Kolkata

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

INDEX Page No
3
Topic 4
About Kolkata 6
9
History 12
Geography 14
Important Monuments of Kolkata 17
Famous Roads of Kolkata 18
Famous People born in Kolkata 19
Famous Buildings in Kolkata 20
Tall Buildings of Kolkata 22
Science City & Nicco Park 25
Shopping Malls in Kolkata 33
Important Points that can be in the Quiz about Kolkata 33
Wards & Councilors of Kolkata
Important Fairs in Kolkata
Reference

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Kolkata

About Kolkata
Kolkata (also known as Calcutta, the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian
State of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it is the principal
commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India, while the Port of Kolkata is India's
oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. In 2014, it has an estimated population of
4.6 million, which makes it the 7th most populous city in India. Kolkata has an estimated
population of 4.6 million. The largest urban area that includes the suburbs has a population of
more than 14.3 million, which makes it India's 3rd most populous metropolitan area. The city
has a very high population density of 24,000 people per square kilometer, or 63,000 per square
mile. This is one of the world's highest densities.

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History
The discovery and archaeological study of Chandraketugarh, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of
Kolkata, provide evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited for over
two millennia. 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, an administrator
who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city; In response to a
public petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder. The
area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur,
and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village. They
were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor; the jagirdari (a land grant bestowed by
a king on his noblemen) taxation rights to the villages were held by the Sabarna Roy
Choudhury family of landowners, or zamindars. These rights were transferred to the East India
Company in 1698.

In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William, located on the east bank of the
Hooghly River to protect their trading factory. Facing frequent skirmishes with French forces, the
British began to upgrade their fortifications in 1756. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah,
condemned the militarization and tax evasion by the company. His warning went unheeded, and
the Nawab attacked; he captured Fort William which led to the killings of several East India
company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta.

A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city
the following year. As 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. Declared
a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1772.

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

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largely responsible for the development of the city and its public architecture. Throughout the
late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade.

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. The city underwent rapid industrial growth starting in the early 1850s, especially in the
textile and jute industries; these encouraged British companies to massively invest in
infrastructure projects, which included telegraph connections and Howrah railway station. The
coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new B class of urbane
Indians, whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, and
Anglophiles; they usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities. In the 19th century,
the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased socio-cultural sophistication among city
denizens. In 1883, Calcutta was host to the first national conference of the Indian National
Association, the first avowed nationalist organization in India.

The British moved the capital to New Delhi in 1911. Calcutta continued to be a centre
for revolutionary organizations 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. Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 due
to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors. Demands for the creation of a
Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over
4,000. The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left
for East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the
city.

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. The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 led to a massive
influx of thousands of refugees, many of them penniless that strained Kolkata's
infrastructure. During the mid-1980s, Mumbai (then called Bombay) overtook Kolkata as India's
most populous city.

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In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dubbed Kolkata a "dying city" in light of its socio-political
woes. 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. In the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, 2011, Left Front was defeated
by the Trinamool Congress. 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 revitalized Kolkata's stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing
marked growth in its manufacturing base.

Geography
Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the
lower Ganges Delta of eastern India; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft). Much of the city
was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning
population.

The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a
"wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975). 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.

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 25 km (16 mi) wide at a depth of about 45,000 m
(148,000 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 7,500 m (24,600 ft) above the crystalline basement; of these
the top 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) is quaternary, followed by 4,500–5,500 m (14,760–

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18,040 ft) of tertiary sediments, 500–700 m (1,640–2,300 ft) trap wash of cretaceous trap and
600–800 m (1,970–2,620 ft) 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 250–650 m
(820–2,130 ft); the upper one 10–40 m (30–130 ft) in thickness. According to the Bureau of
Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to
earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III.

Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the
lower Ganges Delta of eastern India; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft). The Kolkata
metropolitan area is spread over 1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi) and comprises 3 municipal
corporations (including Kolkata Municipal Corporation), 39 local municipalities and 24 panchayat
samitis, as of 2011.

