colorless campaign |access-date=26 April 2006 |date=16 April 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214053922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4909832.stm |archive-date=14 February 2012 }}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKfoHi5412UC |title=Calcutta: a cultural and literary history |access-date=30 January 2012 |last=Dutta |first=Krishna |publisher=Signal Books |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-1-902669-59-5 |year=2003 |pages=185–87 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728081609/http://books.google.com/books?id=UKfoHi5412UC |archive-date=28 July 2011 }}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Sl1vY5gAdsC |title=Communist and socialist movement in India: a critical account |access-date=30 January 2012 |last=Singh |first=Chandrika |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7099-031-4 |year=1987 |pages=154–55 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616061027/http://books.google.com/books?id=2Sl1vY5gAdsC&dq |archive-date=16 June 2013 }} The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after the 1990s, when India began to institute pro-market reforms. Since 2000, the information technology (IT) services sector has revitalised Kolkata's stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing marked growth in its manufacturing base. In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Left Front was succeeded by the Trinamool Congress.{{cite news |last=Dutta |first=Tanya |author-link=Tanya Datta |title=Rising Kolkata's winners and losers |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4830762.stm |access-date=21 August 2024 |work=BBC News |date=22 March 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204123645/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4830762.stm |archive-date=4 February 2012 }}

{{Main|Geography of Kolkata}}

File:Earth from Space- Kolkata, India ESA24701909.jpeg.]]

Spread roughly meridionally along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India approximately 75 km (47 mi) west of the international border with Bangladesh; the city's elevation is {{cvt|1.5|-|9|m|ft|0}}.{{cite web |title=PIA01844: space radar image of Calcutta, West Bengal, India |url=http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01844 |publisher=NASA |access-date=15 January 2012 |date=15 April 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114231031/http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01844 |archive-date=14 January 2012 }} Much of the city was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning population.{{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=S. N. |title=Water Resources, Conservation and Management |year=2008 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers and Distributors |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-269-0868-4 |page=33 }} The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975).{{Cite journal |last1=Roy Chadhuri |first1=S. |last2=Thakur |first2=A. R. |title=Microbial genetic resource mapping of East Calcutta wetlands |journal=Current Science |volume=91 |issue=2 |date=25 July 2006 |pages=212–17 }} As with most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kolkata is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin.{{cite conference |url=http://gndec.ac.in/~igs/ldh/conf/2009/articles/T01_03.pdf |title=Characterization of soil over Kolkata municipal area |first1=Diptendra |last1=Das |first2=B. C. |last2=Chattopadhyay |date=19 December 2009 |conference=Indian Geotechnical Conference |conference-url=http://gndec.ac.in/~igs/ldh/conf/2009/ |volume=1 |location=Guntur, India |pages=11–12 |access-date=19 November 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106050646/http://gndec.ac.in/~igs/ldh/conf/2009/articles/T01_03.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2013 }} Bengal basin comprises three structural units: shelf or platform in the west; central hinge or shelf/slope break; and deep basinal part in the east and southeast. Kolkata is located atop the western part of the hinge zone which is about {{cvt|25|km|mi}} wide at a depth of about {{cvt|45000|m|ft}} below the surface. The shelf and hinge zones have many faults, among them some are active. Total thickness of sediment below Kolkata is nearly {{cvt|7500|m|ft}} above the crystalline basement; of these the top {{cvt|350|-|450|m|ft|-1}} is Quaternary, followed by {{cvt|4500|-|5500|m|ft|-1}} of Tertiary sediments, {{cvt|500|-|700|m|ft|-1}} trap wash of Cretaceous trap and {{cvt|600|-|800|m|ft|-1}} Permian-Carboniferous Gondwana rocks. The quaternary sediments consist of clay, silt and several grades of sand and gravel. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds: the lower one at a depth of {{cvt|250|-|650|m|ft|-1}}; the upper one {{cvt|10|-|40|m|ft|-1}} in thickness.{{Cite report |last1=Bunting |first1=S. W. |last2=Kundu |first2=N. |last3=Mukherjee |first3=M. |publisher=Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling |location=Stirling, UK |url=http://www.dfid.stir.ac.uk/dfid/nrsp/download/sitanal.pdf |title=Situation analysis. Production systems and natural resources use in PU Kolkata |page=3 |access-date=26 April 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505141605/http://www.dfid.stir.ac.uk/dfid/nrsp/download/sitanal.pdf |archive-date=5 May 2006 }} According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from {{nowrap|I to V}} in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III.{{cite web |url=http://www.undp.org.in/dmweb/hazardprofile.pdf |title=Hazard profiles of Indian districts |access-date=23 August 2006 |work=National Capacity Building Project in Disaster Management |publisher=UNDP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519100611/http://www.undp.org.in/dmweb/hazardprofile.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2006 }}

{{Main|Climate of Kolkata}}

Kolkata is subject to a tropical savanna climate that is designated Aw under the Köppen climate classification. According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk".

{{Kolkata weatherbox}}

The annual mean temperature is {{cvt|26.8|C|F|1}}; monthly mean temperatures are {{cvt|19|-|30|C|F|0}}. Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures sometime exceed {{Convert|40|C}} in May and June.{{cite web |publisher=Canty and Associates LLC |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=090824&refer=&units=metric |title=Weatherbase entry for Kolkata |access-date=26 April 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907174739/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=090824&refer=&units=metric |archive-date=7 September 2011 }} Winter lasts for roughly {{frac|2|1|2}} months, with seasonal lows dipping to {{cvt|9|–|11|C|F|0}} in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from {{cvt|27|-|37|C|F|0}}; January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from {{cvt|12|-|23|C|F|0}}. The highest recorded temperature is {{cvt|43.9|C|F|1}}, and the lowest is {{cvt|5|C|F|0}}. The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season. Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are known locally as kal bôishakhi ({{lang|bn|কালবৈশাখী}}), or "Nor'westers" in English.{{cite web |url=http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=kal-baisakhi1 |title=kal Baisakhi |access-date=5 September 2006 |work=Glossary of Meteorology |publisher=American Meteorological Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830065710/http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=kal-baisakhi1 |archive-date=30 August 2006 }}

Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west summer monsoon{{Cite news |last1=Khichar |first1=M. L. |last2=Niwas |first2=R. |date=14 July 2003 |title=Know your monsoon |newspaper=The Tribune |location=Chandigarh, India |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030714/agro.htm#2 |access-date=9 June 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618121810/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030714/agro.htm#2 |archive-date=18 June 2007 }} lash Kolkata between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about {{cvt|1850|mm|in|0}}. The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings life to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,107 hours of sunshine per year, with maximum sunlight exposure occurring in April. Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.{{cite journal |last=Bilham |first=Roger |year=1994 |title=The 1737 Calcutta earthquake and cyclone evaluated |journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America |volume=84 |issue=5 |pages=1650–57 |doi=10.1785/BSSA0840051650 |bibcode=1994BuSSA..84.1650B |s2cid=130396862 |url=http://cires.colorado.edu/~bilham/gif_images/1737Calcutta.pdf |access-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811224058/http://cires.colorado.edu/~bilham/gif_images/1737Calcutta.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2011 }}{{cite book |title=Report on the Calcutta cyclone of the 5th October 1864 |last1=Gastrell |first1=James Eardley |first2=Henry Francis |last2=Blanford |year=1866 |publisher=O.T. Cutter, Military Orphan Press |location=Calcutta |url=https://archive.org/details/reportoncalcutt00blangoog |access-date=20 July 2011 }} More recently, Cyclone Aila in 2009 and Cyclone Amphan in 2020 caused widespread damage to Kolkata by bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rainfall.

{{Main|Environmental issues in Kolkata}}

Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata. {{As of|2008}}, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide annual concentration were within the national ambient air quality standards of India, but respirable suspended particulate matter levels were high, and on an increasing trend for five consecutive years, causing smog and haze.{{cite web |author=Central Pollution Control Board |publisher=Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India |url=http://cpcb.nic.in/upload/AnnualReports/AnnualReport_37_ANNUAL_REPORT-08-09.pdf |title=Annual report 2008–2009 |page=40 |access-date=2 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426072456/http://cpcb.nic.in/upload/AnnualReports/AnnualReport_37_ANNUAL_REPORT-08-09.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081030/jsp/calcutta/story_10035984.jsp |title=Smog city chokes & grounds: foul air, moist and smoky |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=30 October 2008 |access-date=25 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604143452/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081030/jsp/calcutta/story_10035984.jsp |archive-date=4 June 2011 }} Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments, such as lung cancer.{{Cite news |last=Bhaumik |first=Subir |title=Oxygen supplies for India police |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6665803.stm |publisher=BBC |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=23 June 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612072737/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6665803.stm |archive-date=12 June 2007 }}

File:Kolkata Skyline pic.jpg]]

Kolkata, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of {{cvt|206.08|km2|sqmi|0}}.{{cite web |publisher=World Association of the Major Metropolises |url=http://www.metropolis.org/sites/default/files/metropolitan_regions/438_007_kolkata_eng.pdf |title=007 Kolkata (India) |access-date=31 August 2007 |archive-date=8 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308102346/http://www.metropolis.org/sites/default/files/metropolitan_regions/438_007_kolkata_eng.pdf }} The east–west dimension of the city is comparatively narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the east—a span of {{cvt|9|-|10|km|mi|1}}.{{cite map |publisher=NASA |title=Calcutta, West Bengal, India |url=http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/cdrom/sirced03/cdrom/DATA/LOCATION/ASIAMIDE/CALCUTTA/CALCUTTA.HTM |date=20 June 1996 |series=Mission to planet earth program |access-date=25 February 2012 |archive-date=4 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104150559/http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/cdrom/sirced03/cdrom/DATA/LOCATION/ASIAMIDE/CALCUTTA/CALCUTTA.HTM }} The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to section the city into North, Central, South and East Kolkata. North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterised by 19th-century architecture and narrow alleyways, it includes areas such as Jorasanko, Rajabazar, Maniktala, Ultadanga, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Bagbazar, Cossipore, Sinthee etc. The north suburban areas like Dum Dum, Baranagar, Belgharia, Sodepur, Khardaha, New Barrackpore, Madhyamgram, Barrackpore, Barasat etc. are also within the city of Kolkata (as a metropolitan structure).{{rp|65–66}}

Central Kolkata hosts the central business district. It contains B. B. D. Bagh, formerly known as Dalhousie Square, and the Esplanade on its east; Rajiv Gandhi Sarani is on its west.{{Cite web |url=http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/dalhousie-square |title=Kolkata Heritage |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=27 November 2011 |archive-date=14 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114162511/http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/dalhousie-square }} The West Bengal Secretariat, General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, Calcutta High Court, Lalbazar Police Headquarters and several other government and private offices are located there. Another business hub is the area south of Park Street, which comprises thoroughfares such as Jawahar Lal Nehru Road, Abanindranath Thakur Sarani, Dr. Martin Luther King Sarani, Dr. Upendra Nath Brahmachari Sarani, Shakespeare Sarani and Acharay Jagadish Chandra Basu Road.{{Cite news |title=BSNL may take two weeks to be back online |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bsnl-may-take-two-weeks-to-be-back-online/articleshow/4755436.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104170721/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-07-09/kolkata/28184192_1_broadband-connections-calcutta-telephones-broadband-lines |archive-date=4 January 2012 |agency=Times News Network (TNN) |date=9 July 2009 |access-date=27 November 2011 |quote=With the Camac Street-Park Street-Shakespeare Sarani commercial hub located smack in the middle of the affected zone... |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}

File:Park street area kolkata 2020.jpg, one of the posh areas in Kolkata]]

South Kolkata developed after India gained independence in 1947; it includes upscale neighbourhoods such as Bhowanipore, Alipore, Ballygunge, Kasba, Dhakuria, Santoshpur, Garia, Golf Green, Tollygunge, New Alipore, Behala, Barisha etc. The south suburban areas like Maheshtala, Budge Budge, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur etc. are also within the city of Kolkata (as a metropolitan structure). The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been called the "lungs of Kolkata"{{cite news |title=In city's teeming heart, a place to gaze and graze |first=Jim |last=Yardley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/world/asia/28india.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York |date=27 January 2011 |access-date=27 November 2011 |quote=To Kolkata, it is the 'lungs of the city,' a recharge zone for the soul. |archive-date=6 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306012208/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/world/asia/28india.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 |url-status=live }} and accommodates sporting events and public meetings.{{Cite news |title=Maidan marauders |last=Das |first=Soumitra |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100221/jsp/calcutta/story_12132260.jsp |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=21 February 2010 |location=Kolkata |access-date=27 November 2011 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118134300/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100221/jsp/calcutta/story_12132260.jsp }} The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are located at the southern end of the Maidan. Among the other parks are Central Park in Bidhannagar and Millennium Park on Rajiv Gandhi Sarani, along the Hooghly River.

The Kolkata metropolitan area is spread over {{cvt|1886.67|km2|sqmi|2}}{{cite web |url=http://www.kmdaonline.org/pdf/aar11/introducing_kma.pdf |title=Introducing KMA |year=2011 |work=Annual Report 2011 |publisher=Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority |access-date=9 February 2012 |archive-date=5 June 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605134704/http://www.kmdaonline.org/pdf/aar11/introducing_kma.pdf }}{{rp|7}} and comprises 4 municipal corporations (including Kolkata Municipal Corporation), 37 local municipalities and 24 panchayat samitis, {{As of|2011|lc=y}}.{{rp|7}} The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, {{As of|2006|lc=y}}. Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia.{{Cite book |editor1-last=Sahdev |editor1-first=Shashi |editor2-last=Verma |editor2-first=Nilima |url=http://tcpomud.gov.in/Divisions/IEP/Urban%20Land%20Price%20Scenario-%20Kolkata/chapter%20II%20Kol.doc |series=Industry and Economic Planning |year=2008 |title=Kolkata—an outline |publisher=Town and Country Planning Organisation, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India |format=DOC |access-date=6 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426025356/http://tcpomud.gov.in/Divisions/IEP/Urban%20Land%20Price%20Scenario-%20Kolkata/chapter%20II%20Kol.doc |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}{{rp|15}}

File:Kolkata_Gate_(officially_known_as_Biswa_Bangla_Gate).jpg in New Town, Kolkata]]

Two planned townships in the greater Kolkata region are Bidhannagar, also known as Salt Lake City and located north-east of the city; and Rajarhat, also called New Town and located east of Bidhannagar.{{cite news |last=Chakraborti |first=Suman |title=Beautification project for Salt Lake, Sec V and New Town |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Beautification-project-for-Salt-Lake-Sec-V-and-New-Town/articleshow/10574484.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104185006/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-02/kolkata/30349773_1_traffic-islands-road-dividers-and-boulevards-bidhannagar-municipality |archive-date=4 January 2012 |access-date=6 December 2011 |date=2 November 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} In the 2000s, Sector 5 in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for information technology and telecommunication companies.{{cite web |title=History of Sector V |url=http://egovernance.ndita.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=58 |publisher=Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority |access-date=6 December 2011 |archive-date=3 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103145620/https://egovernance.ndita.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=58 }}{{cite news |title=Kolkata! India's new IT hub |url=http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jul/13spec2.htm |access-date=6 December 2011 |newspaper=Rediff.com |date=13 July 2005 |archive-date=25 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125060048/http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jul/13spec2.htm |url-status=live }} Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipal corporations or authorities.

