View allAll Photos Tagged objectivity
...and the final product. I believe it was a lines filter... anyway...
I like.... how you can still tell what it is. It still has the beauty of the original shot- still won't tell you where....
I don't like how white the majority of the sky is... but if I moved the tab anywhere else, it would do one of two things- 1) become beyond recognition or 2) no longer look like it was filtered. Instead it simply looked horribly photoshopped.
(16/20)
Objective number two was the Matterhorn (4478 m), which we climbed from Italy via the Cresta del Leone. Here Nils dons crampons for the first snow field on the Testa del Leone
The objective of Cash for work (CfW) activities is to support the immediate recovery of communities affected by the conflict while encouraging the revitalization of the local economy and reinforcing social cohesion. Members of the community are selected following vulnerability criteria and gender equality and work for 20 days in large mixed groups in exchange of a payment. The works improve the environment of the whole population. Photo: Amanda Nero I IOM
{This is not a test, what you are seeing is real. Straight Out of the Camera, No Photoshop!! Some but not all photos slightly Adjusted in Camera Raw and Saved to Jpeg}
My Chinon CS film camera from about 1975, I guess with it's 2 objectives. i bought these with a camera bag and the total price was 35€ at flea market.
This was done for a comparison between Flash and xCode/Interface Builder iphone development. See the adjacent pictures...
large size: www.flickr.com/photos/danzen/4426553668/sizes/l/
Schefflera (umbrella plant) carries numerous stomata on its lower surface only, in a chaotic pattern.
Objective Observations: The Whim of Camareros... Are they whipping their Santos into bad shape?
For the longest time, it seemed to me, that the practice of applying cosmetics or make-up on the painted skin or encarna of santos was the stuff of urban legend among camareros and image owners that travels through the rumor mill once certain religious images are exhibited in the one-too-many exhibits that are frequented by a few nouveau image owners that seem to join these self-indulgent displays one after the other [like those constant staples from one Bikini Open Contests from town fiesta to town fiesta over the summer].
Far be it for me to discourage anything that can improve the image by any aesthetic means, I find the practice of putting make-up on the face of santos rather despicable. Case in point, the famous urban legend of Rafael del Casal having a hissy-fit when the La Naval was given a touch-up, specifically a blush by the couturier who was dressing it, using moistened 'papel de hapon'to extract the pink or red dye,and used it as blush-on. This incident is probably the most popular caveat for all image owners that the encarnacion or the lifelike rendering of the cabeza y manos of any image ideally should not be subject to oil-based cosmetics that are intended for use on human skin. For me, the encarna of a santo is something that is final and must never be the subject of the next 'parloric' makeover due to three things.
First, in the artistry that goes with encarnacion, the encarnador's intention to show slight nuances -whether they be pinkish tints, veins, or even bruises- convey the finality of the sculpture as it is captured in that sort of "moment in time" wherein the storytelling of the image is in suspension for all to see. What is clearly displayed by certain individuals in playing beautician with their rebultos is their personal dissatisfaction over their image; that there is something seriously lacking with the image or the encarna that such acts need to be committed.
Second, this shows a lack of understanding on the behaviour of paints and pigments or finishes utilized by the escultor and the encarnador. One can understand the desperation of some herederos of a century old Cristo I am currently restoring to apply eyeliner on the Cristo's beard when the paint was peeling and the gesso was exposed because they want him to look good during the procession. It is another to play by your fancy and do make-up that looks like a mortician from some far-flung town applied it. Cosmetics are meant for use on human skin. It matters not if you use MAC Cosmetics on your image, the fact remains that these were developed for living skin. If used over the encarna, constant contact with the oils occurring in the make-up and the paint or finish of the santo will definitely cause some damage in the near future. On the other hand, the attitude of "Madali naman magpa-encarna ulit" shows a serious lack of judgment and the underlying attitude of the image owners that advocate this practice.
Third, in respect to tradition, it simply is not done. While many of us consider the rebultos/santos we own as living companions subject to the reverence and care we give a respected member of the family, what we consider "external acts of devotion" if non-existent in the traditional framework or practice should not be experimented upon. Many a Santo Nino are bathed and dressed like babies because there already is an existing century old or older tradition for it. Some Santo Entierros are also washed, smoked with lanzones peels, incense, or 'alanghiran' fronds during the re-enactment of the rites of the dead come Good Friday afternoon. And many a Marian image are ceremoniously dressed replete with old ladies praying and chanting to one side while one vestment after another is put on her, BUT I can't seem to remember any traditional make-up application ritual for them. The idea alone is preposterous, the actual example which i saw for myself, moreso.
The funny thing is, whence I attended some exhibit recently, this same individual who applies make-up on his verbosely titled Marian image also applied make-up to another seriously lacking image also on display -much to my chagrin, the undersized and "over-expanded-to-fit" image looked like it was punched on the face rather than crying; or maybe it was punched on the face therefore it had to cry... Or it was crying because it was punched in the face... Oh, I could go on forever.
Perhaps the best lesson I can impart for now is something that I teach my students in Aesthetics class. An artist must learn to let go of his work, this albeit 'objective distance' or detachment will then expose the work of art to an audience; and this exposure to an audience completes the artistic process. Now herein lies the rub. Great works of great masters have weathered their share of critics and admirers because these artists already surrendered to that finality with the firm belief that they have displayed their best. I don't think Leonardo ever retouched the Salvator Mundi [that was not recognizable after it suffered some repainting years later and was painstakingly peeled off and restored just recently] nor did Michelangelo paint loincloths over his nude forms in the Sistine chapel ceiling [this was actually ordered by a later Pope who had sway over the changing morality of their time, ordering another artist to paint over the crotch areas of the nude figures in the ceiling frescoes].
The care and maintenance of Santos seem to gather a lot of exceptions to that rule maybe because we always want them to look their best. I admittedly had to do some serious repairs on an image because objectively, I realized where it was lacking and i made sure that after they went through that process, the change would be final and lasting -without any regrets. Therefore, we must be careful what we put out in terms of our santos. They must never be an experiment on "hit-and-miss" exposing them to unnecessary touch-ups just because they still lack something as per the whim of the image owners; subjecting these to their deep-seated insecurities not even Freud and a velvet couch can cure with therapy. Until the next one...
Niki de los Reyes-Torres, PATDAT
2008年評審特別獎 2008Special Jury Award
莊富涵 / 台中市各地
得獎感言:
得第一名會讓我的自信變成自負,沒得名會讓我的自信變自卑,評審特別獎能讓我的自信延續到以後的作品,這是最棒的獎。
我把對世界的情感,用影像說出來,照片就是我的心得。
Zhuang Fu-han /Taichung City
Winner’s Speech:
Winning first prize turns my self-confidence into conceit, failing in the contest turns my self-confidence into inferiority. The Special Jury Award, which is the best award, will preserve my self-confidence to the future works.
I speak out my love and affection for the world through my photos and that’s what I’ve learned from photography.
From a few ring alternatives I chose this one for Canon EOS bodies (the cheapest available in Evilbay - two euros including postage).
The optical scheme of MIR-1 was designed by D. S. Volosov already in 1954 and was based on the Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.8 (manufactured after the WW II by the Carl Zeiss, Jena). It has a negative meniscus as the front lens, which is a remedy for vignetting when wide open.