The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, as of
2006. Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following
districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Nadia. Kolkata, which
is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of
185 km2 (71 sq mi). 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 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to
section the city into North, Central, and South Kolkata.

North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterized by 19th-century architecture and
narrow alleyways, it includes areas such
as Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Chitpur, Cossipore, Baranagar, Sinthee, and Dum Dum.

Central Kolkata hosts the central business district. It contains B. B. D. Bagh, formerly known as
Dalhousie Square, and the Esplanade on its east; Strand Road is on its west. The West Bengal

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Secretariat, General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, 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 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani,
and A. J. C. Bose Road. The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been
called the "lungs of Kolkata" and accommodates sporting events and public
meetings. 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
Strand Road, along the Hooghly River.

South Kolkata developed after India gained independence in 1947; It includes upscale
neighbourhoods such as Ballygunge, Alipore, New
Alipore, Lansdowne, Bhowanipore, Tollygunge, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf
Green, Jadavpur, and Kasba. From south-west to south-east, outlying areas include Garden
Reach, Behala, Thakurpukur, Kudghat, Ranikuthi, Bansdroni, Baghajatin, and Garia. 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 sited east of
Bidhannagar. In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for
information technology and telecommunication companies. Both Bidhannagar and New Town
are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipalities. Fort
William, on the western part of the city, houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command of
the Indian Army; its premises are under the jurisdiction of the army.

The old Kolkata Business District (CBD) is the seat of the West Bengal Government, and it
houses other state government offices as well. The newer CBD is around the south of Park
Street, Camac Street (Abanindranath Tagore Sarani) and AJC Bose Road. Several high-rise
office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings — such as the Chatterjee
International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building — are located
here.

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The Maidan is a large field situated between the river Ganges and Jawaharlal Nehru
Road (earlier called Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the Lungs of Calcutta. The meadow
also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several other sports clubs. In an effort to
relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office
buildings lining Bidhan Nagar's Central Park area.

Important Monuments of Kolkata
Kolkata, famously known as the ‘City of Joy’, is not just another metro city, but has an important
place in the history of India. It was the first capital of the British rulers when they had just started
building their system of administration to empower their position in the country. The city has
gone through multiple transformations industrially and culturally since its formation.

Victoria Memorial
The grand white palace amidst the lush green gardens not only overwhelms the visitors, it also
offers a time-machine ride back to the British age. The plan of this monument to memorize
Queen Victoria, was conceived by Viceroy Lord Curzon. And the idea took shape through the
beautiful imagination of Sir William Emerson. White Makrana marbles were used to build the
elegant structure. Its style is inspired by the British and the Mughal architectural trends. The
museum inside the Victoria Memorial has a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, coins, maps,
weapons and other interesting items from the historical ages.

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple
Dakshineswar Kali temple in Kolkata has a glorious past. It was built by Rani Rasmoni, a pious
lady from an aristocratic background. She purchased a huge plot of land beside the Hoogly
river and established the Kali temple in 1855. Along with the main Kali temple, there are twelve
temples of lord Shiva in his twelve different names. The temple construction follows the typical
architectural pattern of Bengal.

Lord Sri Ramakrishna was the famous priest of this temple, after his elder brother. He resided
here with his wife Sri Ma Sarada Devi and it was a place of gathering for his devotees. This

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place is not just a temple, but a place where a great spiritual revolution took place during the
19th Century.

Marble Palace
The Royal palace of Raja Rajendra Mullick, built in 1835, is the witness of the high-class taste of
Bengal during the British ages. Marble Palace being made of milky white marble, speaks for the
grandeur of its maker. The grand pillars, wide courtyards and artistic architecture bear the
signature of the aristocracy of the then rich class of Bengal. Inside, it has a rich collection of
paintings and artworks, by famous artists like Titian, Ruben, Murillo and others. The visitors
need to have the permit from the West Bengal Tourism Information Bureau, 24 hours prior to
visiting the palace. The palace is a residence of the heirs of the royal family.

