West Bengal  *

 

 

    West Bengal stretches from the Himalyas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. To the east lie Bangladesh and Assam, and on the west Orissa, Bihar and Nepal. North Bengal has hilly terrain and the plains are criss-crossed by many rivers.

 

    This land is referred to as Vanga in the epics and classical Sanskrit literature. In the 3^rd Century B.C. it formed a part of the Mauryan empire, and subsequently of the Gupta empire. By the beginning of the 9^th Century the Palas had established themselves as independent rulers of Bengal. At the height of their power, they maintained diplomatic relations with the Sri Vijaya prince in Indonesia. It was during their reign that many Buddhist scholars travelled from India to Tibet and reinforced the cultural ties between the two people. Tantra- an esoteric doctrine shared in variant form, both by the Bhuddhists and the Hindus - flourished in Eastern India under Pala patronage and provided inspiration to artists of genius. Some of the most beautiful specimens of Indian art-sculptures as well as paintings date from this period.

 

    The Palas were succeeded by the Senas in the 11^th Century who in turn were defeated by Qutubuddin - the Sultan of Delhi and the founder of the Slave dynasty. Bengal remained under the spell of Muslim rule until the Mughal power declined and the provincial governors - subedars - declared their independence. The last Nawab of Bengal Sirajuddaula was defeated by the British at the battle of Plassey in 1757.

 

    When the British assumed control, the province of Bengal extended from Assam to Agra and included what today are the states of Bihar and Orissa. The partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon triggered widespread popular unrest and marks the beginning of the militant mass mobilization of dormant nationalism.

 

    Calcutta - until 1911 - was the capital city of the British Indian empire. It was the first to absorb the benefits of English education. The first stirrings of nationalist resurgence started as ripples created by Bengali pioneers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore.

 

    Bengal remained in the front line of the anti-colonial freedom struggle - revolutionaries like Sri Aurobindo, and Khurdiram Bose fired the imagination of an entire generation and acted as catalysts to increase the political ferment all over the country.

 

    Subash Chandra Bose formed the Indian National Army during the Second World War and endeared himself even to his opponents by his daring.

 

    Bengal was partitionin 1947 when the eastern territories were transferred to what now constitutes Bangladesh.

 

    West Bengal accounts for 66.5 per cent of the country’s jute production and 22.2 per cent of its tea. It’s share of rice is 15.3 per cent. Although 70 per cent of the state’s population depends on agriculture, West Bengal is also counted among the major industrial states of India. Automobiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton, textiles, bicycles, ceramics, jute and shoes are prominent products of the state.

The metro rail project in Calcutta was the first of its kind in India.

 

    The major tourist attractions are the Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge, and the Kali temple.

 

    Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to be awarded the Nobel Prize (for literature in 1921). He was a multifaceted personality, equally at home with different genres of creativity. Tagore was not only a poet but also a playwright, painter, musician and an educationist. He set up Vishva Bharati, an international university at Shanti Niketan near Bolpur in Birbhum district, seeking to build a bridge between the orient and the West. A staunch nationalist, he was outraged by the brutal slaughter of peaceful protesters at Jallianwala Bagh and returned the knighthood awarded to him.