{{Main|Economy of Kolkata}}

File:Tata Centre - 43 Chowringhee Road - Kolkata 2013-01-05 2429.JPG building in Kolkata CBD]]

File:Kolkata skyline at night.jpg Eastern HQ and GoWB New Secretariat Building]]

Kolkata is the commercial and financial hub of East and Northeast India and home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange.{{cite web |publisher=Calcutta Stock Exchange Association |url=http://www.cse-india.com/cse_factbook.htm |title=Genesis and growth of the Calcutta Stock Exchange |access-date=26 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419055547/http://cse-india.com/cse_factbook.htm |archive-date=19 April 2006 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/04/19/better-integrated-transport-modes-will-help-reinvent-kolkata |title=Better Integrated Transport Modes will Help Reinvent Kolkata |date=20 April 2016 |publisher=World Bank |access-date=9 February 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327204243/http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/04/19/better-integrated-transport-modes-will-help-reinvent-kolkata |archive-date=27 March 2019 }} It is a major commercial and military port, and is one of five cities in eastern India (alongside Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Imphal, and Kushinagar) to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to steep population increases and a rise in militant trade-unionism, which included frequent strikes that were backed by left-wing parties. From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to an unwelcome sobriquet: the "dying city".{{Cite news |first=Sudipta |last=Dutta |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/calcutta-chronicles/417579/ |title=Calcutta chronicles |date=1 February 2009 |newspaper=Financial Express |location=New Delhi |access-date=6 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615141012/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/calcutta-chronicles/417579 |archive-date=15 June 2013 }} The city's fortunes improved after the Indian economy was liberalised in the 1990s and changes in economic policy were enacted by the West Bengal state government. Recent estimates of the economy of Kolkata's metropolitan area have ranged from $150 to $250 billion (PPP GDP), and have ranked it third-most productive metro area of India.—{{cite web |title=Global city GDP 2014 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/global-metro-monitor/ |publisher=Brookings Institution |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=4 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525113815/https://www.brookings.edu/research/global-metro-monitor/ |archive-date=25 May 2017}}
—{{cite web |title=Global city GDP rankings 2008–2025 |url=https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.ashx?MediaDetailsID=1562 |publisher=PwC |access-date=16 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504031739/https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.ashx?MediaDetailsID=1562 |archive-date=4 May 2011}}
—{{cite web |title=India's top 15 cities with the highest GDP Photos Yahoo! India Finance |url=https://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-1348807591-slideshow/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-photo-1348807055.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009131024/https://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-1348807591-slideshow/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-photo-1348807049.html |archive-date=9 October 2014 |publisher=Yahoo! Finance |date=28 September 2012 |access-date=27 March 2017 }}

Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an informal sector that employs more than 40% of the labour force. One unorganised group, roadside hawkers, generated business worth {{INRConvert|87.72|b|year=2005}} in 2005.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061130/asp/frontpage/story_7071031.asp |title=Hawkers stay as Rs. 265 crore talks |access-date=16 February 2008 |last=Ganguly |first=Deepankar |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=30 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200645/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061130/asp/frontpage/story_7071031.asp |archive-date=27 September 2007 }} {{As of|2001}}, around 0.81% of the city's workforce was employed in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, mining, etc.); 15.49% worked in the secondary sector (industrial and manufacturing); and 83.69% worked in the tertiary sector (service industries).{{rp|19}} {{As of|2003}}, the majority of households in slums were engaged in occupations belonging to the informal sector; 36.5% were involved in servicing the urban middle class (as maids, drivers, etc.) and 22.2% were casual labourers.{{rp|11}} About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed.{{rp|11}} According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than {{INRConvert|27}} per day.{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4086790.ece |title=End is nigh for Gandhis after India's marathon poll |work=The Times |date=12 January 2014 |access-date=12 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512160254/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4086790.ece |archive-date=12 May 2014 |url-status=live }}

Major manufacturing companies in the city are Alstom, Larsen & Toubro,{{cite web |last=Singh |first=Ruchira |date=24 June 2014 |title=L&T relocates mining division to Kolkata; sees revenue rising |url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/JTAOkLSjKzxeLGzfOb1DfM/LT-relocates-mining-division-to-Kolkata-sees-revenue-risin.html |access-date=20 September 2021 |website=mint |language=en |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921021117/https://www.livemint.com/Companies/JTAOkLSjKzxeLGzfOb1DfM/LT-relocates-mining-division-to-Kolkata-sees-revenue-risin.html |url-status=live }} Fosroc,{{cite web |title=New Fosroc Facility in India {{!}} Fosroc |url=https://fosroc.com/news/new-fosroc-facility-in-india |access-date=20 September 2021 |website=fosroc.com |archive-date=9 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109132739/http://www.fosroc.com/news/new-fosroc-facility-in-india/ }} Videocon.{{cite web |title=Videocon Starts Manufacturing Mobiles at Kolkata Unit |url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/videocon-starts-manufacturing-mobiles-at-kolkata-unit-733828 |access-date=20 September 2021 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360 |date=29 August 2015 |language=en |archive-date=4 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104064349/https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/videocon-starts-manufacturing-mobiles-at-kolkata-unit-733828 |url-status=live }} As in many other Indian cities, information technology became a high-growth sector in Kolkata starting in the late 1990s; the city's IT sector grew at 70% per annum—a rate that was twice the national average. The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; several large shopping malls and hotels were launched.{{cite news |first=Sonalee |last=M. |title=Kolkata's retail story |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=177844 |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Star |location=Dhaka, Bangladesh |date=16 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111093014/http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=177844 |archive-date=11 January 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=George |first=Tunia Cherian |title=Hospitality sector gets a boost from buoyant economy |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/01/01/stories/2006010102500200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024010101/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/01/01/stories/2006010102500200.htm |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=The Hindu Business Line |location=Chennai |date=1 January 2006 |archive-date=24 October 2011 }}{{cite news |first1=Rohit |last1=Khanna |last2=Roy |first2=Monalisa |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Kolkata-real-estate-players-project-40-growth-by-April/409526/ |title=Kolkata real estate players project 40% growth by April |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=Financial Express |location=New Delhi |date=12 January 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615173428/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Kolkata-real-estate-players-project-40-growth-by-April/409526 |archive-date=15 June 2013 }}{{Cite news |last=Roy Chowdhury |first=Joy |title=Looking East |url=http://www.expresshospitality.com/20111031/management01.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426010101/http://www.expresshospitality.com/20111031/management01.shtml |work=The Express Hospitality |location=New Delhi |access-date=11 December 2011 |date=October 2011 |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}{{cite news |title=West Bengal industrial growth rate higher than national average |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-12-01/news/28383530_1_food-processing-industrial-growth-rate-sectors |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=Economic Times |date=1 December 2008 |location=New Delhi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114105933/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-12-01/news/28383530_1_food-processing-industrial-growth-rate-sectors |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=dead }} Companies such as ITC Limited, CESC Limited, Exide Industries, Emami, Eveready Industries India, Lux Industries, Rupa Company, Berger Paints, Birla Corporation, Britannia Industries and Purushottam Publishers{{Cite news |last=Roy Chowdhury |first=Joy |title=Looking East |url=https://www.himalayanwritingretreat.com/traditional-publishers-in-india/ |location=Kolkata |access-date=4 January 2022 |date=September 2009 |archive-date=4 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104073111/https://www.himalayanwritingretreat.com/traditional-publishers-in-india/ |url-status=live }} are headquartered in the city. Philips India, PwC India, Tata Global Beverages, and Tata Steel have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of two major banks: UCO Bank, and Bandhan Bank. Reserve Bank of India, State Bank of India have its eastern zonal office in Kolkata. India Government Mint, Kolkata is one of the four mints in India. Some of the oldest public sector companies are headquartered in the city such as the Coal India, National Insurance Company, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Tea Board of India, Geological Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Jute Corporation of India, National Test House, Hindustan Copper and the Ordnance Factories Board of the Indian Ministry of Defence.

{{See also|Ethnic communities in Kolkata}}

{{Historical populations

| 1901 | 1009853

| 1911 | 1117966

| 1921 | 1158497

| 1931 | 1289461

| 1941 | 2352399

| 1951 | 2956475

| 1961 | 3351250

| 1971 | 3727020

| 1981 | 4126846

| 1991 | 4399819

| 2001 | 4572876

| 2011 | 4496694

| source = Census of India{{cite web |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html |title=Census of India Website: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |website=Censusindia.gov.in |access-date=15 June 2021 |archive-date=10 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010234955/https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html |url-status=live }}

}}

The demonym for residents of Kolkata are Calcuttan and Kolkatan.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Calcuttan |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/calcuttan |dictionary=dictionary.com |access-date=10 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303171515/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/calcuttan |archive-date=3 March 2012 }}{{cite news |author=Prithvijit |title=Kolkatans relish a journey down familiar terrain |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Kolkatans-relish-a-journey-down-familiar-terrain/articleshow/10721355.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709202313/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-14/kolkata/30396787_1_first-film-strong-film-culture-satyajit-ray |archive-date=9 July 2012 |access-date=2 February 2012 |date=14 November 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} According to provisional results of the 2011 national census, Kolkata district, which occupies an area of {{cvt|185|sqkm|sqmi}}, had a population of 4,486,679;{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_wb.html |title=Area, population, decennial growth rate and density for 2001 and 2011 at a glance for West Bengal and the districts: provisional population totals paper 1 of 2011: West Bengal |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=26 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107060612/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_wb.html |archive-date=7 January 2012 }} its population density was {{cvt|24252|/sqkm|/sqmi}}. This represents a decline of 1.88% during the decade 2001–11. The sex ratio is 899 females per 1000 males—lower than the national average.{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_wb.html |title=Sex ratio, 0–6 age population, literates and literacy rate by sex for 2001 and 2011 at a glance for West Bengal and the districts: provisional population totals paper 1 of 2011: West Bengal |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=29 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107060612/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_wb.html |archive-date=7 January 2012 }} The ratio is depressed by the influx of working males from surrounding rural areas, from the rest of West Bengal; these men commonly leave their families behind.{{cite news |last=Dutta |first=Romita |title=Kolkata sees dip in population, suburbs register an increase |url=http://www.livemint.com/2011/04/05224458/Kolkata-sees-dip-in-population.html |access-date=10 December 2011 |newspaper=Mint |location=New Delhi |date=5 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824001826/http://www.livemint.com/2011/04/05224458/Kolkata-sees-dip-in-population.html |archive-date=24 August 2011 }} Kolkata's literacy rate of 87.14% exceeds the national average of 74%.{{cite web |url=http://www.census2011.co.in |title=Population census 2011 |publisher=Census of India 2011, Government of India |access-date=6 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120202313/http://www.census2011.co.in/ |archive-date=20 November 2011 }} The final population totals of census 2011 stated the population of city as 4,496,694. The urban agglomeration had a population of 14,112,536 in 2011.{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf |title=Urban agglomerations/cities having population 1 million and above |year=2011 |work=Provisional population totals, census of India 2011 |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=26 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215163132/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2011 }}

|}

{{As of|2003}}, about one-third of the population, or 15 lakh (1.5 million) people, lived in 3,500 unregistered squatter-occupied and 2,011 registered slums.{{cite web |last=Kundu |first=N |publisher=Development Planning Unit. University College, London |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/pdfs/Kolkata_bw.pdf |title=Understanding slums: case studies for the global report on human settlements 2003. The case of Kolkata, India |access-date=26 April 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524005019/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/pdfs/Kolkata_bw.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2006 }}{{rp|4}}{{rp|92}} The authorised slums (with access to basic services like water, latrines, trash removal by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation) can be broadly divided into two groups—bustees, in which slum dwellers have some long term tenancy agreement with the landowners; and udbastu colonies, settlements which had been leased to refugees from present-day Bangladesh by the government.{{cite journal |last=Schenk |first=W. Collin |title=Slum diversity in Kolkata |journal=Columbia Undergraduate Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2010 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=91–108 [92] |url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cujsas/Volume%20I/Issue%20II/W%20Collin%20Schenk%20-%20Slum%20Diversity.pdf |access-date=2 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131170736/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cujsas/Volume%20I/Issue%20II/W%20Collin%20Schenk%20-%20Slum%20Diversity.pdf |archive-date=31 January 2012 }}{{rp|5}} The unauthorised slums (devoid of basic services provided by the municipality) are occupied by squatters who started living on encroached lands—mainly along canals, railway lines and roads.{{rp|92}}{{rp|5}} According to the 2005 National Family Health Survey, around 14% of the households in Kolkata were poor, while 33% lived in slums, indicating a substantial proportion of households in slum areas were better off economically than the bottom quarter of urban households in terms of wealth status.{{rp|23}} Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding and working with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata—an organisation "whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after".{{cite book |title=Nobel Lectures, Peace 1971–1980 |year=1997 |publisher=World Scientific Publishing Co |location=Singapore |isbn=978-981-02-1179-0 |page=221 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html |editor1=Frängsmyr, Tore |editor2=Abrams, Irwin |access-date=3 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011210335/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html |archive-date=11 October 2014 }}

{{Pie chart

|thumb=right

|caption=Languages spoken in Kolkata city (2011 census){{cite web |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1900.XLSX |format=XLDX |title=India Census 2011: C-16 Population By Mother Tongue |website=Censusindia.gov.in |access-date=16 January 2022 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115221623/https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-1900.XLSX |url-status=live }}

|label1=Bengali

|value1=61.45

|color1=orchid

|label2=Hindi

|value2=22.84

|color2=orange

|label3=Urdu

|value3=13.03

|color3=green

|label4=Odia

|value4=0.58

|color4=gold

|label5=Gujarati

|value5=0.57

|color5=skyblue

|label6=Punjabi

|value6=0.35

|color6=pink

|label8=Nepali

|value8=0.18

|color8=maroon

|label9=Others

|value9=0.8

|color9=grey

|label7=English

|value7=0.2

|color7=blue

}}

{{bar box

|title=Religion in Kolkata City (2011){{cite web |title=Population by Religious Community |publisher=Census of India |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html |access-date=10 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913045700/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html |archive-date=13 September 2015}}