Indian Museum
A renowned scholar, sir William Jones, established the Asiatic society in Kolkata in 1784, with a
view to promoting the growth of culture and art. It became an enriched gathering of reputed
scholars who wanted to ensure the growth and preservation of the Indian culture. In 1808,
The Indian Museum first took shape through the earnest efforts of the Asiatic society members.
Now it is the biggest museum in India and also in the Asia-Pacific region. The museum has
different segments of collections, to name, the Zoological, Archaeological, Geological,
Anthropological, Art and Culture and a few more segments. Locally it is known as the
‘Jadughar’, and you need a whole day or even more than one days, to cover the entire Museum.

Fort William
Fort William, one of the oldest historical tombs in Kolkata, dates back to the seventeenth
Century. There are the old fort and the new fort; The East India Company built up the first fort in
1696. It was captured by the then Bengal ruler Siraj Ud Daulah; the company built a second fort
in Maidan. The old fort was regained by the company in 1766. The fort was named after the
King of England and Ireland, King William III. The brick and mortar fort is built in a geometric
design. It has six gates including the Chowringhee and the Treasury gate. Presently it is owned
by the Indian Army.

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Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge is the gateway to Kolkata. Built on the Hooghly River, in West Bengal, India, is
said to be the busiest bridge of the world. It got its name as it connects the city of Howrah to
Calcutta. It is also known by the name 'Rabindra Setu'. It situates on two 270 feet high pillars,
705 meters long and 97 feet wide. Calcutta Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was
built without using any nuts and bolts. Howrah Bridge has eight vehicular ways and two
footpaths. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the
Vivekananda Setu that are located at different points over the hoogly river. This bridge acts as a
significant symbol of Kolkata. Its best view is from the middle of the river. The ferries running
from below Howrah Station are a more convenient way to cross the river and give a excellent
view of the bridge. So during your Kolkata Tour you cannot miss the opportunity to witness such
a precious spot.

Kali Temple
Goddess Kali is the guardian deity of Kolkata. Kalighat is one of the most sacred Kali temples in
Kolkata. The original temple is said to have been built more than 350 years ago.A legend goes
that when sati, Lord Siva’s consort, was destroyed by the Sudarshan Chakra one of her fingers
fell here.It is a great pilgrimage site of the Hindus and is situated at Kalighat by the side of
Tolly’s Nullah. The idol of Goddess Kali is made of black stone and it is decorated with gold and
silver. The one of Lord Shiva is made in silver. The pujas and other festivals of light, crackers
and colorful processions associated with Navarathri celebrations are hallmarks and highlights of
the festivals conducted in honour of Goddess Kali.

Shaheed Minar
The Shaheed Minar, formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument is a monument
in Kolkata that was erected in 1828 in memory of Major-general Sir David Ochterlony,
commander of the British East India Company, to commemorate both his successful defense
of Delhi against the Marathas in 1804 and the victory of the East India Company’s armed forces
over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War. The monument was constructed in his memory. It
was designed by J.P. Parker and paid for from public funds.

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Famous Roads of Kolkata
College Street is a ~1.5 km long street in central Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It
stretches (approximately) from Ganesh Chandra Avenue Crossing in Bowbazar area
to Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing. Its name derives from the presence of many colleges,
housing many centres of intellectual activity especially the Indian Coffee House, a café that has
attracted the city's intelligentsia for decades.

Park Street officially Mother Teresa Sarani and earlier Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city
of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah
Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence the earlier
name. Its latest name was given by Kolkata Municipal Corporation in honour of Mother Teresa.

Camac Street (renamed Abanindranath Tagore Sarani) is a street running in the central
business district of Kolkata, India, from Park Street to AJC Bose Road. The road was named
after William Camac, a senior merchant in the days of Lord Cornwallis and Lord Wellesley. In
the mid-1970s, the Park Street 'razzmatazz' spilled onto Camac Street which is, today,
considered to be a high street of Kolkata with many commercial establishments & high end
shopping destinations, with lots of shopping malls, boutiques, restaurants and stand alone retail
outlets.