MIR-1 was produced at different times by the KMZ, the Zagorsky Optical and Mechanical Plant (ZOMZ), the Vologda Optical-and-Mechanical Plant (VOMZ) and propably others - with different mounts (including C mount for cinematography).
The objective isn't hard-to-find at second hand market (depending on the mount, of course).
Convocation speaker Tom Rosenstiel ’78 discusses "Objectivity, Facts, Fiction and the Future of Journalism" in Dye Lecture Hall. Rosenstiel is one of the country’s most recognized thinkers on the intersection of media and politics and the future of journalism. He was press critic at the "Los Angeles Times" for a decade, a Washington correspondent for "The Times," a commentator for MSNBC, and chief congressional correspondent for "Newsweek."
Photo by Michael Hartman
Objective Non Narrative Issue #8.
No longer on hiatus!
5.25 x 7.875 in
Edition of 100
24 pages black and white
photo curtesy of silvanie
A paratrooper assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, trains on urban operations, including room and building clearing May 21, at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, during Exercise Noble Partner. Noble Partner 16 is happening May 11 to 26 and includes approximately 1300 participants from the U.S., Georgia and the U.K. The exercise is a reoccurring training event that takes place at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia. Noble Partner 16 is a critical part of Georgia's training for its contribution of a light infantry company to the NATO Response Force (NRF) and enhances Georgian territorial self-defense capability. (Photo by Sgt. Daniel Cole, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)
Objective: To evaluate the role of Fetuin A levels in predicting glycemic outcome in individuals with impaired fasting glucose.
Research Design and Methods: A total of 742 young individuals were recruited for the study out of which 177 had impaired fasting glucose, 468 had normoglycemia and 97 individuals with diabetes. These individuals were offsprings of diabetics (either mother or father or both) and were siblings amongst themselves belonging to age group of 18-35 years. Various biochemical investigations such as fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated Hb, serum insulin, C-peptide and Fetuin A were carried out. People with impaired fasting glucose were followed and analyzed according to glycemic outcome and quartile of Fetuin A level.
Results: A total of 66 individuals with prediabetes reverted back to normal, 28 progressed to diabetes and 83 remained with prediabetes over a mean±S.D follow up of 24±4.1 months. People in the highest quartile of fetuin A had the highest Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Increased loss of beta cell activity, decreased sensitivity to insulin and a higher rate of progression to diabetes (relative risk 11.96, 95% CI 5.9 to 24.01, p<0.001) and a significantly lower rate of reversion to normoglycemia (relative risk 5.62, 95% CI 3.16 to 9.9, p<0.001) than those in other Fetuin A quartiles.
fetuin A correlated positively with Insulin (r= +0.289, p<0.001), C-peptide (r=+ 0.177, p<0.001), %β cell function(r= -0.368, p<0.001), insulin resistance (r= +0.436, p<0.001) and glycosylated Hb (r=+0.958, p<0.05) and negatively with % sensitivity to insulin( r= -0.287, p<0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that baseline fetuin A, insulin levels and fasting glucose levels were predictive of reversion to normoglycemia.
Conclusions: Increased fetuin A levels had an adverse impact on glycemic outcomes thus suggesting that fasting plasma glucose and Fetuin A can be used as a tool to determine the susceptibility of an individual to develop pre-diabetes and thus diabetes mellitus.
Author(s) Details
Sukhraj Kaur
Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Dr. Mridula Mahajan
Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Read full article: bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/view/53/534/471-1
View More: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rdG-Rbvi84
Objectively viewed – the world through my lens
One image, one day, one chance – download it from the shop.
#picoftheday #travel #fotografie #reisen #streetphotography
#photography
The Guggenheim (officially the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum). Founded by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1937 as the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, it was renamed after it's founder's death in 1952.
The current building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) and built in 1959.
020701-A-3085H-026
Command Sgt. Maj. Power from 3PPCLI takes a break during a movement into the hills to search for Al Queda and Taliban fighters after an air assault onto an objective north of Qualat, Afghanistan on July 1, 2002. The soldiers are participating in Operation Cherokee Sky, an operation to locate and destroy remaining pockets of Al Queda and Taliban in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hyatt) (Released)
To learn more about living and serving in Korea with the US Army, visit our official website at: imcom.korea.army.mil
Whether you are fresh off of active-duty, a military spouse or a seasoned professional, you will find a career with U.S. Army in Korea both challenging and inspiring. If you ready to join an award winning team and embark on the adventure of a lifetime, you can learn more about living and working in Korea online: imcom.korea.army.mil
Photos from the US Army in Korea can be viewed online at www.flickr.com/imcomkorea
The Morning Calm Weekly command information newspaper is available online at imcom.korea.army.mil
Published for those serving in the Republic of Korea - an assignment of choice.
About this image: Operation Enduring Freedom. A Department of Defense Image Collection.
These images are generally cleared for release and are considered in the public domain. Request credit be given the Department of Defense and individual photographer.
To learn more about living and serving in Korea with the US Army, visit our official website at: imcom.korea.army.mil
Whether you are fresh off of active-duty, a military spouse or a seasoned professional, you will find a career with U.S. Army in Korea both challenging and inspiring. If you ready to join an award winning team and embark on the adventure of a lifetime, you can learn more about living and working in Korea online: imcom.korea.army.mil
Photos from the US Army in Korea can be viewed online at www.flickr.com/imcomkorea
The Morning Calm Weekly command information newspaper is available online at imcom.korea.army.mil
Published for those serving in the Republic of Korea - an assignment of choice.
About this image: Operation Enduring Freedom. A Department of Defense Image Collection.
These images are generally cleared for release and are considered in the public domain. Request credit be given the Department of Defense and individual photographer.
To learn more about living and serving in Korea with the US Army, visit our official website at: imcom.korea.army.mil
Whether you are fresh off of active-duty, a military spouse or a seasoned professional, you will find a career with U.S. Army in Korea both challenging and inspiring. If you ready to join an award winning team and embark on the adventure of a lifetime, you can learn more about living and working in Korea online: imcom.korea.army.mil
Photos from the US Army in Korea can be viewed online at www.flickr.com/imcomkorea
The Morning Calm Weekly command information newspaper is available online at imcom.korea.army.mil
Published for those serving in the Republic of Korea - an assignment of choice.
About this image: Operation Enduring Freedom. A Department of Defense Image Collection.
These images are generally cleared for release and are considered in the public domain. Request credit be given the Department of Defense and individual photographer.
The two markers on the left were built from leftover pieces from the Imperial Sector box set. The ammo crates on the right come from the Battlefield Accessories bag.
Lanius excubitor. This series is my first ever of a NSHR. We had spotted him last weekend but were unable to get a shot. When I returned today, I relied on several Magpies to locate him then followed the group to some tall Cottonwoods near Munson Pond where I had a first rate opportunity to observe their interaction.
The five photos show the 'play' (in the Photostream, not quite in the order I wanted them, but that's okay; in correct order in the Album). The quality of most of these shots is poor, but the intention was primarily to document the interaction. It seemed to me that the Magpies really just wanted to torment him or perhaps, as he's a competitor, drive him out of the area. He responded very aggressively as the photos show. Eventually, the Magpies got bored and flew off to harass something else. (To be sure, I don't know that "he" isn't a "she.")
