Kolkata ( ; IPA2: 'kolkat̪a), formerly Calcutta, also known as "Twitbird" is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in eastern India on the east bank of the River Hooghly. When referred to as "Kolkata", it usually includes the suburbs, and thus its population exceeds 15 million, making it India's third-largest city and urban agglomeration.

Calcutta served as the capital of India during the British Raj until 1911. Once the centre of modern education, industry, science, culture and politics in India, Kolkata has witnessed intense political violence, clashes and economic stagnation since 1954. Since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has spurred in the city's growth. But Kolkata's major mark is as the Cultural capital of India. It is often said that "What Kolkata thinks today, Bengal thinks tomorrow and the rest of India, - Day after tomorrow" as a salutation to the Bengali intellect which showered this city with Nobel prizes and other international awards.

With Satelite townships like Salt Lake City or Bidhannagar, Howrah, Kalyani, Rajarhat, Dankuni, Barasat,Kolkata West International City, Maheshtala, Dunlop, Chandannagar, Jadavpur and other new cities,- Kolkata continues to offer the best of city life in todays India. Kolkata's advantage being its top notch medical and educational institutions, circular railways, intra-city railways, Metro railway and outstanding and well-planned Bus Services.

Kolkata is noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist and trade union movements. Indian Freedom strugle, all major political uprisals including 1857 Freedom strugle was initiated and mastermined by the Bengali revolutionary mass.

Name

The name Kolkata and the anglicised name Calcutta have their root in Kalikata, the name of one of the three villages (Kalikata, Sutanuti, Govindapur) in the area before the arrival of the British.Harv: 1991 "Kalikata", in turn, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra (lang: কালীক্ষেত্র, "Land of goddess Kālī"). Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila ("flat area"). Again, the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, Khal, followed by Katta (which may mean dug). While the city's name was always pronounced "Kolkata" in the local Bengali language, its official English name was only changed from "Calcutta" to "Kolkata" in 2001, reflecting the Bengali pronunciation. Some view this as a move to erase the legacy of British rule.

History

main: History of Kolkata image:St Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata.jpg