|titlebar=#FCD116

|left1=Religion

|right1=Percent

|float=right

|bars=

{{bar percent|Hinduism|darkorange|76.51}}

{{bar percent|Islam|green|20.60}}

{{bar percent|Christianity|dodgerblue|0.88}}

{{bar percent|Sikhism|darkkhaki|0.31}}

{{bar percent|Buddhism|yellow|0.11}}

{{bar percent|Jainism|pink|0.47}}

{{bar percent|Others or not stated|Black|1.12}}

}}

Bengali, the official state language, is the dominant language in Kolkata.{{cite web |title=Basic statistics of Kolkata |url=https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/BasicStatistics.jsp |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=5 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120104175605/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/BasicStatistics.jsp |archive-date=4 January 2012 }} English is also used, particularly by the white-collar workforce. Hindi and Urdu are spoken by a sizeable minority.{{cite news |last=Roy |first=Anirban |title=West Bengal to have six more languages for official use |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/west-bengal-mamata-banerjee-recognizes-six-non-bengali-languages/1/139450.html |access-date=26 January 2012 |newspaper=India Today |location=Noida, India |date=27 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829190220/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/west-bengal-mamata-banerjee-recognizes-six-non-bengali-languages/1/139450.html |archive-date=29 August 2011 }}{{cite news |title=Bengal gives second language status to Urdu in 18 areas |url=http://archive.asianage.com/india/bengal-gives-second-language-status-urdu-18-areas-955 |access-date=9 February 2012 |newspaper=Asian Age |location=New Delhi |agency=Press Trust of India |date=4 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029045815/http://archive.asianage.com/india/bengal-gives-second-language-status-urdu-18-areas-955 |archive-date=29 October 2016 }} Bengali Hindus form the majority of Kolkata's population; Marwaris, Biharis and Urdu-speaking Muslims compose large minorities.{{cite web |url=http://www.kolkatamycity.com/basic_stat.asp |title=Basic statistics of Kolkata |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=2 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516090951/http://www.kolkatamycity.com/basic_stat.asp |archive-date=16 May 2008 }} Among Kolkata's smaller communities are Chinese, Tamils, Nepalis, Pathans/Afghans (locally known as Kabuliwala{{Cite news |date=23 May 2015 |title=The 'Kabuliwala' Afghans of Kolkata |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32377276 |access-date=15 July 2020 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127222028/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32377276 |url-status=live }}) Odias, Telugus, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Bengali Muslims, Greeks, Tibetans, Maharashtrians, Konkanis, Malayalees, Punjabis and Parsis.{{rp|3}} The number of Armenians, Greeks, Jews and other foreign-origin groups declined during the 20th century. The Jewish population of Kolkata was 5,000 during World War II, but declined after Indian independence and the establishment of Israel;{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/india.jews/ |title=Twilight comes for India's fading Jewish community |last=Basu |first=Moni |date=29 March 2010 |work=CNN |access-date=21 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711133814/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/india.jews/index.html |archive-date=11 July 2012 }} {{As of|2003|lc=y}}, there were 25 Jews in the city.{{cite news |first=Zach |last=Marks |title=The Last Jews of Kolkata |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/the-last-jews-of-kolkata/ |work=New York Times |date=24 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705034625/https://archive.nytimes.com/india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/the-last-jews-of-kolkata/ |archive-date=5 July 2024 |access-date=21 August 2024 }} India's sole Chinatown is in eastern Kolkata; once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, its population dropped to around 2,000, {{as of|2009|lc=on}}, as a result of multiple factors including repatriation and denial of Indian citizenship following the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and immigration to foreign countries for better economic opportunities.{{cite book |title=India and China in the colonial world |editor-last=Thampi |editor-first=Madhavi |year=2005 |publisher=Social Science Press |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-87358-20-6 |pages=60–64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IZ5RdT5mHHIC |access-date=31 January 2012 }} The Chinese community traditionally worked in the local tanning industry and ran Chinese restaurants.{{cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/07/31/2003181147 |title=Calcutta's Chinatown facing extinction over new rule |newspaper=Taipei Times |location=Taipei, Taiwan |date=18 April 2011 |access-date=25 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513234646/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/07/31/2003181147 |archive-date=13 May 2011 }}

According to the 2011 census, 76.51% of the population is Hindu, 20.60% Muslim, 0.88% Christian, 0.47% Jain, 0.31% Sikh and 0.11% Buddhist.{{cite web |publisher=Census 2011 India |url=http://www.census2011.co.in/census/city/215-kolkata.html |title=Kolkata City Census 2011 |access-date=10 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427001813/http://www.census2011.co.in/census/city/215-kolkata.html |archive-date=27 April 2016}} Scroll down to "Religion in Kolkata" 1.12% did not state a religion in the census.  

{{Main|Civic administration of Kolkata}}

File:Calcutta ei05-02.jpg]]

File:General Post Office (GPO), a heritage building in BBD Bag, Kolkata 07.jpg]]

Kolkata is administered by several government agencies. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, or KMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city's 16 boroughs, which together encompass 144 wards. Each ward elects a councillor to the KMC. Each borough has a committee of councillors, each of whom is elected to represent a ward. By means of the borough committees, the corporation undertakes urban planning and maintains roads, government-aided schools, hospitals, and municipal markets. As Kolkata's apex body, the corporation discharges its functions through the mayor-in-council, which comprises a mayor, a deputy mayor, and ten other elected members of the KMC.{{cite web |url=https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/structure.pdf |title=Legislative structure |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104193107/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/structure.pdf |archive-date=4 January 2012 }} The functions of the KMC include water supply, drainage and sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, and building regulation.{{cite web |url=https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/KMCFunctions.jsp |title=KMC functions |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=3 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120104184545/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/KMCFunctions.jsp |archive-date=4 January 2012 }}

Kolkata's administrative agencies have areas of jurisdiction that do not coincide. Listed in ascending order by area, they are: Kolkata district; the Kolkata Police area and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, or "Kolkata city";{{cite news |title=Change of guard brings welcome relief |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Change-of-guard-brings-welcome-relief/articleshow/9829667.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707223852/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-02/kolkata/30105377_1_police-stations-cycle-rickshaws-kolkata-police |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=10 December 2011 |date=2 September 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} and the Kolkata metropolitan area, which is the city's urban agglomeration. The agency overseeing the latter, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, is responsible for the statutory planning and development of greater Kolkata.{{cite web |url=http://www.kmdaonline.org/pdf/aar11/role_of_kmda.pdf |title=Role of KMDA |year=2011 |work=Annual Report 2011 |publisher=Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority |access-date=9 February 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605120105/http://www.kmdaonline.org/pdf/aar11/role_of_kmda.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2013 }} The Kolkata Municipal Corporation was ranked first out of 21 cities for best governance and administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 4.0 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3.{{cite web |last1=Nair |first1=Ajesh |title=Annual Survey of India's City-Systems |url=http://janaagraha.org/asics/images/Annual-Survey-of-Indias-City-Systems-2014.pdf |publisher=Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy |access-date=7 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319003215/http://janaagraha.org/asics/images/Annual-Survey-of-Indias-City-Systems-2014.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2015 }}

The Kolkata Port Trust, an agency of the central government, manages the city's river port. {{As of|2023}}, the All India Trinamool Congress controls the KMC; the mayor is Firhad Hakim, while the deputy mayor is Atin Ghosh.{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/firhad-hakim-all-set-to-be-the-new-mayor-of-kolkata/article25574386.ece |title=Firhad Hakim all set to be the new Mayor of Kolkata |newspaper=The Hindu |access-date=4 December 2018 |date=23 November 2018 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308160823/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/firhad-hakim-all-set-to-be-the-new-mayor-of-kolkata/article25574386.ece |url-status=live }} The city has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata, which presides over various city-related functions and conferences.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051228/asp/calcutta/story_5652677.asp |title=The city dairy: new sheriff |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=28 December 2005 |access-date=1 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818104039/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051228/asp/calcutta/story_5652677.asp |archive-date=18 August 2007 }}

As the seat of the Government of West Bengal, Kolkata is home to not only the offices of the local governing agencies, but also the West Bengal Legislative Assembly; the state secretariat, which is housed in the Writers' Building; and the Calcutta High Court. Most government establishments and institutions are housed in the centre of the city in B. B. D. Bagh (formerly known as Dalhousie Square). The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was preceded by the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William which was established in 1774. The Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Kolkata has lower courts: the Court of Small Causes and the City Civil Court decide civil matters; the Sessions Court rules in criminal cases.{{cite web |title=City Sessions Court, Calcutta |url=http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/citysessions.htm |publisher=Calcutta High Court |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209100032/http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/citysessions.htm |archive-date=9 February 2012 }}{{cite web |title=Civil Court, Kolkata |url=http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/citycivil.htm |publisher=Calcutta High Court |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219145445/http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/citycivil.htm |archive-date=19 December 2011 }}{{cite web |title=Presidency Small Causes Court |url=http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/presidencysmall.htm |publisher=Calcutta High Court |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219140230/http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/presidencysmall.htm |archive-date=19 December 2011 }} The Kolkata Police, headed by a police commissioner, is overseen by the West Bengal Ministry of Home Affairs.{{cite web |title=Home Department, Government of West Bengal |url=http://www.banglarmukh.com/portal/banglarMukh/Government/Departments/DepartmentListPortletWindow?action=1&deptId=21&deptName=Home&deptDispName=Home |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203071623/http://www.banglarmukh.com/portal/banglarMukh/Government/Departments/DepartmentListPortletWindow?action=1&deptId=21&deptName=Home&deptDispName=Home |archive-date=3 December 2012 }}{{cite web |title=Setup of Kolkata Police |url=http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/structure1.html |publisher=Kolkata Police |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107001537/http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/Structure1.html |archive-date=7 January 2012 }} The Kolkata district elects two representatives to India's lower house, the Lok Sabha, and 11 representatives to the state legislative assembly.{{cite web |url=http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/news_pdf/gazette123.pdf |title=Notification: order no. 18 |author=Delimitation Commission |date=15 February 2006 |publisher=Election Commission of India |location=New Delhi |pages=12–25 |access-date=11 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813092204/http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/news_pdf/gazette123.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2011 }} The Kolkata police district registered 15,510 Indian Penal Code cases in 2010, the 8th-highest total in the country.{{Cite book |author=National Crime Records Bureau |year=2010 |title=Crime in India 2010 |chapter=Compendium |chapter-url=http://ncrb.nic.in/StatPublications/CII/cii2010/Compendium2010.pdf |page=35 |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819232153/http://ncrb.nic.in/StatPublications/CII/cii2010/Compendium2010.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2017 }} In 2010, the crime rate was 117.3 per 100,000, below the national rate of 187.6; it was the lowest rate among India's largest cities.{{Cite book |author=National Crime Records Bureau |year=2010 |title=Crime in India-2010 |chapter=Crimes in mega dities |page=44 |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102012424/http://ncrb.nic.in/CII2010/cii-2010/Chapter%202.pdf |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url=http://ncrb.nic.in/CII2010/cii-2010/Chapter%202.pdf }}

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation supplies the city with potable water that is sourced from the Hooghly River;{{cite web |title=KMC functions |url=https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/KMCFunctions.jsp |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=9 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120104184545/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/KMCFunctions.jsp |archive-date=4 January 2012 }} most of it is treated and purified at the Palta pumping station located in North 24 Parganas district.{{cite news |title=Raj legacy mainstay of water supply |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Raj-legacy-mainstay-of-water-supply/articleshow/162305.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701162444/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-09-03/kolkata/27191946_1_water-supply-palta-sovan-chatterjee |archive-date=1 July 2012 |access-date=9 December 2011 |agency=TNN |date=3 September 2003 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{Failed verification|date=April 2020|reason=Citation makes no mention that either most water is treated at this facility, nor that most of Calcutta's treated water is done so at this facility.}} Roughly 95% of the 4,000 tonnes of refuse produced daily by the city is transported to the dumping grounds in Dhapa, which is east of the town.{{cite web |title=Master plan on solid waste management |url=http://www.keip.in/bl3/pdfFiles/master_plan.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304075915/http://www.keip.in/bl3/pdfFiles/master_plan.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2011 |publisher=Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project, Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=9 December 2011 }}{{cite news |last=Gon Chaudhuri |first=S. P. |title=KMC has no alternative to overburdened Dhapa |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/KMC-has-no-alternative-to-overburdened-Dhapa/articleshow/3902728.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708073541/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-12-28/kolkata/27894436_1_dhapa-tonnes-of-municipal-waste-garbage |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=9 December 2011 |date=28 December 2008 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} To promote the recycling of garbage and sewer water, agriculture is encouraged on the dumping grounds.{{cite web |url=http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/ESTdir/Pub/MSW/SP/SP4/SP4_2.asp |title=Sound practices composting: sound technical options |work=International source book on environmentally sound technologies for municipal solid waste management |publisher=United Nations Environment Programme |access-date=26 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511133821/http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/ESTdir/Pub/MSW/SP/SP4/SP4_2.asp |archive-date=11 May 2006 }} Parts of the city lack proper sewerage, leading to unsanitary methods of waste disposal.{{cite web |publisher=Gaia: Environmental Information System |url=http://www.ess.co.at/GAIA/CASES/IND/CAL/CALmain.html |title=Calcutta: not 'the city of joy' |access-date=26 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427072542/http://www.ess.co.at/GAIA/CASES/IND/CAL/CALmain.html |archive-date=27 April 2006 }}

In 1856, the Bengal Government appointed George Turnbull to be the Commissioner of Drainage and Sewerage to improve the city's sewerage. Turnbull's main job was to be the Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company responsible for building the first railway {{Convert|541|mi|km}} from Howrah to Varanasi (then Benares).{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Electricity is supplied by the privately operated Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation, or CESC, to the city proper; the West Bengal State Electricity Board supplies it in the suburbs.{{cite news |title=Power cuts, soaring heat leave city boiling |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Power-cuts-soaring-heat-leave-city-boiling/articleshow/9449055.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701140339/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-02/kolkata/29842062_1_cesc-mw-unit-mw-southern-generating-station |archive-date=1 July 2012 |access-date=9 December 2011 |agency=TNN |date=2 August 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |title=Power crisis raises fear of dark Diwali in Bengal |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Power-crisis-raises-fear-of-dark-Diwali-in-Bengal/articleshow/10394628.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720110728/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-18/kolkata/30296185_1_mw-power-coal-national-power-grid |archive-date=20 July 2012 |access-date=9 December 2011 |agency=TNN |date=18 October 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Fire services are handled by the West Bengal Fire Service, a state agency.{{cite web |url=http://www.westbengal.gov.in/portal/banglarMukh/Government/Departments/DepartmentListPortletWindow?action=e&windowstate=normal&mode=view |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009093640/http://www.westbengal.gov.in/portal/banglarmukh/Government/Departments/DepartmentListPortletWindow?action=e&mode=view&windowstate=normal |archive-date=9 October 2010 |title=Fire and emergency services |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=6 December 2011 }} {{As of|2012}}, the city had 16 fire stations.{{cite news |title=CM in firefighting mode—six new fire stations, better coordination between agencies |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120103/jsp/calcutta/story_14954836.jsp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=3 January 2012 |access-date=26 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502203410/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120103/jsp/calcutta/story_14954836.jsp |archive-date=2 May 2014 }}

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, or BSNL, as well as private enterprises, among them Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio are the leading telephone and cell phone service providers in the city.{{cite web |title=Annual report 2010–11 |url=http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/UserFiles/Documents/AnuualReports/ar_10_11.pdf |publisher=Telecom Regulatory Authority of India |access-date=13 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526230024/http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/UserFiles/Documents/AnuualReports/ar_10_11.pdf |archive-date=26 May 2012 }}{{rp|25–26}}{{rp|179}} with Kolkata being the first city in India to have cell phone and 4G connectivity, the GSM and CDMA cellular coverage is extensive.{{cite news |title=Kolkata connects India to 4G era |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Kolkata-connects-India-to-4G-era/articleshow/12617655.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103073810/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-11/kolkata/31324556_1_4g-3g-telecom-equipment |archive-date=3 January 2013 |access-date=25 June 2012 |date=11 April 2012 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |title=City of the third revolution – First 4G service to be launched in Calcutta |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120404/jsp/frontpage/story_15333017.jsp#.T-hXdbUe7HU |access-date=25 June 2012 |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=4 April 2012 |location=Kolkata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507220230/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120404/jsp/frontpage/story_15333017.jsp#.T-hXdbUe7HU |archive-date=7 May 2012 }} {{As of|2010}}, Kolkata has 7 percent of the total broadband internet consumers in India; BSNL, VSNL, Tata Indicom, Sify, Hathway, Airtel, and Jio are among the main vendors.{{cite web |title=Recommendations on national broadband plan |url=http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/Rcommendation81210.pdf |publisher=Telecom Regulatory Authority of India |access-date=25 June 2012 |page=22 |date=8 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927084149/http://trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/Rcommendation81210.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2013 }}{{cite web |title=The Indian telecom services performance indicators October – December 2011 |url=http://trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/PIRReport/Documents/Indicator%20Report-dec-2011.pdf |publisher=Telecom Regulatory Authority of India |access-date=25 June 2012 |pages=122–126 |date=13 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526133859/http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/PIRReport/Documents/Indicator%20Report-dec-2011.pdf |archive-date=26 May 2012 }}

File:South Gate - Fort William - Kidderpore Road - Kolkata 2013-12-02 1065.JPG

The Eastern Command of the Indian Army is based in the city.