It's interesting to me that both BBMAs and NSHRs are widely disparaged. The NSHR's nickname (actually incorporated in the scientific name that translates as 'butcher sentinel') is "Butcher Bird" for its habit of storing its rodent delectables by impaling them on thorns, sharp branches, or barbed wired. I think we have to try to be objective and unemotional when witnessing how M Nature has evolved a strategy for the survival of diversity. Shrikes and Magpies are just trying to be what they are.
Harvesting Objectives
Logging is, of course, the only way to implement
objectives that focus on the generation of revenue
from timber production. However, it is also a key step
in the development of other management goals. For
example, if you wish to create new forest stands,
whether they are single-species plantations or
mixed-species multi-age natural stands, harvesting is
generally necessary to create the appropriate site
conditions (available sunlight, reduced competitive
vegetation, bare mineral soil) for the establishment
and growth of new seedlings. The type and amount of
regeneration will significantly depend on the
harvesting method that is employed. Similarly,
harvesting is necessary if you want to alter stand
structure, shapes and boundaries to create desirable
aesthetic patterns.
The men of 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, Task Force 2-28, commanded by Capt. Craig A. Halstead, received a mission to secure a village from a suspected insurgent safe house. Following exhaustive troop leading procedures the men conducted operations just as they will in Afghanistan; on foot.
“If we’re going anywhere in Afghanistan, it’s by walking,” remarked Lt. Col. John V. Meyer III, commander, Task Force 2-28.
The men departed the safety of their combat outpost and established an objective rally point, from which they quickly appropriated a leader’s reconnaissance. The recon afforded the platoon leadership a first-hand view of the terrain, thereby allowing for an apprized decision regarding the positioning of forces for movement onto the objective.
Lieutenant Michael V. Stinson, 3rd platoon leader, worked seamlessly; at one moment sagaciously positioning his support-by-fire position to maintain security, at another maneuvering the remainder of his platoon into a deportment from which to violently assault through the objective, then finally flanking the enemy with his assault element.
While the men moved over 1 kilometer, they did so without noise. Then, red smoke punched through the air, signaling the initiation of outpouring fire. The support by fire position suppressed for two minutes from high ground while the assault position moved forward.
Brute force suddenly decapitated the enemy. Yellow smoke triggered the support by fire team to shift fire while the assault team moved through the objective, killing all insurgents in the safe house.
“We then pulled security on the objective,” explained Spec. Olanrewaju Alara, 1st Squad, Alpha Team Leader. “On the objective we realized we had a casualty, so we pulled security so that our aid and litter team could move him to the MEDEVAC site.”
Afterwards, Meyer and a spirited Command Sgt. Major Patrick Akuna congratulated their Soldiers. Their men had maneuvered quickly and violently, crashing through the objective with staggering force.
“When you get into Afghanistan it’s just going to be you guys,” said Meyer. “You did a great job today.”
Alara agreed. “Every day we get better,” he said. “We are ready for Afghanistan.”
Meyer later presented Specialist James E. Staples with a battalion coin for excellence during the operation.
Meyer knows what is at stake and is determined to prepare his Soldiers for combat.
“We are going to train hard so we can fight and win in Afghanistan.”
Objectiveli.com is the best way to manage all of your organizations or personal goals and objectives in one place. Objectiveli drives Outcomes that matter, fulfilling your Goals and Objectives, instead of losing focus; managing day-to-day emergencies and “things to do”.
Photographs in this collection have been produced by Alison Lowrie, Heather Do, Liz Dolinar, and Adriana Haro at request of Michael Ashley for the UC Berkeley Anthropology 136e class, Spring 2011. The purpose was to digitally document the cultural heritage of Green Gulch Zen Center with the objective of gaining better insight into the Zen Center's cultural history through the use of photographic technology.
Green Gulch Farm Zen Center (37.86556°N 122.56389°W), also referred to as the Green Dragon Temple, is located in Marin County, CA in a beautiful coastal valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Green Gulch, approximately a 10 mile drive north of San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, is located on 115 acres surrounded by hundreds of acres of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Green Gulch is a cultural heritage site constituting of one of the three centers that form the San Francisco Zen Center founded by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi [1]. In 1972, Green Gulch was purchased from George Wheelwright, co-founder of Polaroid, as a part of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi's vision to obtain a farm near the San Francisco Bay area where a community of Zen Buddhist practitioners could communally live and practice in accompany of one another [2] [3]. Part of the Wheelwright's stipulation of the sale to the San Francisco Zen Center was that the farm must forever remain open to the public, as well as partake in agricultural awareness [4]. Green Gulch now serves as a Buddhist practice center in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, were their endeavor is to awaken the people residing, working, and visiting the center in the bodhisattva spirit-the spirit of kindness and realistic helpfulness [1]. Green Gulch is compromised of a temple (the Zendo), organic farm and garden, guesthouse, and conference center. The center offers training and practice in Zen mediation through workshops and retreats, as well as apprenticeships emphasizing meditation practice, Buddhist teachings, and organic gardening and farming methods [5].
Photographs in this collection were captured on Sunday April 24, 2011, between 11:30 AM and 2:15 PM Pacific Time, under sunny conditions. Nixon D80 and two-Canon XSI cameras were used. A tripod was used for HDR shots. The photos were post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.
Description written by Adriana Haro, following Alonso C. Addison’s proposed virtual heritage metadata format in his chapter "The Vanishing Virtual" in New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage, edited by Kalay, et al., and published by Routledge in 2007.
All photos Copyright ©2011 Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley CA Creative Commons creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
For more information contact Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley, CA, 94720 or visit www.codifi.info/licensing
Further information about Green Gulch Zen Center can be found at www.sfzc.org/ggf/
Original Filename: ANTHRO136SP11_GG_Cam20_23_16_002
[1] www.sfzc.org/ggf/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=484
[2] Oda, Mayumi (2002). I Opened the Gate, Laughing: an Inner Journey. Chronicle Books.
[3] Richmond, Ivan. Silence and Noise: Growing Up Zen in America. Simon and Schuster.
[4] McCormick, Kathleen (2000). The Garden Lover's Guide to the West. Princeton Architectural Press.
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Where Should I Kayak In The Hoosier State? Best Places To Paddle On The Water.
Navigation
Sugar Creek Camparound And Canoe Rentals
Blue River
Lake Michigan
Cedar Lake
Kankakee River
Pigeon River
Lake Monroe
White River West Fork
Big Pine Creek
Downtown Canal
Indiana is a beautiful state with lots of stunning scenery. For kayakers, there are plenty of creeks, rivers, lakes, and streams to visit. You can enjoy canoeing and kayaking in so many different places here—but which ones are the best of the best?
While there’s no real objective answer to this question, we can at least make some recommendations. Here we’re listing down the top 10 kayaking destinations in Indiana, including lakes and rivers of all levels, so you have plenty to choose from. And if you’re the type who really loves the water and can’t get enough of Mother Nature, then why not use this as your guide and visit them all?
Some may even say the best way to explore the great Indiana outdoors is from the water. Get ready for countless hours of fun. Let’s get started.
1. Sugar Creek Campground and Canoe Rentals
The Sugar Creek Campground is definitely one of the most popular water trails in Indiana. Located in Crawfordsville in western Indiana, this peaceful creek runs through the beautiful Turkey Run and Shades State Parks.