Chinatown in the eastern part of the city of Kolkata, is the only Chinatown in India. The locality
was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese; now the population has dropped to approximately
2,000. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the
nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese
restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food.

Lindsay Street is a street connecting Chowringhee Avenue with Mirza Ghalib Street (previously
known as Free School Street) in Calcutta. New Market, Globe Cinema, Badshah restaurant bar
and Hotel Lindsay are some important landmarks on this street. Also known as Hogg Market, it
used to be an upscale shopping area. It houses the famous Jewish Bakery, Nahoum. During

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Christmas, new market stores sell Christmas ornaments, fake Christmas Trees and fruit cakes
which are traditional Christmas Day breakfast for Kolkatans of all religions.
Mirza Ghalib Street, previously known as Free School Street, is a street that joins S. N.
Banerjee Road with Park Street in Central Kolkata. Lindsay Street and Sudder Street are some
of the important streets that cross the Free School Street. The used book and record shops
sport an eclectic collection due to trade with generations of budget travellers the World over.
The street also has the house William Makepeace Thackeray was born in, the West Bengal Fire
Services headquarters, and Kalman's, a shop of Hungarian origin. Mirza Ghalib Street dining
can be eclectic, with Shamiana - offering cheap Mughlai cuisine, Prince and Princess cheap
Bengali cuisine, and Mocambo upscale continental dining, to name a few.
Shakespeare Sarani (earlier Theater Road) is a street running in the central business district
of Kolkata, India, from Park Circus to Jawaharlal Nehru Road (Chowringhee Road). It was
renamed on April 24, 1964 after William Shakespeare, to mark the fourth birth centenary of the
legendary playwright. It considered to be a high street of Kolkata with many commercial
establishments, offices, shops and restaurants situated by the road. It intersects with other
important roads in the CBD like AJC Bose Road & APC Road, Camac Street, Loudon Street
and Rawdon Street. Few other roads like, Little Russel Street, Wood Street, Picasso Bithi &
Lord Sinha Road criss-crosses or merge into Shakespeare Sarani from North or South.

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Famous People born in Kolkata
Five Nobel Prize winners have been associated with Kolkata:

 Sir Ronald Ross (1902, Medicine)
 Rabindranath Tagore (1913, Literature; first Asian to win the Nobel Prize)
 C V Raman (1930, Physics)
 Mother Teresa (1979, Peace)
 Amartya Sen (1998, Economics)

Famous personalities born in Kolkata include:

Poets:
 Sukanta Bhattacharya
 Buddhadev Bose
 Shakti Chattopadhyay
 Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury
 Jibanananda Das
 Satyendranath Dutta
 Sunil Gangopadhyay
 Joy Goswami
 Kaji Nazrul Islam
 Premendra Mitra
 Subhas Mukhopadhyay
 Purnendu Patri
 Annada Shankar Ray
 Dwijendralal Ray
 Tarapada Ray
 Sukumar Ray
 Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Laureate

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Authors, philosophers
 Syed Mujtaba Ali
 Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
 Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
 Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
 Nirad C. Chaudhuri
 Michael Madhusudan Dutt
 Swami Vivekananda

Reformers
 Raja Ram Mohan Roy
 Keshab Chandra Sen

Scientists
 Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose
 Satyendra Nath Bose
 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
 Subhash Mukhopadhyay
 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy
 Meghnad Saha

Freedom fighters
 Sri Aurobindo
 Rash Behari Bose
 Chittaranjan Das
 Jatindra Nath Das
 Badal Gupta
 Dinesh Gupta
 Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

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 Bidhan Chandra Roy
Cinema Personalities

 Satyajit Ray, who won the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, lived in Kolkata and
is considered among the four greatest directors of film history. Other notable filmmakers
from Kolkata include:

 Buddhadeb Dasgupta
 Ritwik Ghatak
 Hrishikesh Mukherjee
 Tapan Sinha
 Mrinal Sen

Notable actors
 Uttam Kumar
 Utpal Dutt
 Soumitra Chatterjee
 Suchitra Sen

Magician
Kolkata is the magic capital of India and has produced internationally famous magicians and
performers, including:

