Urbanising Calcutta

Bengalis’ passion for Calcutta knows no bounds. Its urbanisation during the Company rule still haunts their collective conscience. The present book discusses the history of Calcutta’s transformation from a mere village to a highly developed metropolis on the basis of information collected from official documents and records. The author also offers a logical argument to the debate who contributed more—the British or the Indians—in the rise of a full-fledged city from a general trading hub. According to him, while founding the city, the rulers, despite their colonial interests, did not only think about their own convenience, but also for their subjects. They even tried to raise donations to mend its roads and fix other matters, about which the local zamindars were totally indifferent. The colonial attempt of beautifying the city has also been thoroughly discussed here.