Bring a packed lunch and stop-off at various sandbars where you can collect shells and rocks, or just relax and breathe in the relaxing atmosphere before continuing your journey.
There are plenty of photo ops to enjoy, between the sandbars and the historic bridges, so make the most out of them! If you’re just starting out and you want to try kayaking, this is perhaps the best place to start. You won’t be spending most of your time in the water, so it’s perfect for beginners.
2. Blue River
This jewel in southern Indiana flows through one of the most scenic areas of the state. Blue River offers extensive forests, numerous caves, rural farmlands, and even historical sites! Its true appeal lies in its diversity. There’s plenty to take in as you take a trip down the river.
Rent a kayak or canoe, or bring your own—this trip takes around five hours to complete.
3. Lake Michigan
Northern Indiana has its own contender when it comes to the top kayaking spots in the state. Part of Lake Michigan is found here, and it is known to be one of the best places to go if you’re planning to paddle in Indiana. Visit the Whihala Beach in Whiting, North Michigan, and relax on the river beach before launching your kayak.
There are also plenty of beaches of Indiana Dunes to paddle in. See miles of beautiful dunes along its waterways. This is great for those who want a longer trip, because Lake Michigan is known for its affordable campsites.
4. Cedar Lake
If you can’t get enough of kayaking, perhaps nearly 800 acres of water should be enough. Cedar Lake is an enormous body of water, and it’s actually the largest natural lake in Northwest Indiana.
Of course the water alone isn’t the only thing to enjoy here. There are parks, beaches, and picnic areas dotted around the lake for you to explore and enjoy. If you want a lazy day spent slowly kayaking, this is the Indiana lake for you.
And after a tiring day of paddling, the wide range of restaurants scattered around the lake would offer a worthy selection for any person’s appetite.
5. Kankakee River
The Kankakee River was a popular trade route ten thousand years ago. This river isn’t just historic—it’s also stunningly beautiful. The lush lands surrounding the Kankakee River make it one of the best water adventures in Indiana. These views were beautiful way back then, and they remain as beautiful now.
Families, friends, and couples would definitely find this place relaxing. Bring your fishing rods and prepare to spend all day admiring the gifts of nature!
6. Pigeon River
Pigeon River isn’t the most exciting name for a kayaking destination—but it’s still very special because it is one of the most fishing-friendly rivers on this list. The river is populated by trout, catfish, and bluegill. While the river itself is narrow and shallow, it is covered by greenery including sycamore, ferns, buttonbush, and sugar maple trees.
Beginner kayakers rejoice! Pigeon River is a good pick if you just want to test out your skills.
7. Lake Monroe
What if your family isn’t really big on kayaking and you want to go anyway? Well, the vast Lake Monroe is a popular staycation spot for Indiana families. There are plenty of water activities to enjoy: if they don’t like to kayak, maybe they’ll enjoy a jet ski?
You can also rent canoes, paddleboards, and of course, kayaks. This is a place where families can just relax and enjoy their time together.
8. White River West Fork
We have a Blue River, a Pigeon River, and now we also have a White River. But this amazing water destination is actually draped with all shades of green. In fact, Earth tones dominate this place because of all the sycamore, river birch, and oaks.
We recommend the trip from Waverly to Henderson’s Ford Bridge. This river is also great for those who want to spot some Canadian geese, ducks, cranes, and herons. If you’re a bird watcher or just an animal lover in general, you’ll appreciate this one a lot.
9. Big Pine Creek
This is Indiana’s only section of real whitewater paddling, about 20 miles west of Lafayette. Spring rains in April and May can turn the Big Pine Creek into a series of whitewater rapids, so watch out for that. Summertime paddling isn’t so great here because the dry periods may bring insufficient water levels for good paddling.
But with its beautiful cliffs, wildlife, and trees, this is a great pick especially if you time your visit right.
10. Downtown Canal
Now we are wrapping this up with a bit of a unique entry because not everyone wants to get in touch with nature. The Downtown Canal is a 3-mile loop that gives a place for the city-dwellers to canoe down the water right in the middle of the city. Rent a single or double-kayak and pay by the hour. You can also bring your own boat and enjoy it all you want.
For an Easier Trip: Get The EZ Rec-Rack Roof Top Kayak Loading System
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With the EZ Rec-Rack Roof Top Loading System for kayaks, you can load your kayak all by yourself—and in just a little over a minute! This roof-mounted carrier lets you strap your kayak on and easily slide it on top of your car.
With the right attachments, you can load your paddle boards, surf boards, cargo boxes, etc!
This multipurpose loading system gives kayakers the ability to just enjoy their trip and not sweat the small stuff. This way, you can focus more of your energy on having fun and doing what you love: kayaking!
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The main objective is to come up with a plan to get through the fence and sneak some hay. Objective is also the last part of the left cow's name.
++++++++++ FROM WKIPEDIA +++++++++
The Indian Museum in Kolkata, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in British India era texts,[2] is the largest and oldest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings. It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1814. The founder curator was Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist.
Indian Museum, Kolkata
ভারতীয় জাদুঘর, কলকাতা
भारतीय संग्रहालय, कोलकाता
Courtyard
Established
1814
Location
Chowringhee - Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Type
Museum
Collection size
102,646 (as of March 31, 2004)[1]
Director
Shri Rajesh Purohit
Website
indianmuseumkolkata.org
It has six sections comprising thirty five galleries of cultural and scientific artifacts namely Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Economic Botany. Many rare and unique specimens, both Indian and trans-Indian, relating to humanities and natural sciences, are preserved and displayed in the galleries of these sections. the administrative control of the Cultural sections, viz. Art, Archaeology and Anthropology rests with the Board of Trustees under its Directorate, and that of the three other science sections is with the geological survey of India, the zoological survey of India and the Botanical survey of India. The museum Directorate has eight co-ordinating service units: Education, Preservation, publication, presentation, photography, medical, modelling and library. This multipurpose Institution with multidisciplinary activities is being included as an Institute of national importance in the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India.[3] It is one of oldest museums in the world. This is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The present Director of the Indian Museum is Rajesh Purohit.[4]The museum was closed to visitors due to massive restoration and upgrades from 1 September 2013 to 3 February 2014.[5][6]
HistoryEdit
The Indian Museum originated from the Asiatic Society of Bengal which was created by Sir William Jones in 1784. The concept of having a museum arose in 1796 from members of the Asiatic Society as a place where man-made and natural objects could be collected, cared for and displayed. The objective began to look achievable in 1808 when the Society was offered suitable accommodation by the Government of India in the Chowringhee-Park Street area.[7]
In February 2, 1814, Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist, who had been captured in the siege of Serampore but later released, wrote a letter supporting the formation of a museum in Calcutta which he said should have two sections - an archaeological, ethnological and technical section and a geological and zoological one.[8] The Museum was created, with Wallich named the Honorary Curator and then Superintendent of the Oriental Museum of the Asiatic Society. Wallich also donated a number of botanical specimens to the museum from his personal collection.[9]
View of the courtyard
After the resignation of Wallich, curators were paid salaries ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 200 a month. Until 1836 this salary was paid by the Asiatic Society but in that year its bankers, Palmer and Company became insolvent and the Government began to pay from its public funds. A temporary grant of Rs 200 per month was sanctioned for maintenance of the museum and library, and J. T. Pearson of the Bengal Medical Service was appointed curator followed shortly by John McClelland and after his resignation by Edward Blyth. In 1840, the Government took a keen interest in the geology and mineral resources and this led to an additional grant of Rs 250 per month for the geological section alone. A new building became a need and this was designed by Walter R Granville and completed in 1875 for the cost of Rs 1,40,000.[10] In 1879 it received a portion of the collection from the India Museum (South Kensington) when that collection was dispersed.[11]
The Zoological and Anthropological sections of the museum gave rise to the Zoological Survey of India in 1916, which in turn gave rise to the Anthropological Survey of India in 1945.[12]
The Scottish anatomist and zoologist John Anderson took up the position of curator in 1865, and catalogued the mammal and archaeology collections. The English zoologist James Wood-Mason worked at the museum from 1869 and succeeded Anderson as curator in 1887. [13]
Collection
Egyptian
It currently occupies a resplendent mansion, and exhibits among others: an Egyptian mummy. The mummy is being restored.[14][15][16][17]
Indian
Indian artifacts include the Buddhist stupa from Bharhut, the Buddha's ashes, the Ashoka pillar, whose four-lion symbol became the official emblem of the Republic of India, fossil skeletons of prehistoric animals, an art collection, rare antiques, and a collection of meteorites.