 P.C. Sorcar
 P.C. Sorcar, Jr.
 P.C. Sorcar, Young

Sports
Olympic medalists

 Norman Pritchard, track and field, 1900
 Richard James Allen, hockey, 1928, 1932, 1936
 Leslie Claudius, hockey, 1924, 1928, 1936
 Gurbux Singh, hockey, 1964, 1968

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 Vece Paes, hockey, 1980
 Leander Adrian Paes, tennis, 1996
Other sportspersons
 Sourav Ganguly, cricketer, former India national cricket team's captain
 Chhanda Gayen, mountaineer, first Bengali woman to summit Mount Everest
 Pankaj Roy, cricketer
 Chuni Goswami, footballer

Famous Buildings in Kolkata

Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team
and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a venue for Test, One
Day International and Twenty20 International matches.

The General Post Office, Kolkata, is the central post office of the city of Kolkata, India, and the
chief post office of West Bengal.

Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West
Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge,
because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the two cities of Howrah and
Kolkata.

The Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Jorasanko, north of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is the
ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is currently located on the Rabindra Bharati University
campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane Jorasanko, Kolkata 700007. It is the house in which
the poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the
place where he spent most of his childhood and died on 7 August 1941.

A seat of spirituality and the headquarters of a monastic order set up by Sri Ramakrishna.
Swami Vivekanada, the foremost disciple of the 19th century saint, spent the last years of his
life here after establishing the Belur Math. The place where he took Samadhi still stands within

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the premises. A separate temple facing the river is for the saint's equally revered wife, Ma
Sharada.
Salt Lake Stadium or Yuva Bharati Krirangan is a multipurpose stadium in Bidhannagar,
Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the second largest stadium in India by capacity after the Eden
Gardens.

St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral of the Church of North India - a united church
which is part of the Anglican Communion - in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the seat of the
Diocese of Calcutta

The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building in Kolkata, West Bengal, India which was built
between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and is now a museum
and tourist destination under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture

Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a toll bridge over the Hooghly
River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata. With a total length of 823 metres,
Vidyasagar Setu is the longest cable–stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia.

The Writers' Building, often shortened to just Writers ', is the secretariat building of the State
Government of West Bengal in India. It is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. It
housed the office of the Chief Minister of West Bengal till 4 October 2013.

Tall Buildings of Kolkata
Kolkata has numerous high-rises in Chowringhee which is the Central Business District Area or
CBD of the city.

 Urbana is currently the tallest building in the city with a height of 168 metres (551 ft)
consisting of 46 floors

 Chatterjee International Center (24 floors) was the tallest office building in the city and
also the tallest of its type in all of Eastern India with a height of 91 metres (299 ft).

 Tata Centre (18 floors), 79.2 metres (260 ft)

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 Everest House (21 floors), 84 metres (276 ft)
 The 42 will rise to a height of 252 metres (827 ft) and will comprise 56 residential

apartments and one duplex at the top two floors. Once completed, 'The 42' will be the
tallest structure in Kolkata, as well as the eastern India.
Science City & Nicco Park
 Science City, Kolkata is the largest science centre in the Indian
subcontinent under National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture,
Government of India, is at the crossing of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and J B S
Haldane avenue, Kolkata. It is considered by some people as the most distinguished
landmark in post-independence Kolkata.
 Nicco Park is an amusement park in India, located in Salt Lake City, Kolkata. The park
was created to attract tourists to the state by providing family-friendly recreation as well
as educative entertainment. Nicco Park opened on 13 October 1991 and has since been
referred to as the Disneyland of West Bengal.

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Shopping Malls in Kolkata

Visiting malls is loved by all because numerous stores are housed in one complex. Malls
provide best shopping experiences, social gatherings, entertainment, performances, product
launches, promotions, festivals. The list of events at the malls goes on and on. So, here is a list
of the best six malls of Kolkata.