Being one of India's major city and the largest city in eastern and north-eastern India, Kolkata hosts diplomatic missions of many countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, People's Republic of China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. The U.S Consulate in Kolkata is the US Department of State's second-oldest Consulate and dates from 19 November 1792.{{cite web |title=About the Consulate {{!}} Kolkata, India – Consulate General of the United States |url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/about-the-consulate/ |website=in.usembassy.gov |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711162421/https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/about-the-consulate/ |url-status=live }} The Diplomatic representation of more than 65 Countries and International Organization is present in Kolkata as Consulate office, honorary Consulate office, Cultural Centre, Deputy High Commission and Economic section and Trade Representation office.{{cite web |title=Consul Kolkata |url=https://www.consulkolkata.org/home.html |access-date=30 March 2020 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508194341/https://www.consulkolkata.org/home.html |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Transport in Kolkata}}

Public transport is provided by the Kolkata Suburban Railway, the Kolkata Metro, trams, rickshaws, taxis and buses. The suburban rail network connects the city's distant suburbs.

{{Main|Kolkata Metro}}

File:Kolkata-metro-1200.jpg]]

Kolkata Metro is the rapid transit system of Kolkat. According to a 2013 survey conducted by the International Association of Public Transport, in terms of a public transport system, Kolkata ranks top among the six Indian cities surveyed.{{cite news |last=Hemalata |first=Karthikeyan |title=Kolkata tops Indian cities in public transport: Study |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-18/india/45336739_1_public-transport-urban-mobility-private-vehicles |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131220084404/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-18/india/45336739_1_public-transport-urban-mobility-private-vehicles |archive-date=20 December 2013 |access-date=20 December 2013 |newspaper=The Times of India |date=18 December 2013 }}{{cite web |title=The future of urban mobility 2.0 |url=http://www.adlittle.com/downloads/tx_adlreports/Arthur_D._Little___UITP_Future_of_Urban_Mobility_2_0.pdf |publisher=International Association of Public Transport |access-date=20 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104210935/http://www.adlittle.com/downloads/tx_adlreports/Arthur_D._Little___UITP_Future_of_Urban_Mobility_2_0.pdf |archive-date=4 January 2014 }} The Kolkata Metro, in operation since 1984, is the oldest underground mass transit system in India.{{cite web |publisher=Kolkata Metro |url=http://www.kolmetro.com/ |title=About Kolkata Metro |access-date=1 September 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820234733/http://www.kolmetro.com/ |archive-date=20 August 2007 }} The fully operational blue line spans the north–south length through the middle of the city. In 2020, part of the Second line was inaugurated to cover part of Salt Lake city, Kolkata metro area. This east–west green line connects two satellite cities of Kolkata namely Salt Lake and Howrah. Other operational lines are Purple line and Orange line.{{cite news |title=Circle of Metro commute surveys propose changes to plan |last=Mandal |first=Sanjay |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090729/jsp/calcutta/story_11295327.jsp |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=29 July 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011 |location=Kolkata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118104122/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090729/jsp/calcutta/story_11295327.jsp |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}

{{Main|Kolkata Suburban Railway}}

File:Howrah Station.jpg, largest and busiest railway complex in India (as of 2024)]]

Kolkata Suburban Railway is the largest and second busiest suburban railway network in the country by number of stations and track length, and also one of the largest in the world. Kolkata has five long-distance inter-city railway stations, located at {{Stnlnk|Howrah}} (the largest and busiest railway complex in India, {{As of|2024|lc=y}}), {{Stnlnk|Sealdah}} (2nd busiest in India, {{As of|2024|lc=y}}), {{Stnlnk|Kolkata}}, {{Stnlnk|Shalimar}} and {{Stnlnk|Santragachi Junction}}, which connect Kolkata by rail to most cities in West Bengal and to other major cities in India.{{Cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060220/asp/calcutta/story_5868502.asp |title=New station flag-off: amenities added |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=20 February 2006 |access-date=2 September 2007 |location=Kolkata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033326/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060220/asp/calcutta/story_5868502.asp |archive-date=30 September 2007 }} The city serves as the headquarters of three railway zones out of eighteen of the Indian Railways regional divisions namely the Kolkata Metro, Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway.{{cite web |title=Indian Railway's zones and their divisions with headquarters |url=http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ir_zones.pdf |access-date=25 February 2012 |publisher=Centre For Railway Information Systems, Indian Railways |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417132128/http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ir_zones.pdf |archive-date=17 April 2012 }} Kolkata has international rail connectivity with Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.{{cite news |title=Kolkata-Dhaka bus service resumes |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Kolkata-Dhaka-bus-service-resumes/Article1-314159.aspx |newspaper=Hindustan Times |location=New Delhi |agency=IANS |access-date=7 December 2011 |date=30 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104212342/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Kolkata-Dhaka-bus-service-resumes/Article1-314159.aspx |archive-date=4 January 2012 }}{{cite web |title=International bus service |url=http://www.brtc.gov.bd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=126&Itemid=102 |publisher=Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation |access-date=7 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213195335/http://www.brtc.gov.bd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=126&Itemid=102 |archive-date=13 February 2012 }}{{cite web |title=Maitree Express |url=http://www.hcidhaka.org/pdf/Maitree%20Express%20Facts.pdf |publisher=High Commission of India, Dhaka |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226021808/http://www.hcidhaka.org/pdf/Maitree%20Express%20Facts.pdf |archive-date=26 December 2011 }}

{{Main|Trams in Kolkata}}

File:Kolkata transport.jpg is the only operational tramway in India. It was founded in 1902 as the Calcutta Tramways Company.]]

Kolkata is the only Indian city with a tram network, which was operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company. It has now amalgamated to West Bengal Transport Corporation.{{Cite news |title=Reaching India |url=http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/657741.cms |access-date=27 February 2012 |publisher=Times Internet Limited |location=New Delhi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016221039/http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/657741.cms |archive-date=16 October 2007 }} There are three operational routes: Tollygunge to Ballygunge, Gariahat to Esplanade, Shyambazar to Esplanade. Trams are environment friendly but due to slow-moving and traffic congestion, tram attracts less passengers.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} Water-logging, caused by heavy rains during the summer monsoon, sometimes interrupt transportation networks.{{Cite news |title=Heavy rainfall throws city out of gear |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Heavy-rainfall-throws-city-out-of-gear/articleshow/9511024.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708035054/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-07/kolkata/29861203_1_water-logging-drainage-heavy-rainfall |archive-date=8 July 2012 |agency=TNN |date=7 August 2011 |access-date=26 February 2012 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |title=Heavy rains paralyse normal life in Kolkata |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/heavy-rains-paralyse-normal-life-in-kolkata/article2330768.ece |access-date=26 February 2012 |newspaper=The Hindu |agency=Press Trust of India |date=6 August 2011 |location=Chennai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502233216/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/heavy-rains-paralyse-normal-life-in-kolkata/article2330768.ece |archive-date=2 May 2014 }}

{{Main|List of roads in Kolkata}}

{{See also|List of expressways in West Bengal}}

File:Red Road - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7739.JPG

Kolkata along its metropolitan area is home to the second largest road network in India. {{As of|2022}}, total road network in the city's metropolitan area is {{Convert|4018|km|abbr=on}},{{cite web |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1075128/india-road-length-in-metropolitan-cities/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20Indian%20capital,just%20over%20four%20thousand%20kilometers |title=India: Road length in major metropolitan cities 2022 |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=7 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507185028/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1075128/india-road-length-in-metropolitan-cities/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20Indian%20capital,just%20over%20four%20thousand%20kilometers |url-status=live }} while the city proper has road network of {{Convert|1850|km|abbr=on}}.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/among-metros-kol-has-highest-car-density-with-2448-per-km/articleshow/102483515.cms |title=Among metros, Kolkata has highest car density with 2,448 per km |newspaper=The Times of India |date=7 August 2023 |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=7 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507191135/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/among-metros-kol-has-highest-car-density-with-2448-per-km/articleshow/102483515.cms |url-status=live }} The city has witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles: from 17 lakhs in 2019 to 21 lakhs in 2022, an 18.52 per cent jump.{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/in-kolkata-vehicle-registrations-rose-by-18-5-post-pandemic-9084010/ |title=In Kolkata, vehicle registrations rose by 18.5% post pandemic |date=27 December 2023 |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=8 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508143527/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/in-kolkata-vehicle-registrations-rose-by-18-5-post-pandemic-9084010/ |url-status=live }} With 2,448 vehicles per kilometre of road, Kolkata has the highest car density in India. This leads major traffic congestion. The city's main bus terminals are located at Esplanade and Howrah.{{cite news |last=Bandyopadhyay |first=Krishnendu |title=Bus-stand shift still on paper |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Bus-stand-shift-still-on-paper/articleshow/10448452.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708020802/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-22/kolkata/30310637_1_terminus-bus-stand-bus-termini |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=7 December 2011 |date=22 September 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} The Kolkata–Delhi and Kolkata–Chennai prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral, and National Highway 12 start from the outskirts of the city.{{cite web |title=Physical infrastructure |url=http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/physical_infrastructure.htm |publisher=West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111150948/http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/physical_infrastructure.htm |archive-date=11 January 2012 }}

{{As of|2024}}, Kolkata has one state expressway and two national expressways, all in its metropolitan area. Kalyani Expressway is only state expressway, which is partially operational and partially under construction. The national expressways are Belghoria (part of AH1 and NH12), operational and Kona Expressway (part of NH12), at grade road operational but elevated corridor under construction. Some national expressways are planned or in various stages of construction to connect directly with many major metropolises and cities of India. Those are: Varanasi–Kolkata Expressway{{cite news |author1=Mishra, Amit |title=NHAI's Ambitious 610-Km Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway To Be Operational By 2027 |url=https://swarajya.com/amp/story/news-headlines%2Fnhais-ambitious-610-km-varanasi-kolkata-expressway-to-be-operational-by-2027 |work=Swarajya |date=9 December 2022 |access-date=10 December 2022 |language=en}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and Patna Kolkata Expressway.{{cite web |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/patna-kolkata-expressway-to-pass-through-5-districts-of-bihar-4675919.html |title=Patna-Kolkata Expressway to Pass Through 5 Districts of Bihar |date=19 January 2022 |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822104006/https://www.news18.com/news/india/patna-kolkata-expressway-to-pass-through-5-districts-of-bihar-4675919.html |url-status=live }}

Kolkata has international road connectivity to Dhaka, Bangladesh by Jessore Road;{{Cite web |url=https://sundayguardianlive.com/news/jessore-road-redeveloped-end-2023-decades-delay |title=Jessore Road to be redeveloped by end of 2023 after a decade's delay |first=Dibyendu |last=Mondal |date=5 March 2022 |access-date=31 July 2024 |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822104014/https://sundayguardianlive.com/news/jessore-road-redeveloped-end-2023-decades-delay |url-status=live }} to Bangkok, Thailand and Myanmar by Kolkata-Thailand-Bangkok Trilateral Highway (an extension of IMT Highway){{cite web |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/business/roadways-kolkata-to-thailand-via-myanmar-road-that-wont-be-less-travelled-know-all-about-the-scenic-route-distance-and-launch-time-3128938/ |title=Kolkata to Thailand via Myanmar! Road that won't be less travelled – Know all about the scenic route, distance and launch time |date=17 June 2023 |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=8 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508155526/https://www.financialexpress.com/business/roadways-kolkata-to-thailand-via-myanmar-road-that-wont-be-less-travelled-know-all-about-the-scenic-route-distance-and-launch-time-3128938/ |url-status=live }} and to Nepal and Bhutan by NH12 and proposed Haldia–Raxaul Expressway.

File:Yellow taxi at Esplanade in Kolkata.jpg in the transport market.]]

Hired public conveyances include auto rickshaws, which often ply specific routes, and yellow metered taxis. Almost all of Kolkata's taxis are antiquated Hindustan Ambassadors by make; newer air-conditioned radio taxis are in service as well.{{cite news |title=Cruise in a cool cab |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081130/jsp/calcutta/story_10111183.jsp |access-date=7 December 2011 |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=30 November 2008 |location=Kolkata |first=Samhita L. |last=Chakraborty |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118182025/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081130/jsp/calcutta/story_10111183.jsp |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}{{cite web |title=Getting around in Kolkata |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/kolkata-calcutta/transport/getting-around |publisher=Lonely Planet |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204170242/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/kolkata-calcutta/transport/getting-around |archive-date=4 December 2012 }} In parts of the city, cycle rickshaws and hand-pulled rickshaws are patronised by the public for short trips.{{cite web |first=Calvin |last=Trillin |title=India's rickshaws |url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/kolkata-rickshaws/calvin-trillin-text |work=National Geographic |access-date=11 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130071745/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/kolkata-rickshaws/calvin-trillin-text |archive-date=30 January 2012 }}

File:Kolkata Airport Terminal (14668163978).jpg]]

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, located in Dum Dum, about {{cvt|16|km}} north-east of the city centre, operates domestic and international flights. In 2013, the airport was upgraded to handle increased air traffic.{{cite news |title=AAI to modernise Chennai, Kolkata airports by fiscal end |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-08-26/news/29931676_1_kolkata-airports-aai-terminal-buildings |access-date=7 December 2011 |newspaper=Economic Times |agency=Press Trust of India |date=26 August 2011 |location=New Delhi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114000339/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-08-26/news/29931676_1_kolkata-airports-aai-terminal-buildings |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last=Gupta |first=Jayanta |title=From March 15, all flights from new terminal in Kolkata |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/From-March-15-all-flights-from-new-terminal-in-Kolkata/articleshow/18803799.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411033600/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-05/kolkata/37469356_1_flights-city-airport-domestic-fliers |archive-date=11 April 2013 |access-date=11 March 2013 |date=5 March 2013 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}