stone sculpture of Devi Durga in kolkata
The Indian Museum is also regarded as "the beginning of a significant epoch initiating the socio-cultural and scientific achievements of the country. It is otherwise considered as the beginning of the modernity and the end of medieval era" by UZER Places.[18]
Natural HistoryEdit
The museum has four galleries dedicated to natural history, namely the botanical, insect, mammal and bird galleries.[19]
Kolkata /koʊlˈkɑːtə/ ([kolkata] (About this soundlisten), also known as Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/, the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh, 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. The city is widely regarded as the "cultural capital" of India, and is also nicknamed the "City of Joy".[1][2][3].According to the 2011 Indian census, it is the seventh most populous city. the city had a population of 4.5 million, while the population of the city and its suburbs was 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. Recent estimates of Kolkata Metropolitan Area's economy have ranged from $60 to $150 billion (GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity) making it third most-productive metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi.[11][12][13]
In the late 17th century, the three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading licence in 1690,[15] the area was developed by the Company into an increasingly fortified trading post. Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah occupied Calcutta in 1756, and the East India Company retook it the following year. In 1793 the East India company was strong enough to abolish Nizamat (local rule), and assumed full sovereignty of the region. Under the company rule, and later under the British Raj, Calcutta served as the capital of British-held territories in India until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages, combined with growing nationalism in Bengal, led to a shift of the capital to New Delhi. Calcutta was the centre for the Indian independence movement; it remains a hotbed of contemporary state politics. Following Indian independence in 1947, Kolkata, which was once the centre of modern Indian education, science, culture, and politics, suffered several decades of economic stagnation.
As a nucleus of the 19th- and early 20th-century Bengal Renaissance and a religiously and ethnically diverse centre of culture in Bengal and India, Kolkata has local traditions in drama, art, film, theatre, and literature. Many people from Kolkata—among them several Nobel laureates—have contributed to the arts, the sciences, and other areas. Kolkata culture features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle intellectual exchanges (adda). West Bengal's share of the Bengali film industry is based in the city, which also hosts venerable cultural institutions of national importance, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Victoria Memorial, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India. Among professional scientific institutions, Kolkata hosts the Agri Horticultural Society of India, the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Calcutta Mathematical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, the Zoological Survey of India, the Institution of Engineers, the Anthropological Survey of India and the Indian Public Health Association. Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata differs from other Indian cities by giving importance to association football and other sports.
Etymology
The word Kolkata derives from the Bengali term Kôlikata (Bengali: কলিকাতা) [ˈkɔlikat̪a], the name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.[16]
There are several explanations about the etymology of this name:
The term Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô [ˈkalikʰːet̪rɔ] (Bengali: কালীক্ষেত্র), 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.[17]
Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila (Bengali: কিলকিলা), or "flat area".[18]
The name may have its origin in the words khal [ˈkʰal] (Bengali: খাল) meaning "canal", followed by kaṭa [ˈkata] (Bengali: কাটা), which may mean "dug".[19]
According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun [ˈkɔlitɕun] (Bengali: কলি চুন) and coir or kata [ˈkat̪a] (Bengali: কাতা); hence, it was called Kolikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা).[18]
Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a] (Bengali: কলকাতা) or Kôlikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা) in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.[20] (It should be noted that "Calcutt" is an etymologically unrelated place name found at several locations in England.)
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.[21][22] 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;[23] In response to a public petition,[24] the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder.[25] 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.[26]: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.[27] 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; he captured Fort William which led to the killings of several East India company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta.[28] A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year.[28] 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.[29] Declared a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1773.[30] 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.[31] Throughout the late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade.[32]
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.[33] 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 Howrah railway station. 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.[34] 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, the first avowed nationalist organisation in India.[35]
Bengali billboards on Harrison Street. Calcutta was the largest commercial centre in British India.
The partition of Bengal in 1905 along religious lines led to mass protests, making Calcutta a less hospitable place for the British.[36][37] The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911.[38] 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.[39][40] Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 due to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors.[41] Demands for the creation of a Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000.[42][43][44] 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.[45]
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.[46] The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 led to a massive influx of thousands of refugees, many of them penniless, that strained Kolkata's infrastructure.[47] 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.[48] 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.[49][50][51] 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 revitalised Kolkata's stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing marked growth in its manufacturing base.[52]
Geography
Spread roughly north–south 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 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft).[53] Much of the city was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning population.[54] The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975).[55] 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.[56] 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.[56] 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 (14,760–18,040 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.[56] 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.[57] 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.[58]
Urban structure
Howrah Bridge from the western bank of the Ganges
The Kolkata metropolitan area is spread over 1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi)[59]:7 and comprises 3 municipal corporations (including Kolkata Municipal Corporation), 39 local municipalities and 24 panchayat samitis, as of 2011.[59]:7 The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, as of 2006.[60] Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Nadia.[61]:15 Kolkata, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of 185 km2 (71 sq mi).[60] 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).[62] The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to section the city into North, Central, and South Kolkata. East Kolkata is also a section.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterised by 19th-century architecture, dilapidated buildings, overpopulated slums, crowded bazaars, and narrow alleyways, it includes areas such as Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Rajabazar, Shobhabazar, Shyampukur, Sonagachi, Kumortuli, Bagbazar, Jorasanko, Chitpur, Pathuriaghata, Cossipore, Kestopur, Sinthee, Belgachia, Jorabagan, and Dum Dum.[63]:65–66 The northern suburban areas like Baranagar, Durganagar, Noapara, Dunlop, Dakshineswar, Nagerbazar, Belghoria, Agarpara, Sodepur, Madhyamgram, Barasat, Birati, Khardah up to Barrackpur are also within the city of Kolkata (as a metropolitan structure).