South City Mall
This is arguably one of the best malls Kolkata has, in addition to being the biggest shopping
mall in West Bengal. This shopping paradise has all you need including stores of Guess,
Forever New, Jack and Jones, Vero Moda, Chemistry, The Body Shop, Marks & Spencers,
Catwalk, Lacoste, Arrow, Ritu Kumar and Satya Paul, to name a few.

Quest Mall
Quest mall is a paradise for brand lovers. It has stores of Gucci, Emporio Armani, Michael Kors,
MAC, Mango, Burberry, Tumi, Nautica and Rolex, among others. It also has a Lifestyle, with a
varied and great collection of clothing brands, Spencers, Claire’s for lovers of accessories,
Starmark for bookworms, The Gadget Store and Bose for electronic-freaks and also Party
Hunterz for party supplies.

Forum Courtyard
Forum Courtyard offers its customers a variety of brands, the gourmet experience of a multi –
cuisine fine dining, a food court and a mall culture which has grown many folds since its
opening. Spread across two hundred and forty thousand square feet, this lifestyle shopping mall
houses some well-known brands like Shopper’s Stop, Levi’s, Cottonworld, Color Plus and
Swarovski, some of which have introduced their brands to the city using Forum Courtyard as the
launch platform.

Mani Square
This mall has numerous stores for shopping, gaming, trinkets and also fabulous
eateries. Clothing and related stores include UCB, Zodiac, Stanza, Adidas, Lee Cooper, Levi’s,

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Tissot, AND, Little Shop, Raymond’s, Strauss, Eye Catchers, Dockers and Blues and
Blues. You can meet all your cravings at McDonald’s, Flame and Grill, Mio Amore Restaurant,
KFC, The Belgian Bakery, The Arab Knights and more.
City Centre 1
One of the biggest malls in the city, it houses a variety of stores ranging from Nike and Adidas
to Biba and Blackberry. It also has an Inox Multiplex. Restaurants range from Afraa, Haka, KFC,
Pizza Hut, Caught n Bowled and Kaafila amongst others.
Acropolis Mall
Acropolis Mall is a 5 floor Mall including four screen multiplex, family and children entertainment
areas, food courts, fine dining restaurants, infinity pool and luxury office spaces and a lot
more. Some of the more in-demand and popular brands which have opened up here include –
Vero Moda, ONLY, Jack & Jones, W, Global Desi and Woodlands amongst loads of others!

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

Important Points that can be in the Quiz about Kolkata
 In terms of area covered, Kolkata is the second-largest city in India, after New Delhi.

 To the British rulers, Kolkata, the then Calcutta, was the most important city in India (it
was India’s capital too), and the second most important city of the whole British Empire,
after London.

 We often refer to the city as the “city of joy”, but it has other names—“city of palaces”,
“city of processions” and the “cultural capital of India”.

 In terms of the unique trains it daily handles, the Howrah Station is the busiest in India.

 Kolkata has the oldest zoo in the country.

 Howrah Bridge seems to be the identity of the city—but it’s the one of the largest
cantilever bridges in the world.

 In Sir Ronald Ross, C.V. Raman, Rabindranath Tagore, Amartya Sen and Mother
Teresa, Kolkata has found five brilliant scholars and Nobel laureates — the most in any
Asian mainland city (except Tokyo and Kyoto). Satyajit Ray was one of the first Oscar
winners in the country.

 The National Library of India, situated in Kolkata, is the largest public library in the
country.

 Calcutta Polo Club is the oldest one in the world.

 The Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the first golf club ever, outside the United Kingdom.

 Kolkata has Eden Gardens – the 3rd largest in the world.

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 Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second oldest cricket club in the world after
MCC: the Mecca of Cricket.

 Founded in 1898, the Calcutta Football League is the oldest football tournament in the
country, and the second oldest in the world.

 Kolkata is a book lover’s paradise. In fact, College Street is widely referred to as the
second largest second-hand book market in the world.

 Calcutta is one of the fewest cities in the world, to have Trams.

 Kolkata is the only city in India with hand-pulled rickshaws.

 There’s a saying that what Calcutta thinks today, India thinks tomorrow—true that! After
more than 2 decades of the metro railways (or the rapid transit system), Delhi has had
one, and Mumbai is thinking of having one.