The Port of Kolkata, established in 1870, is India's oldest and the only major river port.{{cite web |title=Port facilities in India |url=http://ibm.nic.in/portfacilities.pdf |publisher=Indian Bureau of Mines, Government of India |pages=6–4 |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016144155/http://www.ibm.nic.in/portfacilities.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2011 }} The Kolkata Port Trust manages docks in Kolkata and Haldia.{{cite web |url=http://www.kolkataporttrust.gov.in/index_new.html |title=Salient physical features |access-date=9 June 2007 |work=Kolkata Port Trust |publisher=Kolkata Port Trust, India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313003421/http://www.kolkataporttrust.gov.in/index_new.html |archive-date=13 March 2007 }} The port hosts passenger services to Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; freighter service to ports throughout India and around the world is operated by the Shipping Corporation of India.{{cite web |title=How to reach Andaman and Nicobar |url=http://www.and.nic.in/C_charter/IP_T/reach.htm |publisher=Andaman and Nicobar Administration |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410011938/http://www.and.nic.in/C_charter/IP_T/reach.htm |archive-date=10 April 2009 }} Ferry services connect Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah, located across the Hooghly River.{{cite news |title=Fogged out: flights, train services hit |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Fogged-out-Flights-train-services-hit/articleshow/7288571.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707023108/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-15/kolkata/28372730_1_flight-operations-incoming-flights-visibility |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |date=15 January 2011 |agency=TNN |quote=Ferry services between Howrah and Kolkata were also disrupted due to poor visibility. |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |title=No pollution scan on river ferries yet |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/No-pollution-scan-on-river-ferries-yet/articleshow/4846751.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707055616/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-02/kolkata/28200565_1_vessels-ferry-services-pollution-levels |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |agency=TNN |date=2 August 2009 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}

{{See also|Healthcare in Kolkata}}

File:Mchbuilding.JPG]]

{{As of|2011}}, the healthcare system in Kolkata consists of 48 government hospitals, mostly under the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and 366 private medical establishments;{{cite web |title=Medical institutions and sanctioned no. of beds in districts of West Bengal as on 30.11.2011 |url=http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/Health_Stat/2010_2011/6/VI.2.pdf |publisher=Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal |access-date=1 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202040137/http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/Health_Stat/2010_2011/6/VI.2.pdf |archive-date=2 December 2012 }} these establishments provide the city with 27,687 hospital beds. For every 10,000 people in the city, there are 61.7 hospital beds,The population (4,486,679) and hospital beds (27,687) have been used to derive this rate. which is higher than the national average of 9 hospital beds per 10,000.{{cite web |title=Hospital beds |url=http://apps.who.int/ghodata/cache/global/xls/vid.1860.xls |publisher=World Health Organistation |access-date=31 January 2012 |format=XLS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709021137/http://apps.who.int/ghodata/cache/global/xls/vid.1860.xls |archive-date=9 July 2012 }} Ten medical and dental colleges are located in the Kolkata metropolitan area which act as tertiary referral hospitals in the state.{{cite web |last=Shah |first=Mansi |title=Waiting for health care: a survey of a public hospital in Kolkata |url=http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/Waiting-for-Healthcare-A-survey-of-a-public-hospital-in-Kolkata-Mansi.pdf |publisher=Centre for Civil Society |access-date=31 January 2012 |year=2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813070438/http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/Waiting-for-Healthcare-A-survey-of-a-public-hospital-in-Kolkata-Mansi.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2011 }}{{cite web |last1=Husain |first1=Zakir |last2=Ghosh |first2=Saswata |last3=Roy |first3=Bijoya |title=Socio economic profile of patients in Kolkata: a case study of RG Kar and AMRI |url=http://www.idsk.edu.in/annual-reports/OP-14.pdf |publisher=Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata |access-date=31 January 2012 |pages=19–20 |date=July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628145759/http://www.idsk.edu.in/annual-reports/OP-14.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2013 }} The Calcutta Medical College, founded in 1835, was the first institution in Asia to teach modern medicine.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050420/asp/careergraph/story_4638691.asp |title=Calcutta Medical College, Calcutta |access-date=20 October 2007 |last=Mitra |first=Dola |date=20 April 2005 |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012014300/http://telegraphindia.com/1050420/asp/careergraph/story_4638691.asp |archive-date=12 October 2007 }} However, these facilities are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of the city.{{cite news |last=Mitra |first=Prithvijit |title=On hospital floor for 12 days |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/On-hospital-floor-for-12-days-/articleshow/7921556.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710232805/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-09/kolkata/29400041_1_bed-floor-bike |archive-date=10 July 2012 |access-date=31 January 2012 |date=9 April 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite web |title=Mamata inducts two new ministers |url=http://www.sify.com/news/mamata-inducts-two-new-ministers-news-national-mbqrkkigffd.html |access-date=31 January 2012 |website=Sify |date=16 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509123211/http://www.sify.com/news/mamata-inducts-two-new-ministers-news-national-mbqrkkigffd.html |archive-date=9 May 2013 }}{{cite news |title=Kolkata woman gives birth on road, dies after no admission by hospitals |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Kolkata-woman-gives-birth-on-road-dies-after-no-admission-by-hospitals/Article1-796738.aspx |access-date=31 January 2012 |newspaper=Hindustan Times |location=New Delhi |date=13 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118125557/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Kolkata-woman-gives-birth-on-road-dies-after-no-admission-by-hospitals/Article1-796738.aspx |archive-date=18 January 2012 }} More than 78% in Kolkata prefer the private medical sector over the public medical sector,{{rp|109}} due to the overburdening of the public health sector, the lack of a nearby facility, and excessive waiting times at government facilities.{{rp|61}}

According to the Indian 2005 National Family Health Survey, only a small proportion of Kolkata households were covered under any health scheme or health insurance.{{cite web |last1=Gupta |first1=Kamla |title=Health and living conditions in eight Indian cities |url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADQ634.pdf |work=National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), India, 2005–06 |publisher=International Institute for Population Sciences; Calverton, Maryland, US |access-date=1 February 2012 |last2=Arnold |first2=Fred |last3=Lhungdim |first3=H. |location=Mumbai |year=2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212040205/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADQ634.pdf |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}{{rp|41}} The total fertility rate in Kolkata was 1.4, the lowest among the eight cities surveyed.{{rp|45}} In Kolkata, 77% of the married women used contraceptives, which was the highest among the cities surveyed, but use of modern contraceptive methods was the lowest (46%).{{rp|47}} The infant mortality rate in Kolkata was {{nowrap|41 per 1,000}} live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was {{nowrap|49 per 1,000}} live births.{{rp|48}}

Among the surveyed cities, Kolkata stood second (5%) for children who had not had any vaccinations under the Universal Immunization Programme {{as of|2005|lc=on}}.{{rp|48}} Kolkata ranked second with access to an anganwadi centre under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme for 57% of the children between 0 and 71 months.{{rp|51}} The proportion of malnourished, anaemic and underweight children in Kolkata was less in comparison to other surveyed cities.{{rp|54–55}}

About 18% of the men and 30% of the women in Kolkata are obese—the majority of them belonging to the non-poor strata of society.{{rp|105}} In 2005, Kolkata had the highest percentage (55%) among the surveyed cities of anaemic women, while 20% of the men in Kolkata were anaemic.{{rp|56–57}} Diseases like diabetes, asthma, goitre and other thyroid disorders were found in large numbers of people.{{rp|57–59}} Tropical diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya are prevalent in Kolkata, though their incidence is decreasing.{{cite web |title=Malaria, dengue down in Kolkata |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/malaria-dengue-down-in-kolkata/950430.html |access-date=26 February 2012 |publisher=IBNLive.in |date=13 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117062950/http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/malaria-dengue-down-in-kolkata/950430.html |archive-date=17 January 2012 }}{{cite news |title=KMC wins battle against malaria, dengue |url=http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&show=archive&id=385831&catid=73&year=2011&month=10&day=8 |access-date=26 February 2012 |newspaper=The Statesman |date=7 October 2011 |location=Kolkata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510201217/http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&show=archive&id=385831&catid=73&year=2011&month=10&day=8 |archive-date=10 May 2013 }} Kolkata is one of the districts in India with a high number of people with AIDS; it has been designated a district prone to high risk.{{cite web |title=Annual report 2009–10 |publisher=Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India |url=http://nacoonline.org/upload/AR%202009-10/NACO_AR_English%20corrected.pdf |page=106 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020144353/http://nacoonline.org/upload/AR%202009-10/NACO_AR_English%20corrected.pdf |archive-date=20 October 2011 }}{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2009–10 |url=http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/wbsapcs/report/Annual%20Report09-10Final.pdf |publisher=West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society |access-date=1 February 2012 |page=10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201204531/http://wbhealth.gov.in/wbsapcs/report/Annual%20Report09-10Final.pdf |archive-date=1 December 2011 }} {{As of|2014}}, because of higher air pollution, the life expectancy of a person born in the city is four years fewer than in the suburbs.{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Act-today-to-curb-pollution-say-docs/articleshow/3995843.cms?referral=PM |title=Act today to curb pollution, say docs – The Times of India |work=indiatimes.com |date=18 January 2009 |access-date=25 July 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104213213/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Act-today-to-curb-pollution-say-docs/articleshow/3995843.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=4 January 2017 }}

File:Kolkata univ jeroje.jpg]]

Kolkata's schools are run by the state government or private organisations, many of which are religious. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction; Urdu and Hindi are also used, particularly in central Kolkata.{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2007––2008 |url=http://www.wbsed.gov.in/wbsed/readwrite/AnnualReportSchoolEducation_07-08.pdf |publisher=Department of School Education, Government of West Bengal |access-date=10 December 2011 |page=69 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426042043/http://www.wbsed.gov.in/wbsed/readwrite/AnnualReportSchoolEducation_07-08.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}{{cite web |title=List of schools in Kolkata |url=http://wbbse.org/skolkata.htm |publisher=West Bengal Board of Secondary Education |access-date=10 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125210807/http://wbbse.org/skolkata.htm |archive-date=25 November 2011 }} Schools in Kolkata follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the ICSE, or the CBSE. They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available. Some Kolkata schools, for example South Point School, La Martinière Calcutta, Calcutta Boys' School, St. James' School (Kolkata), St. Xavier's Collegiate School and Loreto House, have been ranked amongst the best schools in the country.{{cite web |title=India's Best Schools, 2014 |url=http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/career-indias-best-schools-of-2014/20140922.htm |website=Rediff.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722053415/http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/career-indias-best-schools-of-2014/20140922.htm |archive-date=22 July 2015 }}

{{As of|2010}}, the Kolkata urban agglomeration is home to 14 universities run by the state government.{{cite web |title=Annual report of the Department of Higher Education 2009–2010 |url=http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |publisher=Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal |year=2010 |pages=124–27 |access-date=10 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113055617/http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2012 }} The colleges are each affiliated with a university or institution based either in Kolkata or elsewhere in India. Aliah University which was founded in 1780 as Mohammedan College of Calcutta is the oldest post-secondary educational institution of the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.aliah.ac.in/aboutuniv.php |title=ALIAH UNIVERSITY |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414224651/http://www.aliah.ac.in/aboutuniv.php |archive-date=14 April 2011 |access-date=13 September 2014 }} The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, is the first modern university in South Asia.{{cite web |title=Annual report of the Department of Higher Education 2009–2010 |url=http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |publisher=Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal |year=2010 |page=129 |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113055617/http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2012 }} Presidency College, Kolkata (formerly Hindu College between 1817 and 1855), founded in 1855, was one of the oldest colleges in India. It was affiliated with the University of Calcutta until 2010 when it was converted to Presidency University, Kolkata in 2010. Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) is the second oldest engineering institution of the country located in Howrah.{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Shiv Sahay |title=BESU's bid for upgrade gets catalyst in Didi |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/besu-s-bid-for-upgrade-gets-catalyst-in-didi/656792/ |access-date=18 August 2013 |newspaper=Indian Express |date=6 August 2010 |location=New Delhi |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127223413/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/besus-bid-for-upgrade-gets-catalyst-in-didi/ |url-status=live }} An Institute of National Importance, BESU was converted to India's first IIEST. Jadavpur University is known for its arts, science, and engineering faculties.{{cite web |url=http://www.ugc.ac.in/financialsupport/guideline_29.html |title=Universities with potential for excellence |publisher=University Grants Commission, Government of India |access-date=12 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403225601/http://www.ugc.ac.in/financialsupport/guideline_29.html |archive-date=3 April 2010 }} The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, which was the first of the Indian Institutes of Management, was established in 1961 at Joka, a locality in the south-western suburbs. Kolkata also houses the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, which was started here in the year 2006.{{cite news |title=Q&A: Shekhar Chaudhury, director, IIM Calcutta |last=Garg |first=Swati |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/qa-shekhar-chaudhury-director-iim-calcutta/435269/ |newspaper=Business Standard |location=Kolkata |date=12 May 2011 |access-date=15 January 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012154515/http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/qa-shekhar-chaudhury-director-iim-calcutta/435269/ |archive-date=12 October 2012 }}

File:Presidency University - Kolkata 7367.JPG]]

The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences is one of India's autonomous law schools,{{cite news |title=NLUs, a preferred recruitment destination |url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/12/stories/2007031203030300.htm |access-date=17 January 2012 |date=12 March 2007 |location=Chennai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110040950/http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/12/stories/2007031203030300.htm |archive-date=10 November 2012 |newspaper=The Hindu }}{{cite news |last=Ghosh |first=Shuvobroto |title=An eye on law |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070118/asp/careergraph/story_7274373.asp |access-date=17 January 2012 |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=18 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605052609/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070118/asp/careergraph/story_7274373.asp |archive-date=5 June 2011 }} and the Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university. State owned Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal (MAKAUT, WB), formerly West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) is the largest Technological University in terms of student enrollment and number of Institutions affiliated by it. Private institutions include the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute and University of Engineering & Management (UEM).