Central Kolkata
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.[64] The West Bengal 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 Chowringhee, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani, and A. J. C. Bose Road.[65] The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been called the "lungs of Kolkata"[66] and accommodates sporting events and public meetings.[67] The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are located at the southern end of the Maidan. Other important areas of Central Kolkata are Park Circus, Burrabazar, College Street, Sealdah, Taltala, Janbazar, Bowbazar, Entally, Chandni Chowk, Lalbazar, Chowringhee, Dharmatala, Tiretta Bazar, Bow Barracks, Mullick Bazar, Park Circus, Babughat etc. Among the other parks are Central Park in Bidhannagar and Millennium Park on Strand Road, along the Hooghly River.
South Kolkata
South Kolkata developed after India gained independence in 1947; it includes upscale neighbourhoods such as Ballygunge, Alipore, New Alipore, Lansdowne, Bhowanipore, Kalighat, Dhakuria, Gariahat, Tollygunge, Naktala, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur, Garfa, Kalikapur, Haltu, Nandi Bagan, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Ramgarh, Raipur, Kanungo Park, Ranikuthi, Bikramgarh, Bijoygarh, Bansdroni and Kudghat.[16] Outlying areas of South Kolkata include Garden Reach, Khidirpur, Metiabruz, Taratala, Majerhat, Budge Budge, Behala, Sarsuna, Barisha, Parnasree Pally, Thakurpukur, Maheshtala and Joka. The southern suburban neighbourhoods like Mahamayatala, Pratapgarh, Kamalgazi, Narendrapur, Sonarpur, Subhashgram and Baruipur are also within the city of Kolkata (as metropolitan, urban agglomeration area). Fort William, on the western part of the city, houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army;[68] its premises are under the jurisdiction of the army.
East Kolkata
East Kolkata is largely composed of newly developed areas and neighbourhoods of Saltlake, Rajarhat, Tangra, Topsia, Kasba, Anandapur, Mukundapur, Picnic Garden, Beleghata, Ultadanga, Phoolbagan, Kaikhali, Lake Town, etc. 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.[16][69] In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for information technology and telecommunication companies.[70][71] Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipalities.[69]
Climate
Kolkata is subject to a tropical wet-and-dry 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".[58]
Temperature
The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 19–30 °C (66–86 °F). Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June.[72] Winter lasts for roughly two-and-a-half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9–11 °C (48–52 °F) in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (81–99 °F); January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from 12–23 °C (54–73 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F).[72] 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 (কালবৈশাখী), or "Nor'westers" in English.[73]
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west summer monsoon[74] lash Kolkata between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about 1,850 mm (73 in). The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings live to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per year, with maximum sunlight exposure occurring in March.[75] Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.[76][77]
Environmental issues
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.[80][81] Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments, such as lung cancer.[82]
Economy
Kolkata is the main commercial and financial hub of East and North-East India[61] and home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange.[83][84] It is a major commercial and military port, and is the only city in eastern India, apart from Bhubaneswar 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.[52] From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated.[52] 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".[85] 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.[52]
Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an informal sector that employs more than 40% of the labour force.[16] One unorganised group, roadside hawkers, generated business worth ₹ 8,772 crore (US$ 2 billion) in 2005.[86] 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).[61]: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.[87]:11 About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed.[87]:11 According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than 27 rupees (equivalent to 45 US cents) per day.[88] As of 2010, Kolkata, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) by purchasing power parity of 150 billion dollars, ranked third among South Asian cities, after Mumbai and Delhi.[89] Kolkata's GDP in 2014 was Rs 1.84 trillion, according to a collaborative assessment by multiple universities and climate agencies.[90] 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.[52] The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; several large shopping malls and hotels were launched.[91][92][93][94][95] Companies such as ITC Limited, CESC Limited, Exide Industries, Emami, Eveready Industries India, Lux Industries, Rupa Company, Berger Paints, Birla Corporation and Britannia Industries are headquartered in the city. Philips India, PricewaterhouseCoopers India, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Steel have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of three major public-sector banks: Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank, and the United Bank of India; and a private bank Bandhan Bank. Reserve Bank of India has its eastern zonal office in Kolkata, and India Government Mint, Kolkata is one of the four mints in India.
Panoramic view of the Down town Sector V one of the major IT hubs of Kolkata as seen from the lakes surrounding Bidhannagar. Major Buildings such as Technopolis, Godrej Waterside, TCS Lords, Eden and Wanderers Park, Gobsyn Crystal, South City Pinnacle, RDB Boulevard, West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (WEBEL) Bhawan can be seen.
Demographics
See also: Ethnic communities in Kolkata
A skyline consisting of several high-rise buildings
Residential high-rise buildings in South City
A slum area of the city
The demonym for residents of Kolkata are Calcuttan and Kolkatan.[96][97] According to provisional results of the 2011 national census, Kolkata district, which occupies an area of 185 km2 (71 sq mi), had a population of 4,486,679;[98] its population density was 24,252/km2 (62,810/sq mi).[98] 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.[99] 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.[100] Kolkata's literacy rate of 87.14%[99] exceeds the national average of 74%.[101] The final population totals of census 2011 stated the population of city as 4,496,694.[8] The urban agglomeration had a population of 14,112,536 in 2011.[9]
Bengali Hindus form the majority of Kolkata's population; Marwaris, Biharis and Muslims compose large minorities.[102] Among Kolkata's smaller communities are Chinese, Tamils, Nepalis, Odias, Telugus, Assamese, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Greeks, Tibetans, Maharashtrians, Konkanis, Malayalees, Punjabis, and Parsis.[26]:3 The number of Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and other foreign-origin groups declined during the 20th century.[103] The Jewish population of Kolkata was 5,000 during World War II, but declined after Indian independence and the establishment of Israel;[104] by 2013, there were 25 Jews in the city.[105] India's sole Chinatown is in eastern Kolkata;[103] once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, its population dropped to around 2,000 as of 2009[103] 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.[106] The Chinese community traditionally worked in the local tanning industry and ran Chinese restaurants.[103][107]
Kolkata urban agglomeration population growth Census Total %±
1981 9,194,000 —
1991 11,021,900 19.9%
2001 13,114,700 19.0%
2011 14,112,536 7.6%
Source: Census of India[9]
Others include Sikhism, Buddhism & Other religions (0.03%)
Religion in Kolkata[108]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
76.51%
Islam
20.60%
Christianity
0.88%
Jainism
0.47%
Others
1.54%
Bengali, the official state language, is the dominant language in Kolkata.[109] English is also used, particularly by the white-collar workforce. Hindi and Urdu are spoken by a sizeable minority.[110][111] According to the 2011 census, 76.51% of the population is Hindu, 20.60% Muslim, 0.88% Christian, and 0.47% Jain.[112] The remainder of the population includes Sikhs, Buddhists, and other religions which accounts for 0.45% of the population; 1.09% did not state a religion in the census.[112] Kolkata reported 67.6% of Special and Local Laws crimes registered in 35 large Indian cities during 2004.[113] The Kolkata police district registered 15,510 Indian Penal Code cases in 2010, the 8th-highest total in the country.[114] 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.[115]
As of 2003, about one-third of the population, or 1.5 million people, lived in 3,500 unregistered squatter-occupied and 2,011 registered slums.[87]:4[116]: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.[116][87]: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.[116]:92[87]: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.[117]: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".[118]
Government and public services
Civic administration
Main article: Civic administration of Kolkata
A red-and-yellow building with multiple arches and towers standing against a backdrop of blue sky and framed by trees
Calcutta High Court
Kolkata is administered by several government agencies. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, or KMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city's 15 boroughs, which together encompass 141 wards.[109] 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.[119] 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.[120] The functions of the KMC include water supply, drainage and sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, and building regulation.[119]
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation was ranked 1st out of 21 Cities for best governance & administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 4.0 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3.[121]