 The botanical garden of Kolkata has been the house of the world’s largest tree:
An enormous banyan tree whose circumference is more than 330 meters.

 Kolkata might be the city of temples and palaces, but little known is the fact that the Birla
Planetarium in Kolkata is the largest planetarium in Asia, and the second largest in the
world.

 Founded on 19th November, 1792, the U.S. Consulate in Calcutta is the second oldest
consulate of the U.S Department of State. It is located on the Chowringhee Road, near
Maidan.

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

 After the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair, Kolkata Book fair is recognized
as the world’s largest conglomeration of books! Besides, it’s one of a kind and Asia’s
largest book fair—it is also the most-attended book fair in the world.

 The Kolkata Book fair is the world’s largest non-trade book fair.
 The Khidderpore Port is the oldest port in India besides being the only riverine port in the

country. Besides, the replica of the Hooghly River Port is the only representative of India
at the Asian Cities Sector in the Metropolitan Museum (MET), New York.

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Wards & Councilors of Kolkata

1 SITA JAISWARA
2 PUSPALI SINHA
3 DR SANTANU SEN
4 GOUTAM HALDAR
5 TARUN SAHA
6 SUMAN SINGH
7 BAPI GHOSH
8 PARTHA MITRA
9 MITALI SAHA
10 KARUNA SENGUPTA
11 ATIN GHOSH
12 PRANATI BHATTACHARJEE
13 ANINDA KISHORE ROUTH
14 AMAL CHAKRABORTY(BHOLA)
15 SUKHLA BHORE
16 SADHAN SAHA
17 MOHAN KUMAR GUPTA

18 SUNANDA SARKAR

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

19 SIKHA SAHA
20 VIJAY UPADHYAY
21 SUJATA SAHA
22 MINA DEVI PUROHIT
23 VIJAY OJHA
24 ELLORA SAHA
25 SMITA BAKSHI
26 TARAK NATH CHATTOPADHYAY
27 MINAKSHI GUPTA
28 IQBAL AHMED
29 PRAKASH KUMAR UPADHYAY
30 PAPIYA GHOSH(BISWAS)
31 SUNANDA GUHA
32 KUNDU SANTI RANJAN
33 PABITRA BISWAS
34 ALOKANANDA DAS
35 ASHUTOSH DAS
36 RAJESH KHANNA
37 SOMA CHAUDHURI

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

38 SADHANA BOSE
39 MD JASIMUDDIN
40 SWAPAN DAS
41 REITA CHOWDHURY
42 SUNITA JHAWAR
43 SHAGUFTA PARVEEN
44 REHANA KHATOON
45 SANTOSH KUMAR PATHAK
46 GOPAL CHANDRA SAHA
47 SUMAN SINGH
48 SATYENDRA NATH DEY (BULU

DA)
49 APARAJITA DASGUPTA
50 MOUSUMI DEY
51 SANCHITA MONDAL
52 SANDIPAN SAHA
53 INDRANI SAHA BANERJEE
54 AMIRUDDIN (BOBBY)
55 ARUN KUMAR DAS
56 DIPALI DAS

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

57 JIBAN KUMAR SAHA
58 SWAPAN SAMADDAR
59 JALY BOSE
60 KAISER JAMIL

61 MANZAR IQBAL
62 SANA AHMED
63 SUSMITA

BHATTACHARYA(CHATTERJEE
)

64 IQBAL AHMED
65 NIBEDITA SHARMA
66 AHMED FAIZ KHAN
67 BIJAN LAL MUKHERJEE
68 SUDARSHANA MUKHERJEE
69 SUKDEV CHAKRABARTY
70 ASHIM KUMAR BOSE
71 PAPIA SINGH
72 SANDIP RANJAN