Notable scholars who were born, worked or studied in Kolkata include physicists Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha,{{cite web |url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Some%20of%20the%20Alumni.htm |title=Some of the distinguished alumni of the University of Calcutta |publisher=University of Calcutta |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121002631/http://caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Some%20of%20the%20Alumni.htm |archive-date=21 November 2011 }} and Jagadish Chandra Bose;{{cite web |url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Distinguished%20Teacher.htm |title=Some of our distinguished teachers |publisher=University of Calcutta |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121002802/http://caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Distinguished%20Teacher.htm |archive-date=21 November 2011 }} chemist Prafulla Chandra Ray; statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain; physician Upendranath Brahmachari; educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;{{cite book |last1=Petitjean |first1=Patrick |title=Science and empires: historical studies about scientific development and European expansion |year=1992 |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |location=Dordrecht, The Netherlands |isbn=978-0-7923-1518-6 |last2=Jami |first2=Cathérine |author2-link=Cathérine Jami |last3=Moulin |first3=Anne Marie |page=62 }} and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,{{cite book |title=Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901–1967 |year=1999 |publisher=World Scientific |location=Amsterdam |isbn=978-981-02-3413-3 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1913/tagore.html |editor=Frenz, Horst |access-date=3 February 2012 |page=134 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202212053/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1913/tagore.html |archive-date=2 February 2012 }} C. V. Raman, and Amartya Sen.{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~phildept/sen.html |title=Professor Amartya Sen |publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard University |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111120042/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~phildept/sen.html |archive-date=11 January 2012 }}

Kolkata houses many research institutes, including the following:

{{Div col start}}

• All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health
• Bose Institute
• Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI)
• Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta
• Dr. B C Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences
• Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS)
• Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman did his groundbreaking work in Raman effect at IACS.
• Indian Centre for Space Physics
• Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB)
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)
• Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM)
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata
• Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP)
• S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS)
• Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC)

{{Div col end}}

{{Main|Culture of Kolkata|Durga Puja in Kolkata}}

{{See also|Street food of Kolkata}}

File:Durga Idol, Kolkata-04.jpg is the biggest festival for Bengali Hindus]]

File:Durga Puja Pandal - Park Circus Beniapukur - Kolkata 2015-10-21 6124.JPG

File:Vijaya Dashami day in Tollygunge area Kolkata Durga Puja 2022 05.jpg in Tollygunge]]

File:Victoria Memorial Illuminated at Night.jpg

Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage; as the former capital of India, it was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought.{{cite book |title=The autobiography of an unknown Indian |last=Chaudhuri |first=Nirad C. |author-link=Nirad C. Chaudhuri |year=2001 |publisher=New York Review of Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-940322-82-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofu00chau/page/269 269] |url=https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofu00chau/page/269 }} Kolkata has been called the "City of Furious, Creative Energy"{{cite book |editor1-first=Surajit |editor1-last=Sinha |editor1-link=Surajit Chandra Sinha |title=Cultural profile of Calcutta |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13457 |year=1972 |publisher=Indian Anthropological Society |location=Kolkata |asin=B000GL2BEG |page=[https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13457/page/n17 7] }} as well as the "cultural [or literary] capital of India".{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9362769 |title=Calcutta: habitat of the Indian intellectual |last=Reeves |first=Philip |date=5 April 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=29 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002074400/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9362769 |archive-date=2 October 2011 }}{{cite book |editor1-first=Allen |editor1-last=Noble |editor2-last=Costa |editor2-first=Frank |editor3-last=Dutt |editor3-first=Ashok |editor4-last=Kent |editor4-first=Robert |title=Regional development and planning for the 21st century: new priorities, new philosophies |year=1990 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |location=Farnham, UK |isbn=978-1-84014-800-8 |pages=282, 396 }} The presence of paras, which are neighbourhoods that possess a strong sense of community, is characteristic of the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/kolkata-para |title=Kolkata culture: Para |publisher=Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal |access-date=9 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221052334/http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/kolkata-para |archive-date=21 December 2011 }} Typically, each para has its own community club and on occasion, a playing field. Residents engage in addas, or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation.{{cite news |last=Trachtenberg |first=Peter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/travel/tmagazine/the-chattering-masses.html |title=The Chattering Masses |work=The New York Times |location=New York |date=15 May 2005 |access-date=21 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418171615/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/travel/tmagazine/the-chattering-masses.html |archive-date=18 April 2024 |url-access=limited }}{{cite news |last=Mukherjee Pandey |first=Jhimli |title=Presidency old-timers to relive days of canteen adda |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Presidency-old-timers-to-relive-days-of-canteen-adda/articleshow/3660821.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707050322/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-11-01/kolkata/27941063_1_canteen-girl-students-presidency-college |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=1 November 2008 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures and propaganda.{{cite news |title='Nah. Didi can't hatch this egg |first=Premankur |last=Biswas |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nah.-didi-cant-hatch-this-egg/776292/0 |newspaper=Indian Express |location=New Delhi |date=17 April 2011 |access-date=25 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424113243/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nah.-didi-cant-hatch-this-egg/776292/0 |archive-date=24 April 2011 }}{{cite news |last=Chakraborty |first=Ajanta |title=Bite missing from graffiti, the fun's gone from the elections |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Bite-missing-from-graffiti-the-funs-gone-from-the-elections/articleshow/7938583.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713192550/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-11/kolkata/29406063_1_wall-defacement-graffiti-wall-writing |archive-date=13 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=11 April 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}

Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Indo-Islamic and Indo-Saracenic architectural motifs. Several well-maintained major buildings from the colonial period have been declared "heritage structures";{{cite web |title=Graded list of heritage buildings |url=https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/Graded_List_of_Heritage_Buildings_Grade_I_IIA_IIB.pdf |publisher=Kolkata Municipal Corporation |access-date=24 January 2012 |year=2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153859/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/Graded_List_of_Heritage_Buildings_Grade_I_IIA_IIB.pdf |archive-date=22 December 2015 }} others are in various stages of decay.{{cite news |last=Mukherjee Pandey, Jhimli |title=Heritage buildings need restoration, not mere repairs |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Heritage-buildings-need-restoration-not-mere-repairs/articleshow/9858922.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717030639/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-04/kolkata/30112600_1_heritage-buildings-heritage-movement-g-m-kapur |archive-date=17 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |date=4 September 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |title=Out of elite list, cradle of Bengal Renaissance falling apart |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Out-of-elite-list-cradle-of-Bengal-Renaissance-falling-apart/articleshow/8999217.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716231328/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-26/kolkata/29705730_1_house-movement-slab |archive-date=16 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |agency=TNN |date=26 June 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Established in 1814 as the nation's oldest museum, the Indian Museum houses large collections that showcase Indian natural history and Indian art.{{cite news |last=Mandal |first=Caesar |title=Gardeners to guard museum? |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Gardeners-to-guard-museum/articleshow/6309033.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707164431/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-14/kolkata/28309037_1_security-gadgets-security-lapse-private-security-agency |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |date=14 August 2010 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Marble Palace is a classic example of a European mansion that was built in the city. The Victoria Memorial, a place of interest in Kolkata, has a museum documenting the city's history. The National Library of India is the leading public library in the country while Science City is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent.[http://sciencecitykolkata.org.in/ Welcome to Science City] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126104522/http://sciencecitykolkata.org.in/ |date=26 January 2017 }}. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 November 2010.

File:India Education .jpg |alt=Large white rectangular building with tall arched windows]]

The popularity of commercial theatres in the city has declined since the 1980s.{{cite book |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Malini |editor1-first=Jasodhara |editor1-last=Bagchi |title=The changing status of women in West Bengal, 1970–2000: the challenge ahead |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Xq8FARrFKUC |access-date=10 February 2012 |year=2005 |publisher=Sage Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-0-7619-3242-0 |chapter=Culture |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102024457/https://books.google.com/books?id=1Xq8FARrFKUC |archive-date=2 January 2016 }}{{rp|99}}{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090531/jsp/7days/story_11042452.jsp |title=Chowringhee revisited |last=De |first=Hemchhaya |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=31 May 2009 |access-date=9 March 2012 |quote=... most people say that Bengali commercial theatre died in the 1980s ... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095412/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090531/jsp/7days/story_11042452.jsp |archive-date=2 February 2014 }} Group theatres of Kolkata, a cultural movement that started in the 1940s contrasting with the then-popular commercial theatres, are theatres that are not professional or commercial, and are centres of various experiments in theme, content, and production;{{Cite thesis |type=Cand.polit. |title=Nandikar: Staging Globalisation in Kolkata and Abroad |url=http://folk.uio.no/gheierst/nandikar.pdf |last=Geir |first=Heierstad |year=2003 |publisher=University of Oslo |access-date=9 March 2012 |pages=39–48 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512065317/http://folk.uio.no/gheierst/nandikar.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2006 }} group theatres use the proscenium stage to highlight socially relevant messages.{{rp|99}}{{cite book |title=Theatre Histories: An Introduction |first1=Phillip |last1=Zarilli |first2=Bruce |last2=McConachie |first3=Gary Jay |last3=Williams |last4=Sorgenfrei |first4=Carol Fisher |editor-last=Williams |editor-first=Gary Jay |publisher=Routledge |year=2010 |orig-date=2006 |location=Abingdon, UK |isbn=978-0-415-46223-5 |pages=429–430 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z88LLjzoWqQC |access-date=9 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617020740/http://books.google.com/books?id=Z88LLjzoWqQC |archive-date=17 June 2013 }} Chitpur locality of the city houses multiple production companies of jatra, a tradition of folk drama popular in rural Bengal.{{cite news |last=Chakraborty |first=Ajanta |title=Meet the new Mamata Banerjee |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Meet-the-new-Mamata-Banerjee/articleshow/9113109.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708093752/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-05/kolkata/29738036_1_jatra-mamata-banerjee-bangladeshi |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=5 July 2011 |quote=The jatra industry based out of Kolkata's Chitpur Road has gone through a severe blow with the growth of video parlours. |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |last=Niyogi |first=Subhro |title=Red alert For Jatra |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Red-Alert-For-Jatra/articleshow/6811931.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707165658/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-26/kolkata/28219209_1_jatra-firms-script-success |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=26 October 2010 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Kolkata is the home of the Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for Tollygunj, where most of the state's film studios are located.{{cite journal |first=Bhaskar |last=Sarkar |title=The melodramas of globalization |journal=Cultural Dynamics |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=31–51 [34] |date=March 2008 |doi=10.1177/0921374007088054 |s2cid=143977618 }} Its long tradition of art films includes globally acclaimed film directors such as Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh.{{cite book |last=Gooptu |first=Sharmistha |title=Bengali cinema: 'an other nation' |year=2010 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, UK |isbn=978-0-415-57006-0 |pages=2, 172, 181, 187 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzEdHF5UYcMC&pg=PP1 |access-date=24 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102024457/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzEdHF5UYcMC&lpg=PP1 |archive-date=2 January 2016 }}

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised through the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.{{cite book |last=Mittra |first=Sitansu Sekhar |title=Bengal's Renaissance |year=2001 |publisher=Academic Publishers |location=Kolkata |isbn=978-81-87504-18-4 |pages=80–100 }} Coupled with social reforms led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda and others, this constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance.{{cite book |last=Dutt |first=R.C. |title=Cultural heritage of Bengal |year=1962 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |location=Kolkata}} cited in {{cite book |last=Sengupta |first=Nitish K. |title=History of the Bengali-speaking people |year=2001 |publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7476-355-6 |pages=211–12 }} The middle and latter parts of the 20th century witnessed the arrival of post-modernism, as well as literary movements such as those espoused by the Kallol movement, hungryalists and the little magazines.{{cite magazine |title=India: The hungry generation |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,830799,00.html |magazine=Time |location=New York |access-date=24 December 2021 |date=20 November 1964 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090517073159/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,830799,00.html |archive-date=17 May 2009 }} Large majority of publishers of the city is concentrated in and around College Street, "... a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement", selling new and used books.{{cite journal |last=Hollick |first=Julian Crandall |date=July 1991 |title=Amid Calcutta's poverty, there's no dearth of cultural wealth |journal=Smithsonian |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=32–41 |issn=0037-7333 }}

File:Debi Durga Sculpture by Sandalwood Murshidabad WB 30 01 2018.jpg in the Indian Museum]]

Kalighat painting originated in 19th century Kolkata as a local style that reflected a variety of themes including mythology and quotidian life.{{cite book |title=A history of Indian painting: the modern period |last=Chaitanya |first=Krishna |publisher=Abhinav Publications |year=1994 |location=New Delhi |pages=112–118 |isbn=978-81-7017-310-6 }} The Government College of Art and Craft, founded in 1864, has been the cradle as well as workplace of eminent artists including Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy and Nandalal Bose.{{cite web |url=http://www.gcac.edu.in/history.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507004336/http://gcac.edu.in/history.php |archive-date=7 May 2010 |title=A journey through 145 years |publisher=Government College of Art and Craft |access-date=29 January 2012 }} The art college was the birthplace of the Bengal school of art that arose as an avant garde and nationalist movement reacting against the prevalent academic art styles in the early 20th century.{{cite book |title=Art and nationalism in colonial India, 1850–1922: occidental orientations |last=Mitter |first=Partha |year=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=978-0-521-44354-8 |chapter=How the past was salvaged by Swadeshi artists |pages=267–306 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mRTtkri8E0C |access-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618223618/http://books.google.com/books?id=9mRTtkri8E0C |archive-date=18 June 2013 }}{{cite book |title=Atlas of world art |last=Onians |first=John |author-link=John Onians |year=2004 |publisher=Laurence King Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-85669-377-6 |page=304 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3h2KfXoOPYC |access-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618214137/http://books.google.com/books?id=O3h2KfXoOPYC |archive-date=18 June 2013 }} The Academy of Fine Arts and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions. The city is recognised for its appreciation of Rabindra Sangeet (songs written by Rabindranath Tagore) and Indian classical music, with important concerts and recitals, such as Dover Lane Music Conference, being held throughout the year; Bengali popular music, including baul folk ballads, kirtans and Gajan festival music; and modern music, including Bengali-language adhunik songs.{{cite book |last=Shepherd |first=John |title=Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world |volume=3–7 |year=2005 |publisher=Continuum |location=London |isbn=978-0-8264-7436-0 |pages=70–71 }} Since the early 1990s, new genres have emerged, including one comprising alternative folk–rock Bengali bands.{{cite journal |last=Dorin |first=Stéphane |title=La globalisation du rock vue de Calcutta |journal=Volume! |year=2005 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=144–45 |trans-title=The globalization of rock to Calcutta |language=fr |doi=10.4000/volume.1714 |doi-access=free }} Another new style, jibonmukhi gaan ("songs about life"), is based on realism.{{rp|105}}

File:Sandesh - Oberoi Grand - Kolkata 2013-05-23 8046.JPG, a typical Bengali sweet made from chhena]]

Key elements of Kolkata's cuisine include rice and a fish curry known as machher jhol,{{cite journal |last1=de Graaf |first1=G. J. |last2=Latif |first2=Abdul |date=April–June 2002 |title=Development of freshwater fish farming and poverty alleviation: a case study from Bangladesh |journal=Aquaculture Asia |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=5–7 |access-date=10 February 2012 |url=http://www.nefisco.org/downloads/DevelopmentOfFreshwaterFishFarming.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318040021/http://www.nefisco.org/downloads/DevelopmentOfFreshwaterFishFarming.pdf |archive-date=18 March 2012 }} which can be accompanied by desserts such as roshogolla, sandesh, and a sweet yoghurt known as mishti dohi. Bengal's large repertoire of seafood dishes includes various preparations of ilish, a fish that is a favourite among Calcuttans. Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken, mutton or egg stuffing), phuchka (a deep-fried crêpe with tamarind sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine from Chinatown are popular.{{cite news |last1=Sen |first1=Elora |last2=Sen |first2=Sarbani |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Some%20images%20are%20synonymous%20with%20Kolkata/1/24191.html |title=Some images are synonymous with Kolkata |work=India Today |location=Noida, India |date=2 January 2009 |access-date=3 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525180640/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Some%20images%20are%20synonymous%20with%20Kolkata/1/24191.html |archive-date=25 May 2012 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Saha |first=Subhro |title=Resurrected, the kathi roll: face-off resolved, Nizam's set to open with food court |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060118/asp/calcutta/story_5733258.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=18 January 2006 |access-date=26 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228160826/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060118/asp/calcutta/story_5733258.asp |archive-date=28 February 2006 }}{{cite news |last=Niyogi |first=Subhro |title=Kolkata's mind-boggling variety of street food |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-07/kolkata/29519710_1_street-food-fish-roll-exotic-dishes |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708001706/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-07/kolkata/29519710_1_street-food-fish-roll-exotic-dishes |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=26 February 2012 |date=7 May 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |last=Roy |first=Anirban |title=Street food as yummy and cheap as it gets |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/street-food-as-yummy-and-cheap-as-it-gets/1/122363.html |access-date=26 February 2012 |work=India Today |location=Noida, India |date=7 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529223051/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/street-food-as-yummy-and-cheap-as-it-gets/1/122363.html |archive-date=29 May 2012 |url-status=live }}

File:Dance with Rabindra Sangeet - Kolkata 2011-11-05 6669.JPG, a music genre started by Rabindranath Tagore]]

Though Bengali women traditionally wear the sari, the shalwar kameez and Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women.{{cite news |last=Yengkhom |first=Sumati |title=This Puja, buzz over western clothes |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/This-Puja-buzz-over-western-clothes-/articleshow/6609854.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711020813/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-23/kolkata/28267471_1_salwar-kameez-outfits-puja |archive-date=11 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2012 |date=23 September 2010 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Western-style dress has greater acceptance among men, although the traditional dhoti and kurta are seen during festivals. Durga Puja, held in September–October, is Kolkata's most important and largest festival; it is an occasion for glamorous celebrations and artistic decorations.{{cite book |last1=Foulston |first1=Lynn |last2=Abbott |first2=Stuart |title=Hindu goddesses: beliefs and practices |year=2009 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |location=Brighton, UK |isbn=978-1-902210-43-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesbe0000foul/page/156 156] |url=https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesbe0000foul/page/156 }}{{cite book |last=Bhowmik |first=Dulal |year=2012 |chapter=Durga Puja |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Durga_Puja |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005011949/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Durga_Puja |archive-date=5 October 2015 |access-date=6 April 2016 }} The Bengali New Year, known as Poila Boishak, as well as the harvest festival of Poush Parbon are among the city's other festivals; also celebrated are Kali Puja, Diwali, Chhaith,{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/170-ghats-across-kolkata-for-chhath-puja/cid/1836251 |title=170 ghats across Kolkata for Chhaith Puja |date=28 October 2021 |website=The Telegraph |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813071243/https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/170-ghats-across-kolkata-for-chhath-puja/cid/1836251 |url-status=live }} Jitiya, Holi, Jagaddhatri Puja, Saraswati Puja, Rathayatra, Janmashtami, Maha Shivratri, Vishwakarma Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Ganesh Chathurthi, Makar Sankranti, Gajan, Kalpataru Day, Bhai Phonta, Maghotsab, Eid, Muharram, Christmas, Buddha Purnima and Mahavir Jayanti. Cultural events include the Rabindra Jayanti, Independence Day (15 August), Republic Day (26 January), Kolkata Book Fair, the Dover Lane Music Festival, the Kolkata International Film Festival, Nandikar's National Theatre Festival, Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and Gandhi Jayanti.