The Kolkata Port Trust, an agency of the central government, manages the city's river port. As of 2012, the All India Trinamool Congress controls the KMC; the mayor is Firhad Hakim, while the deputy mayor is Atin Ghosh.[122] The city has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata, which presides over various city-related functions and conferences.[123]
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";[124] 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.[125]
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.[126][127][128] The Kolkata Police, headed by a police commissioner, is overseen by the West Bengal Ministry of Home Affairs.[129][130] The Kolkata district elects two representatives to India's lower house, the Lok Sabha, and 11 representatives to the state legislative assembly.[131]
Utility services
A telecommunications tower belonging to services provider Tata Communications
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation supplies the city with potable water that is sourced from the Hooghly River;[132] most of it is treated and purified at the Palta pumping station located in North 24 Parganas district.[133] 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.[134][135] To promote the recycling of garbage and sewer water, agriculture is encouraged on the dumping grounds.[136] Parts of the city lack proper sewerage, leading to unsanitary methods of waste disposal.[75]
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.[137][138] Fire services are handled by the West Bengal Fire Service, a state agency.[139] As of 2012, the city had 16 fire stations.[140]
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, or BSNL, as well as private enterprises, among them Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Tata DoCoMo, Tata Teleservices, Virgin Mobile, and MTS India, are the leading telephone and cell phone service providers in the city.[141]:25–26:179 with Kolkata being the first city in India to have cell phone and 4G connectivity, the GSM and CDMA cellular coverage is extensive.[142][143] As of 2010, Kolkata has 7 percent of the total Broadband internet consumers in India; BSNL, VSNL, Tata Indicom, Sify, Airtel, and Reliance are among the main vendors.[144][145]
Military and diplomatic establishments
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, Srilanka, 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.[146]
Transport
Public transport is provided by the Kolkata Suburban Railway, the Kolkata Metro, trams, rickshaws, and buses. The suburban rail network reaches the city's distant suburbs.
According to a 2013 survey conducted by the International Association of Public Transport, in terms of a public transport system, Kolkata ranks among the top of the six Indian cities surveyed.[147][148] The Kolkata Metro, in operation since 1984, is the oldest underground mass transit system in India.[149] It spans the north–south length of the city and covers a distance of 25.1 km (16 mi).[150] As of 2009, five Metro rail lines were under construction.[151] Kolkata has four long-distance railway stations, located at Howrah (the largest railway complex in India), Sealdah, Chitpur and Shalimar, which connect Kolkata by rail to most cities in West Bengal and to other major cities in India.[152] The city serves as the headquarters of three railway Zone out of Seventeen of the Indian Railways regional divisions—the Kolkata Metro Railways, Eastern Railway and the South-Eastern Railway.[153] Kolkata has rail and road connectivity with Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.[154][155][156]
Buses, which are the most commonly used mode of transport, are run by government agencies and private operators.[157] Kolkata is the only Indian city with a tram network, which is operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company.[158] The slow-moving tram services are restricted to certain areas of the city. Water-logging, caused by heavy rains that fall during the summer monsoon, can interrupt transportation networks.[159][160] 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.[161][162] In parts of the city, cycle rickshaws and hand-pulled rickshaws are patronised by the public for short trips.[163]
Due to its diverse and abundant public transportation, privately owned vehicles are not as common in Kolkata as in other major Indian cities.[164] The city has witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles; 2002 data showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven years.[165] As of 2004, after adjusting for population density, the city's "road space" was only 6% compared to 23% in Delhi and 17% in Mumbai.[166] The Kolkata Metro has somewhat eased traffic congestion, as has the addition of new roads and flyovers. Agencies operating long-distance bus services include the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the South Bengal State Transport Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, and various private operators. The city's main bus terminals are located at Esplanade and Babughat.[167] The Kolkata–Delhi and Kolkata–Chennai prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral, and National Highway 34 start from the city.[168]
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, located in Dum Dum some 16 km (9.9 mi) north-east of the city centre, operates domestic and international flights. In 2013, the airport was upgraded to handle increased air traffic.[169][170]
The Port of Kolkata, established in 1870, is India's oldest and the only major river port.[171] The Kolkata Port Trust manages docks in Kolkata and Haldia.[172] 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.[171][173] Ferry services connect Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah, located across the Hooghly River.[174][175]
The route from North Bengal to Kolkata is set to become cheaper and more efficient for people travelling by bus. Through April 2017 to March 2018, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) will be introducing a fleet of rocket buses equipped with bio-toilets for the bus route.[176]
Healthcare
See also: Health care in Kolkata
A big building in cream colour with many columns and a portico
Calcutta Medical College, the second institution in Asia to teach modern medicine(after 'Ecole de Médicine de Pondichéry')
IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata is the largest hospital in West Bengal and one of the oldest in Kolkata.
As of 2011, the health care 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;[177] these establishments provide the city with 27,687 hospital beds.[177] For every 10,000 people in the city, there are 61.7 hospital beds,[178] which is higher than the national average of 9 hospital beds per 10,000.[179] Ten medical and dental colleges are located in the Kolkata metropolitan area which act as tertiary referral hospitals in the state.[180][181] The Calcutta Medical College, founded in 1835, was the first institution in Asia to teach modern medicine.[182] However, These facilities are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of the city.[183][184][185] More than 78% in Kolkata prefer the private medical sector over the public medical sector,[117]:109 due to the poor quality of care, the lack of a nearby facility, and excessive waiting times at government facilities.[117]: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.[117]:41 The total fertility rate in Kolkata was 1.4, The lowest among the eight cities surveyed.[117]: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%).[117]:47 The infant mortality rate in Kolkata was 41 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was 49 per 1,000 live births.[117]: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.[117]: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.[117]:51 The proportion of malnourished, anaemic and underweight children in Kolkata was less in comparison to other surveyed cities.[117]: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.[117]: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.[117]:56–57 Diseases like diabetes, asthma, goitre and other thyroid disorders were found in large numbers of people.[117]:57–59 Tropical diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya are prevalent in Kolkata, though their incidence is decreasing.[186][187] 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.[188][189]
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.[190]
Education
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.[191][192] 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.[191] They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.[191] Some Kolkata schools, for example La Martiniere 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.[193]
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
As of 2010, the Kolkata urban agglomeration is home to 14 universities run by the state government.[194] 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.[195] The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, is the first modern university in South Asia.[196] Presidency College, Kolkata (formerly Hindu College between 1817 and 1855), founded in 1855, was one of the oldest and most eminent 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.[197] An Institute of National Importance, BESU was converted to India's first IIEST. Jadavpur University is known for its arts, science, and engineering faculties.[198] 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 prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, which was started here in the year 2006.[199] The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences is one of India's autonomous law schools,[200][201] 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,[202] and Jagadish Chandra Bose;[203] chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy;[202] statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain;[202] physician Upendranath Brahmachari;[202] educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;[204] and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,[205] C. V. Raman,[203] and Amartya Sen.[206]
Kolkata houses many premier research institutes like Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bose Institute, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) and Indian Centre for Space Physics. Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman did his groundbreaking work in Raman effect in IACS.