BAKSHI(BABU)
73 RATAN MALAKAR
74 DEBALINA BISWAS

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75 BELQUIS BEGUM
76 SASTI DAS
77 SHAMIMA REHAN KHAN
78 NEZAMUDDIN SHAMS
79 RAM PYARE RAM
80 MD.ANWAR KHAN
81 JUI BISWAS
82 PRANAB BISWAS
83 MANJUSREE MAJUMDAR
84 PARAMITA CHATTERJEE
85 DEBASISH KUMAR (DEBA)
86 TISHTA BISWAS(DAS)
87 SUBRATA GHOSH
88 MALA ROY
89 MAMATA MAJUMDAR
90 BAISWANOR CHATTERJEE
91 ANNAPURNA DAS
92 MADHUCHHANDA DEB
93 RATAN DEY

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

94 ARCHANA SENGUPTA
95 TAPAN DASGUPTA
96 DEBABRATA MAJUMDER
97 MITALI BANERJEE
98 MRITYUNJOY CHAKRABORTY

(PRADIP)
99 DEBASISH MUKHERJEE
100 SUSMITA DAM
101 BAPPADITYA DASGUPTA
102 RINKU NASKAR
103 NANDITA ROY
104 TARAKESWAR CHAKRABORTY
105 TARUN MONDAL
106 MADHUMITA CHAKRABORTY
107 SUSHANTA KUMAR GHOSH
108 SHYAMAL BANERJEE
109 ANANYA BANERJEE
110 ARUP CHAKRABORTY
111 CHAYAN BHATTACHARYA
112 ANITA KAR MAJUMDAR

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

113 GOPAL RAY
114 BISWAJIT MANDAL
115 RATNA SUR
116 KRISHNA SINGH
117 SAILEN DASGUPTA
118 TARAK SINGH
119 ASHOKA MONDAL
120 SUSANTA GHOSH(BUA)
121 MANIK LAL CHATTERJEE
122 SOMA CHAKRABORTY
123 SUDIP POLLEY(NANI)
124 RAJIB KUMAR DAS
125 GHANASHREE BAGH
126 SHIPRA GHATAK
127 NIHAR BHAKTA
128 RATNA ROY MAJUMDER
129 SANHITA DAS
130 AVIJIT MUKHERJEE
131 SOVAN CHATTERJEE

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

132 SANCHITA MITRA
133 RANAJIT SHIL
134 SHAMS IKBAL
135 AKHTARI NIJAMI
136 SHAMSUZZAMAN ANSARI
137 REHMAT ALAM ANSARI
138 BEGUM TAPSIRA
139 AFTAB UDDIN AHMED
140 ABU MD TARIK
141 MAMTAJ BEGAM
142 RAGHUNATH PATRA
143 INDRAJIT BHATTACHARYA
144 SHEFALI PRAMANIK(PATRA)

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MY CITY - KOLKATA

Important Fairs in Kolkata
1. The International Kolkata Book Fair in Milan Mela Ground
2. India International Mega Trade Fair in Milan Mela Ground
3. Lexpo Fair in Kolkata Maidan
4. Kolkata Jewellery & Gem Fair in Eco Park
5. Crafts Bazaar in Kolkata Maidan
6. Handloom Expo in Kolkata Maidan

Reference:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Kolkata
 http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/kolkata-population/
 http://www.transindiatravels.com/west-bengal/kolkata/historic-places-and-monuments-in-
kolkata/
 http://www.mantraholidays.com/top-indian-states/west-bengal/west-
bengal/attractions/monuments.html
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaheed_Minar,_Kolkata
 http://www.touristlink.com/india/kolkata/cat/famous-streets.html
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Kolkata
 http://www.ranker.com/list/kolkata-buildings-and-structures/reference
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Kolkata
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_42_(Kolkata)
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_City_Kolkata
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicco_park
 https://www.whatsuplife.in/kolkata/blog/famous-best-shopping-malls-in-kolkata/
 http://topyaps.com/25-mind-blowing-facts-kolkata-even-bengalis-hardly-know
 https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/jsp/Councillors10.jsp
 www.kolkatabookfair.net/
 https://www.tradeindia.com/TradeShows/.../India-International-Mega-Tra..
 kolkata.jewelleryfair.in/

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