{{See also|Kolkata in the media|List of Bengali-language television channels}}

File:Akashvani Bhawan Kolkata 2.jpg, Kolkata|alt=A five-storied building in cream colour with multiple columns in front]]

The first newspaper in India, the Bengal Gazette started publishing from the city in 1780.{{cite book |last=Eaman |first=Ross |title=The A to Z of Journalism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e98aMyleL-cC&pg=PA86 |access-date=2 August 2013 |date=12 October 2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7067-3 |page=86 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424194554/http://books.google.com/books?id=e98aMyleL-cC&pg=PA86 |archive-date=24 April 2014 }} Among Kolkata's widely circulated Bengali-language newspapers are Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Ei Samay Sangbadpatra, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal, Dainik Statesman and Ganashakti.{{cite web |title=Areawise analysis for the period July/December 2007 to January – June 2010 |url=http://www.auditbureau.org/trends-123.xls |publisher=Audit Bureau of Circulations |format=XLS |access-date=17 June 2012}}{{dead link|date=August 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic }} The Statesman and The Telegraph are two major English-language newspapers that are produced and published from the city. Other popular English-language newspapers published and sold in the city include The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express and The Asian Age. As the largest trading centre in East India, the city has several high-circulation financial dailies, including The Economic Times, The Financial Express, Business Line and Business Standard.{{cite web |publisher=International Trade Administration |url=http://trade.gov/press/press_releases/2006/india_mission_statement_112006.pdf |title=Business development mission to India 29 November – 5 December 2006 |access-date=13 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025143417/http://trade.gov/press/press_releases/2006/india_mission_statement_112006.pdf |archive-date=25 October 2007 }} Vernacular newspapers, such as those in the Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi and Chinese languages, are read by minorities.{{cite book |editor1-last=Banerjee |editor1-first=Himadri |editor2-last=Gupta |editor2-first=Nilanjana |editor3-last=Mukherjee |editor3-first=Sipra |title=Calcutta mosaic: essays and interviews on the minority communities of Calcutta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC |access-date=29 January 2012 |year=2009 |publisher=Anthem Press |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-905835-5-8 |pages=9–10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509233321/http://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC&dq |archive-date=9 May 2013 }} Major periodicals based in the city include Desh, Sananda, Saptahik Bartaman, Unish-Kuri, Anandalok and Anandamela. Historically, Kolkata has been the centre of the Bengali little magazine movement.{{cite journal |title=Little magazines of Bengal |journal=Asiaweek |year=1984 |volume=10 |issue=27–39 |page=42 }}{{cite journal |last=Nag |first=Dulali |year=1997 |title=Little magazines in Calcutta and a postsociology of India |journal=Contributions to Indian Sociology |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=109–11 |doi=10.1177/006996679703100106 |s2cid=144892949 }}

All India Radio (AIR), the national state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM radio stations in the city. Kolkata has 10 local radio stations broadcasting on FM, including three from AIR. India's state-owned television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free-to-air terrestrial channels,{{cite web |title=Doordarshan |url=http://mib.nic.in/ShowContent.aspx?uid1=2&uid2=94&uid3=0&uid4=0&uid5=0&uid6=0&uid7=0 |publisher=Ministry of Broadcasting, Government of India |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117071129/http://mib.nic.in/ShowContent.aspx?uid1=2&uid2=94&uid3=0&uid4=0&uid5=0&uid6=0&uid7=0 |archive-date=17 January 2012 }} while a mix of Bengali, Hindi, English, and other regional channels are accessible via cable subscription, direct-broadcast satellite services, or internet-based television.{{cite news |title=CalTel launches IPTV in Kolkata, invests Rs 700 cr in 07-08 |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=3663 |access-date=24 January 2012 |agency=Press Trust of India |newspaper=Outlook India |location=New Delhi |date=1 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502190254/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=3663 |archive-date=2 May 2013 }}{{cite news |title=CAS on brink of blackout |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/CAS-on-brink-of-blackout/articleshow/9719460.cms |access-date=24 January 2012 |newspaper=Times of India |date=14 August 2011 |agency=TNN |location=New Delhi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510191503/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/CAS-on-brink-of-blackout/articleshow/9719460.cms |archive-date=10 May 2013 }}{{cite news |title=Direct-to-home comes home |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Direct-to-home-comes-home/articleshow/222808.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701123319/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-10-09/kolkata/27198314_1_dish-tv-dth-subscribers-satellite-channels |archive-date=1 July 2012 |access-date=24 January 2012 |agency=TNN |date=9 October 2003 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Bengali-language 24-hour television news channels include ABP Ananda, News18 Bangla, Kolkata TV, Zee 24 Ghanta, TV9 Bangla and Republic Bangla.{{cite web |title=Bengali News Channel advertising rates in India |work=Mplan Media |url=https://mplan.media/blog/bengali-news-channel-advertising-rates-in-india/ |publisher=mplan.media |date=26 April 2021 |access-date=26 April 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506094144/https://mplan.media/blog/bengali-news-channel-advertising-rates-in-india/ |url-status=live |last1=Mplan |first1=Team }}

{{See also|Football in Kolkata|Kolkata Marathon|Kolkata Derby}}

File:Salt Lake Stadium during FIFA U17 World Cup 2017 ....jpg (Greater Kolkata) on a matchday of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup]]

The most popular sports in Kolkata are football and cricket. Unlike most parts of India, the residents show significant passion{{Weasel inline|date=July 2024}} for football.{{cite news |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-06-13/news/50564484_1_arsenal-soccer-schools-football-player-football-training |title=Forget cricket, football is catching fast in India |last1=Khosla |first1=Varuni |last2=Sharma |first2=Ravi Teja |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=13 June 2014 |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102050751/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-06-13/news/50564484_1_arsenal-soccer-schools-football-player-football-training |archive-date=2 November 2014 |url-status=dead }} Indian Football Association, the oldest football association of the country is based here. It administers football in West Bengal. Kolkata is home to India's top football clubs such as Mohun Bagan AC, East Bengal Club and the Mohammedan SC.{{cite web |title=Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: India's all-consuming rivalry |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/classicderby/news/newsid=1414458.html |publisher=FIFA |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122032920/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/classicderby/news/newsid%3D1414458.html |archive-date=22 November 2011 }}{{cite news |last=Bhabani |first=Soudhriti |title=Argentine football superstar Messi charms Kolkata |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/messi-charms-kolkata/1/149702.html |access-date=7 December 2011 |newspaper=India Today |location=Noida, India |date=1 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606030106/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/messi-charms-kolkata/1/149702.html |archive-date=6 June 2012 |url-status=live }} The Calcutta Football League, the oldest football league in Asia, was started in 1898. Mohun Bagan AC, one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, is the only organisation to be dubbed as "National Club of India".{{cite book |title=Soccer in South Asia: empire, nation, diaspora |year=2001 |publisher=Frank Cass Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-0-7146-8170-2 |page=17 |last1=Dineo |first1=Paul |last2=Mills |first2=James }}{{cite web |title=India strive for improvement |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=111779.html |publisher=FIFA |date=15 February 2007 |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111173233/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=111779.html |archive-date=11 January 2012 }} Two clubs of the city - Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC compete in the Indian Super League (ISL).{{cite web |title=Football in Bengal |url=http://the-ifa.org/archives.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203053022/http://the-ifa.org/archives.php |archive-date=3 December 2011 |publisher=Indian Football Association |url-status=usurped |access-date=7 December 2011 }} Football matches between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, called as the Kolkata Derby, witness large audience attendance and rivalry between patrons.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/rivalries/newsid=1414458/index.html |title=Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: India's all-consuming rivalry |publisher=FIFA |access-date=21 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801091940/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/rivalries/newsid%3D1414458/index.html |archive-date=1 August 2013 }} The multi-use Salt Lake Stadium, also known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, is India's second largest stadium by seating capacity. Most matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup were played in this stadium including both Semi-final matches and the Final match. Kolkata also accounted for 45% of total attendance in 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup with an average of 55,345 spectators.{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football-fifa-u17-world-cup/kolkata-accounted-for-45-of-total-attendance-in-fifa-u-17-world-cup-west-bengal-chief-minister-mamata-banerjee-4914390/ |title=Kolkata accounted for 45% of total attendance in FIFA U-17 World Cup: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee |newspaper=Indian Express |access-date=30 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102011647/http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football-fifa-u17-world-cup/kolkata-accounted-for-45-of-total-attendance-in-fifa-u-17-world-cup-west-bengal-chief-minister-mamata-banerjee-4914390/ |archive-date=2 November 2017 |date=30 October 2017 }} The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.{{cite book |last=Desai |first=Ashwin |title=Blacks in whites: a century of cricket struggles in KwaZulu-Natal |year=2000 |publisher=University of Natal Press |location=Pietermaritzburg, South Africa |isbn=978-1-86914-025-0 |page=38 }}{{Cite news |last=Mukherji |first=Raju |title=Seven years? Head start |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050314/asp/opinion/story_4428341.asp |work=The Telegraph |date=14 March 2005 |access-date=26 October 2006 |location=Kolkata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014559/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050314/asp/opinion/story_4428341.asp |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}

File:Eden Gardens, Kolkata (05).jpg

As in the rest of India, cricket is popular in Kolkata and is played on various grounds throughout the city.{{cite news |title=What happened to para cricket? |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/calcutta-times/What-happened-to-para-cricket/articleshow/1734729571.cms |date=20 January 2002 |agency=TNN |newspaper=Times of India |access-date=7 December 2011 |location=New Delhi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510172726/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/calcutta-times/What-happened-to-para-cricket/articleshow/1734729571.cms |archive-date=10 May 2013 }}{{cite news |title=Para cricket tourney gets off to a cracking start |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Para-cricket-tourney-gets-off-to-a-cracking-start/articleshow/7337629.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707171127/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-22/kolkata/28361952_1_royal-fortune-group-semi-finals-saradindu-mukherjee |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=7 December 2011 |agency=TNN |date=22 January 2011 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }} Kolkata is home to Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and also the Cricket Association of Bengal which regulates cricket in West Bengal and the Bengal cricket team. Tournaments, especially those involving cricket, football, badminton and carrom, are regularly organised here on an inter-locality or inter-club basis. The Maidan, a vast field that serves as the city's largest park, hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.{{cite news |title=FIFA president visits big three of Kolkata maidan |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200704160340.htm |date=16 April 2007 |newspaper=The Hindu |access-date=7 December 2011 |location=Chennai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729123104/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200704160340.htm |archive-date=29 July 2013 }} Eden Gardens, which has a capacity of 80,000, {{As of|2017|lc=y}},{{cite web |url=http://www.iplt20.com/venues/2/eden-gardens |title=Eden Gardens |access-date=22 August 2017 |publisher=Indian Premier League |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620002434/http://www.iplt20.com/venues/2/eden-gardens |archive-date=20 June 2017 }} hosted the final match of the 1987 Cricket World Cup.

The Netaji Indoor Stadium served as host of the 1981 Asian Basketball Championship, where India's national basketball team finished 5th, ahead of teams that belong to Asia's basketball elite, such as Iran. The city has three 18-hole golf courses. The oldest is at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the first golf club built outside the United Kingdom.{{cite book |last=Bohn |first=Michael K. |title=Money golf: 600 Years of bettin' on birdies |year=2008 |publisher=Potomac Books |location=Dulles, Virginia, US |isbn=978-1-59797-032-7 |page=34 }}{{cite book |last=Uschan |first=Michael V. |title=Golf |publisher=Lucent Books |location=San Diego, US |isbn=978-1-56006-744-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/golf0000usch/page/16 16] |year=2000 |url=https://archive.org/details/golf0000usch/page/16 }} The other two are located at the Tollygunge Club and at Fort William. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club hosts horse racing and polo matches.{{cite news |last=Himatsingka |first=Anuradha |title=Royal Calcutta Turf Club in revival mode |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/people-places/royal-calcutta-turf-club-in-revival-mode/articleshow/7244861.cms |access-date=7 December 2011 |newspaper=Economic Times |date=9 January 2011 |location=New Delhi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125014621/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/people-places/royal-calcutta-turf-club-in-revival-mode/articleshow/7244861.cms |archive-date=25 January 2012 }} The Calcutta Polo Club is considered the oldest extant polo club in the world.{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Jaisal |title=Polo in India |year=2007 |publisher=New Holland Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-1-84537-913-1 |page=12 }}{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Joanna |title=A Year in the life of Windsor and Eton |year=2011 |publisher=Frances Lincoln |location=London |isbn=978-0-7112-2936-5 |page=80 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.hpa-polo.co.uk/about/history_polo.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040923133909/http://www.hpa-polo.co.uk/about/history_polo.asp |archive-date=23 September 2004 |title=History of polo |access-date=30 August 2007 |publisher=Hurlingham Polo Association }} The Calcutta Racket Club is a squash and racquet club in Kolkata. It was founded in 1793, making it one of the oldest rackets clubs in the world, and the first in the Indian subcontinent.{{cite web |url=http://www.srilankasquash.lk/slsf_index.php?more=history |title=Sri Lanka Squash Federation history |work=srilankasquash.lk |access-date=25 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321205257/http://www.srilankasquash.lk/slsf_index.php?more=history |archive-date=21 March 2012 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |title=The City of Wonders – Indian Link |date=10 September 2010 |work=indianlink.com.au |access-date=25 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404061736/http://www.indianlink.com.au/travel/the-city-of-wonders/ |archive-date=4 April 2013 }} The Calcutta South Club is a venue for national and international tennis tournaments; it held the first grass-court national championship in 1946.{{cite web |title=About AITA |url=http://www.aitatennis.com/New%20AITA/about.html |publisher=All India Tennis Association |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122071350/http://www.aitatennis.com/New%20AITA/about.html |archive-date=22 November 2011 }}{{cite journal |last=Das Sharma |first=Amitabha |title=Young turks rule the roost |date=7 April 2011 |volume=34 |issue=14 |url=http://www.hindu.com/tss/tss3414/stories/20110407505703200.htm |access-date=27 February 2012 |journal=Sportstar Weekly (The Hindu) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718025802/http://www.hindu.com/tss/tss3414/stories/20110407505703200.htm |archive-date=18 July 2011 }} In the period 2005–2007, Sunfeast Open, a tier-III tournament on the Women's Tennis Association circuit, was held in the Netaji Indoor Stadium; it has since been discontinued.{{cite news |last=Das Gupta |first=Amitava |title=Sunfeast Open seeks date shift |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Sunfeast-Open-seeks-date-shift/articleshow/2786486.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709164613/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-02-15/top-stories/27780876_1_sunfeast-open-globosport-kolkata-event |archive-date=9 July 2012 |access-date=25 January 2012 |date=15 February 2008 |newspaper=The Times of India |url-status=live |location=New Delhi }}{{cite news |title=AITA's no to private players |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080902/jsp/sports/story_9776243.jsp |access-date=25 January 2012 |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=2 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211949/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080902/jsp/sports/story_9776243.jsp |archive-date=3 November 2013 }}