Culture
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.[207] Kolkata has been called the "City of Furious, Creative Energy"[208] as well as the "cultural [or literary] capital of India".[209][210] The presence of paras, which are neighbourhoods that possess a strong sense of community, is characteristic of the city.[211] Typically, each para has its own community club and, on occasion, a playing field.[211] Residents engage in addas, or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation.[212][213] The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures, and propaganda.[214][215]
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";[216] others are in various stages of decay.[217][218] Established in 1814 as the nation's oldest museum, the Indian Museum houses large collections that showcase Indian natural history and Indian art.[219] 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.[220]
The popularity of commercial theatres in the city has declined since the 1980s.[221]:99[222] 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;[223] group theatres use the proscenium stage to highlight socially relevant messages.[221]:99[224] Chitpur locality of the city houses multiple production companies of jatra, a tradition of folk drama popular in rural Bengal.[225][226] Kolkata is the home of the Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for Tollygunj, where most of the state's film studios are located.[227] Its long tradition of art films includes globally acclaimed film directors such as Academy Award-winning director Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh.[228]
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised through the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.[229] Coupled with social reforms led by Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, and others, this constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance.[230] 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.[231] 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.[232]
Kalighat painting originated in 19th century Kolkata as a local style that reflected a variety of themes including mythology and quotidian life.[233] 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.[234] 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.[235][236] 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.[237][238] Since the early 1990s, new genres have emerged, including one comprising alternative folk–rock Bengali bands.[237] Another new style, jibonmukhi gaan ("songs about life"), is based on realism.[221]:105 Key elements of Kolkata's cuisine include rice and a fish curry known as machher jhol,[239] 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.[240][241][242][243]
Though Bengali women traditionally wear the sari, the shalwar kameez and Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women.[244] 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.[245][246] 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, 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 Film Festival, Nandikar's National Theatre Festival, Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and Gandhi Jayanti.
Media
See also: Kolkata in the media and List of Bengali-language television channels
A five storied building in cream colour with multiple columns in front
Akashvani Bhawan, the head office of state-owned All India Radio, Kolkata
The first newspaper in India, the Bengal Gazette started publishing from the city in 1780.[247] Among Kolkata's widely circulated Bengali-language newspapers are Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal, Dainik Statesman and Ganashakti.[248] The Statesman and The Telegraph are two major English-language newspapers that are produced and published from Kolkata. Other popular English-language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express, and the Asian Age.[248] As the largest trading centre in East India, Kolkata has several high-circulation financial dailies, including The Economic Times, The Financial Express, Business Line, and Business Standard.[248][249] Vernacular newspapers, such as those in the Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi, and Chinese languages, are read by minorities.[248][103] Major periodicals based in Kolkata include Desh, Sananda, Saptahik Bartaman, Unish-Kuri, Anandalok, and Anandamela.[248] Historically, Kolkata has been the centre of the Bengali little magazine movement.[250][251]
All India Radio, the national state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM radio stations in the city.[252] Kolkata has 12 local radio stations broadcasting on FM, including two from AIR.[253] India's state-owned television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free-to-air terrestrial channels,[254] while a mix of Bengali, Hindi, English, and other regional channels are accessible via cable subscription, direct-broadcast satellite services, or internet-based television.[255][256][257] Bengali-language 24-hour television news channels include ABP Ananda, Tara Newz, Kolkata TV, 24 Ghanta, News Time and Channel 10.[258]
Sports
See also: Football in Kolkata, Kolkata Marathon, and Kolkata derby
Salt Lake Stadium during Indian Super League opening ceremony
The most popular sports in Kolkata are football and cricket. Unlike most parts of India, the residents show significant passion for football.[259] The city is home to top national football clubs such as Mohun Bagan A.C., East Bengal F.C., Prayag United S.C., and the Mohammedan Sporting Club.[260][261] Calcutta Football League, which was started in 1898, is the oldest football league in Asia.[262] Mohun Bagan A.C., one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, is the only organisation to be dubbed a "National Club of India".[263][264] Football matches between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, dubbed as the Kolkata derby, witness large audience attendance and rivalry between patrons.[265]
A Twenty20 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors during Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens
As in the rest of India, cricket is popular in Kolkata and is played on grounds and in streets throughout the city.[266][267] Kolkata has the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders; the Cricket Association of Bengal, which regulates cricket in West Bengal, is also based in the city. Kolkata also has an Indian Super League franchise known as Atlético de Kolkata. Tournaments, especially those involving cricket, football, badminton, and carrom, are regularly organised on an inter-locality or inter-club basis.[211] The Maidan, a vast field that serves as the city's largest park, hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.[268]
Eden Gardens, which has a capacity of 68,000 as of 2017,[269] hosted the final match of the 1987 Cricket World Cup. It is home to the Bengal cricket team and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The multi-use Salt Lake Stadium, also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan, is India's largest stadium by seating capacity. Most matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup were played in the Salt Lake 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.[270] The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.[271][272]
Kolkata's 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.[273][274] The other two are located at the Tollygunge Club and at Fort William. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club hosts horse racing and polo matches.[275] The Calcutta Polo Club is considered the oldest extant polo club in the world.[276][277][278] 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.[279][280] The Calcutta South Club is a venue for national and international tennis tournaments; it held the first grass-court national championship in 1946.[281][282] 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.[283][284]
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.[285][286][287] The Automobile Association of Eastern India, established in 1904,[288][289] and the Bengal Motor Sports Club are involved in promoting motor sports and car rallies in Kolkata and West Bengal.[290][291] 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.[292][293] Athletes from Kolkata include Sourav Ganguly and Pankaj Roy, who are former captains of the Indian national cricket team; Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes, golfer Arjun Atwal, and former footballers Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, P. K. Banerjee, and Subrata Bhattacharya
Soldiers from the 74th Motorized Battalion in the Slovenian Army maneuver through thick forestry en route to their objective as they conduct a deliberate attack exercise during the Immediate Response 2012 (IR12) training event held in Slunj, Croatia on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. IR12 is a multinational tactical field training exercise that will involve more than 700 personnel primarily from the U.S. Army Europe’s 2nd Calvary Regiment and Croatian armed forces, with contingents from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia. Macedonia and Serbia will send observers to the exercise. The exercise is a part of USEUCOM's joint training and exercise program designed to enhance joint and combined interoperability between the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Croatian Armed Forces and partner nations, and will help prepare participants to operate successfully in a joint, multinational, interagency, integrated environment. (U.S. Army photo by SPC Lorenzo Ware/Released)
Senegalese Armed Forces soldiers attack an objective at a live fire range near Thies, Senegal, Feb. 11. The soldiers were part of a demonstration to land force commanders from across Africa as part of the African Land Forces Summit 15, held in Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 9-12. ALFS 15 brings together land force commanders from across Africa to solidify relationships, exchange information on current topics of mutual interest and concern, and seek cooperation in addressing common security concerns. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Pfc. Craig Philbrick)
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