The Calcutta Rowing Club hosts rowing heats and training events. Kolkata, considered the leading centre of rugby union in India, gives its name to the oldest international tournament in rugby union, the Calcutta Cup.{{cite web |title=Rugby thrives in India |url=http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/qualifying/news/newsid=2028326,printer.htmx |date=30 December 2008 |website=International Rugby Board |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605050912/http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/qualifying/news/newsid%3D2028326%2Cprinter.htmx |archive-date=5 June 2014 }}{{cite web |title=About CCFC |url=http://www.ccfc1792.com/aboutus.php |publisher=Calcutta Cricket & Football Club |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205032240/http://www.ccfc1792.com/aboutus.php |archive-date=5 February 2012 }}{{cite news |last=Nag |first=Shivani |title=Kolkata watches as rugby legacy vanishes year after year |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kolkata-watches-as-rugby-legacy-vanishes-year-after-year/522643/0 |date=29 September 2010 |newspaper=Indian Express |location=New Delhi |access-date=7 December 2011 }} The Automobile Association of Eastern India, established in 1904,{{cite web |title=About AAEI |url=http://www.uraaei.org/about.htm |publisher=Automobile Association of Eastern India |access-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219034834/http://www.uraaei.org/about.htm |archive-date=19 December 2011 }}{{cite journal |date=July–December 1904 |title=The automobile movement in India |journal=The Horseless Age |volume=14 |issue=9 |page=202 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0x7mAAAAMAAJ |access-date=7 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102024457/https://books.google.com/books?id=0x7mAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=2 January 2016 }} and the Bengal Motor Sports Club are involved in promoting motor sports and car rallies in Kolkata and West Bengal.{{cite news |title=India, Bhutan in car rally |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070206/asp/siliguri/story_7354800.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |access-date=7 December 2011 |date=6 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118155246/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070206/asp/siliguri/story_7354800.asp |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}{{cite web |title=About Bengal Motor Sports Club |url=http://bmsc.in/The-Club.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426031837/http://bmsc.in/The-Club.php |archive-date=26 April 2012 |publisher=Bengal Motor Sports Club |access-date=7 December 2011 }} The Beighton Cup, an event organised by the Bengal Hockey Association and first played in 1895, is India's oldest field hockey tournament; it is usually held on the Mohun Bagan Ground of the Maidan.{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Barry |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041204/asp/calcutta/story_4080762.asp |title=All hail hockey on history high |access-date=25 February 2012 |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=4 December 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325011424/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041204/asp/calcutta/story_4080762.asp |archive-date=25 March 2012 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/11/stories/2007041103051900.htm |title=Indian Airlines lift Beighton Cup |access-date=2 April 2012 |department=Sport |location=Chennai, India |date=11 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023073227/http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/11/stories/2007041103051900.htm |archive-date=23 October 2012 |work=The Hindu }} Athletes from Kolkata include Sourav Ganguly, Pankaj Roy and Jhulan Goswami, who are former captains of the Indian national cricket team; Olympic tennis bronze medalist Leander Paes, golfer Arjun Atwal, and former footballers Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, P. K. Banerjee and Subrata Bhattacharya.

{{Main|List of people from Kolkata|}}

There are 70 diplomatic missions in Kolkata, of which 24 are consulate missions, 2 are high commissions and rest are honorary consulates.{{cite web |url=https://embassies.net/india/kolkata |title=List of Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Kolkata }} The U.S. Consulate in Kolkata dates from 19 November 1792 and is the U.S. Department of State's second oldest consulate in the world and the oldest U.S. Consulate in India.{{cite web |url=http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov/15sept2005.html |title=Remarks by U.S. Consul General Henry V. Jardine for the Bharat Chamber Of Commerce |access-date=2008-03-26 |date=15 September 2005 |work=Speeches and Articles, Consulate General of the United States, Kolkata, India |publisher=U.S. Department of State |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807180324/http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov/15sept2005.html |archive-date=7 August 2008 }} The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) is in charge of immigration and registration activities in the city.{{cite web |title=Foreigners Regional Registration Office, Chennai |publisher=Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, India |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/PDF_Other/Addressoffices_25042017.pdf |access-date=5 January 2023 }}

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• {{Flag|Australia}}
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{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in India}}

Kolkata has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world:

{{Div col begin}}

• {{flagicon|Bangladesh}} Dhaka, Bangladesh{{cite news |last=Mazumdar |first=Jaideep |title=A tale of two cities: Will Kolkata learn from her sister? |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/A-tale-of-two-cities-Will-Kolkata-learn-from-her-sister/articleshow/25916888.cms |access-date=17 November 2013 |newspaper=Times of India |date=17 November 2013 |location=New Delhi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723040319/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/A-tale-of-two-cities-Will-Kolkata-learn-from-her-sister/articleshow/25916888.cms |archive-date=23 July 2014 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|China}} Kunming, China (October 2013){{cite news |title=Agreement on the establishment of Sister City Relations between Kolkata, Republic of India and Kunming, People's Republic of China |url=http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/22378/Agreement+on+the+establishment+of+Sister+City+Relations+between+Kolkata+Republic+of+India+and+Kunming+Peoples+Republic+of+China |date=23 October 2013 |access-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054555/http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl%2F22378%2FAgreement+on+the+establishment+of+Sister+City+Relations+between+Kolkata+Republic+of+India+and+Kunming+Peoples+Republic+of+China |archive-date=18 March 2018 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|Greece}} Thessaloniki, Greece (January 2005){{cite news |url=http://elinepa.org/2005/page/3/?lang=en |title=The Twinning of Thessaloniki and Calcutta |date=21 January 2005 |access-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054528/http://elinepa.org/2005/page/3/?lang=en |archive-date=18 March 2018 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|Italy}} Naples, Italy
• {{flagicon|Pakistan}} Karachi, Pakistan{{cite news |title=Islamabad to get new sister city |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1230842 |access-date=17 March 2018 |newspaper=Dawn |date=5 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318182531/https://www.dawn.com/news/1230842 |archive-date=18 March 2018 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|South Korea}} Incheon, South Korea{{cite web |url=http://m.incheon.go.kr/en/intro/sub9.jsp |title=Incheon Metropolitan City – Incheon City – Sister Cities |publisher=Incheon Metropolitan City |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225185307/http://m.incheon.go.kr/en/intro/sub9.jsp |archive-date=25 February 2017 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|Ukraine}} Odesa, Ukraine{{cite web |title=Sister Cities |publisher=Official site of Odesa |url=http://omr.gov.ua/en/cooperation/twin_cities/ |access-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054727/http://omr.gov.ua/en/cooperation/twin_cities/ |archive-date=18 March 2018 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|USA}} Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
• {{flagicon|USA}} Long Beach, California, United States
• {{flagicon|USA}} Dallas, Texas, United States

{{Div col end}}

{{Div col begin}}

• West Bengal
• Kolkata district
• Port of Kolkata
• Cult Critic Review Aggregator
• List of people from Kolkata
• List of tallest buildings in Kolkata
• List of cities in West Bengal by population
• List of districts of West Bengal
• List of children's museums in India

{{Div col end}}

{{clear}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin|35em}}

• {{cite book |last=Mann |given=Michael |year=2022 |title=A British Rome in India. Calcutta – Capital for an Empire |publisher=Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft |location=Worms |isbn=978-3-88462-411-1}}
• {{cite book |last=Chaudhuri |given=S |year=1990 |title=Calcutta: the living City |volume=I and II |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Kolkata |isbn=978-0-19-562585-1}}
• {{cite book |last1=Dutta |given1=Krishna |year=2003 |title=Calcutta: a cultural and literary history |isbn=978-1-902669-59-5 |publisher=Signal Books |location=Oxford, UK |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKfoHi5412UC}}
• {{cite book |last1=Mitra |given1=A |year=1976 |title=Calcutta diary |publisher=Frank Cass |location=London |isbn=978-0-7146-3082-3}}
• {{cite book |last1=Mukherjee |given1=SC |year=1991 |title=The changing face of Calcutta: an architectural approach |location=Kolkata |publisher=Government of West Bengal |asin=B0000D6TXX}}
• {{cite book |last1=Roy |given1=A |year=2002 |title=City requiem, Calcutta: gender and the politics of poverty |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis, US |isbn=978-0-8166-3932-8}}
• {{cite book |last1=Thomas |given1=Frederic C. |year=1997 |title=Calcutta poor: elegies on a city above pretense |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |location=Armonk, New York City |isbn=978-1-56324-981-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=shPmSQBGKRwC}}
• {{cite book |last1=Lapierre |given1=Dominique |year=1985 |title=La cité de la joie (The City of Joy) |publisher=Arrow |location=Kolkata |isbn=978-0-09-914091-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VbURK16m5ysC}}
• {{cite book |last=Singh |first=Malvika |year=2011 |title=Kolkata: A Soul City (Historic and Famed Cities of India) |publisher=Academic Foundation |page=110 |isbn=978-81-7188-886-3}}
• {{cite book |last=Hazra |first=Indrajit |date=1 December 2013 |title=Grand Delusions: A Short Biography of Kolkata |publisher=Aleph Book Company |page=156 |isbn=978-93-82277-28-6}}
• {{cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Amitav |date=22 April 2009 |title=Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery |publisher=Penguin India |page=200 |isbn=978-0-14-306655-2}}
• {{cite book |last=Deb |first=Binaya Krishna |year=1905 |title=The Early History and Growth of Calcutta |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.91187 |quote=calcutta. |location=Harvard University |publisher=Romesh Chandra Ghose |page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.91187/page/n292 278]}}
• {{cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Sukanta |year=1990 |title=Calcutta, the Living City: The past |location=the University of Michigan |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=292 |isbn=978-0-19-562718-3}}
• {{cite book |last=Roy |first=Ananya |date=1 October 2002 |title=City Requiem, Calcutta: Gender and Politics of Poverty |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |page=352 |isbn=978-0-8166-3933-5}}
• {{cite book |last1=Chatterjee |first1=Jayabrato |last2=Khullar |first2=Rupinder |date=1 January 2004 |title=Kolkata: the dream city |location=the University of Michigan |publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors |page=93 |isbn=978-81-7476-471-3}}
• {{cite book |last=Moorhouse |first=Geoffrey |year=1971 |title=Calcutta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ALLbrilUQUC&q=calcutta |publisher=Penguin Books India |page=393 |isbn=978-0-14-009557-9}}
• {{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Partha |year=2012 |title=The Black Hole of Empire: History of a Global Practice of Power |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=425 |isbn=978-0-691-15201-1}}
• {{cite book |last=Chattopadhyay |first=Swati |year=2005 |title=Representing Calcutta: Modernity, Nationalism, and the Colonial Uncanny |publisher=Psychology Press |page=314 |isbn=978-0-415-34359-6}}
• {{cite book |last1=Dey |first1=Ishita |last2=Samaddar |first2=Ranabir |year=2016 |title=Beyond Kolkata: Rajarhat and the Dystopia of Urban Imagination |publisher=Routledge |page=304 |isbn=978-1-134-93137-8}}
• {{cite book |last1=Husain |first1=Zakir |last2=Dutta |first2=Mousumi |year=2013 |title=Women in Kolkata's IT Sector: Satisficing Between Work and Household |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |page=133 |isbn=978-81-322-1593-6}}
• {{cite book |last=Bose |first=Pablo Shiladitya |year=2015 |title=Urban Development in India: Global Indians in the Remaking of Kolkata |publisher=Routledge |page=178 |isbn=978-1-317-59673-8}}
• {{cite book |last1=Ray |first1=Raka |last2=Qayum |first2=Seemin |year=2009 |title=Cultures of Servitude: Modernity, Domesticity, and Class in India |publisher=Stanford University Press |page=255 |author-link=Raka Ray |isbn=978-0-8047-6071-3}}
• {{cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Anindita |title=Claiming the City: Protest, Crime, and Scandals in Colonial Calcutta, c. 1860–1920 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=340 |isbn=978-0-19-946479-1 |year=2016}}
• {{cite book |last=Sanyal |first=Shukla |year=2014 |title=Revolutionary Pamphlets, Propaganda and Political Culture in Colonial Bengal |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=219 |isbn=978-1-107-06546-8}}
• {{cite book |last=Busteed |first=Henry Elmsley |year=1888 |title=Echoes from Old Calcutta: Being Chiefly Reminiscences of the Days of Warren Hastings, Francis, and Impey |publisher=Asian Educational Services |page=359 |isbn=978-81-206-1295-2}}
• {{cite book |last1=Fruzzetti |first1=Lina |last2=Östör |first2=Ákos |year=2003 |title=Calcutta Conversations |publisher=Orient Blackswan |page=242 |isbn=978-81-8028-009-2}}
• {{cite book |last=Richards |first=E. P. |year=2014 |title=The Condition, Improvement and Town Planning of the City of Calcutta and Contiguous Areas: The Richards Report |publisher=Routledge |page=492 |isbn=978-1-317-61700-6}}
• {{cite book |last1=Chatterjee |first1=Arnab |last2=Yarlagadda |first2=Sudhakar |year=2007 |title=Econophysics of Wealth Distributions: Econophys-Kolkata I |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |page=248 |isbn=978-88-470-0389-7}}
• {{cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Tanika |title=Calcutta: The Stormy Decades |publisher=Social Science Press |page=486 |isbn=978-93-83166-07-7 |year=2015}}
• {{cite book |last=Choudhury |first=Ranabir Ray |title=A City in the Making: Aspects of Calcutta's Early Growth |publisher=Niyogi Books |page=564 |isbn=978-93-85285-28-8 |year=2016}}
• {{cite book |last=Banerjee |first=Sumanta |year=2016 |title=Memoirs of Roads: Calcutta from Colonial Urbanization to Global Modernization |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=192 |isbn=978-0-19-946810-2}}

{{Refend}}

• [https://www.kmcgov.in/ Kolkata Municipal Corporation]
• [https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/destinations/kolkata.html Kolkata] – Incredible India

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