West Bengal is a state in India located along the Bay of Bengal. [141] There are also private bus companies. There are numerous ways of cooking fish depending on its texture, size, fat content and bones. [119] Important manufacturing industries include: engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. [195] Most of the people also consume eggs, chicken, mutton, and shrimp. [23] However, the central government has turned down the proposal maintaining the state should have one single name for all languages instead of three and it should not be the same as that of any other territory (pointing out that the name 'Bangla' may create confusion with neighbouring Bangladesh). The agricultural sector in particular rose to 8.33% in 2010–11 before tumbling to −4.01% in 2012–13. “Just as they have tried to divide Hindus and Muslims, they are now trying to create a rift between Bengali and non-Bengalis,” he said. I don’t know why you wanted that Non-Bengali Dominate the Bengal. Asansol is the second-largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal. [42] It was ruled by dynasties of the Bengal Sultanate and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. In urban areas, many women and men wear western attire. [146] Marwari, Maithili and Bhojpuri speakers are scattered throughout the state; various indigenous ethnic Buddhist communities such as the Sherpas, Bhutias, Lepchas, Tamangs, Yolmos and ethnic Tibetans can be found in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. While 80% of the populace in West Bengal is Hindu, 80% of the population is Muslim in Bangladesh. [207], The University of Calcutta, the oldest and one of the most prestigious public universities in India, has 136 affiliated colleges. [20][21], In 2011 the Government of West Bengal proposed a change in the official name of the state to PaschimBanga (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Pôshchimbônggô). Panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water) with onion and green chili is a traditional dish consumed in rural areas. [193] The region was also home to several religious teachers, such as Chaitanya, Ramakrishna, Prabhupada and Paramahansa Yogananda. [98] The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal. The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the Governor. In 1971, the civil war in the erstwhile East Pakistan, nearly 10 million Bangladeshis — mostly Hindu — came into West Bengal to escape the atrocities like murder, rape and forced conversion to Islam. Covering an area of 88,752 km2 (34,267 sq mi), it is also the seventh-most populous country subdivision of the world. On this counts, Assam was ahead of West Bengal with a crime rate of 3.7. In all Hindu form majority religion in 16 out of 19 districts of West Bengal state. [50] Between 1905 and 1911 an abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones. As of 2014–2015, per capita NSDP at current prices was Rs 78,903. A small coastal region is in the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests form a geographical landmark at the Ganges delta. Christianity in West Bengal, India is a minority religion. By Aritra Singha On Dec 2, 2020. [202], Durga Puja is the biggest, most popular and widely celebrated festival in West Bengal. [47] The failed Indian rebellion of 1857 started near Calcutta and resulted in a transfer of authority to the British Crown,[48] administered by the Viceroy of India. Shyama Sangeet is a genre of devotional songs, praising the Hindu goddess Kali;[182] kirtan is devotional group songs dedicated to the god Krishna. Rabindrasangeet, songs composed and set to words by Rabindranath Tagore, and Nazrul geeti (by Kazi Nazrul Islam) are popular. West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, the Ganges delta, the Rarh region and the coastal Sundarbans. Bengalis or Bangalis (Bengali: বাঙালি), also rendered as the Bengali people/ Bangaals, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Bengal region in South Asia.The population is divided between the independent country Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley.Most of them speak Bengali, a language from the Indo-Aryan language family. West Bengal Population 2021 Census : West Bengal is a state situated in the eastern part of India, which shares its international border with Bangladesh, apart from Nepal and Bhutan. [235][236][237] Kolkata is one of the major centres for football in India[238] and houses top national clubs such as Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club. [220], Other higher education institutes of importance in West Bengal include: St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (the first IIM), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (the first IIT), Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (the first IIEST), Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kalyani, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research, Kolkata, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, and West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. And so, when the final NRC in Assam excluded names of lakhs of Bengali Hindus, the TMC projected it as an assault on the Bengalis and Bengal and portrayed the BJP as devious and anti-Bengali, fracturing the latter’s narrative of being the godfather of all Hindus and denting its credentials to espouse the Bengali … [201], West Bengal produces several varieties of cotton and silk saris in the country. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. [221], Notable scholars who were born, worked, or studied in the geographic area of the state include physicists: Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha,[224] and Jagadish Chandra Bose;[225] chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy;[224] statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain;[224] physician Upendranath Brahmachari;[224] educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;[226] and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,[227] C. V. Raman,[225] Amartya Sen,[228] and Abhijit Banerjee[229], In 2005 West Bengal had 505 published newspapers,[230] of which 389 were in Bengali. West Bengal also has the highest number of incidents of attempt to rape at 944, victims at 958 and the second highest rate at 2. Nearly 20% of people in West Bengal live below the federal poverty line, but this has declined from almost 32% just ten years ago. [126][127][128] Steps are being taken to remedy this situation by promoting West Bengal as an investment destination. Post independence, West Bengal's economy is based on agricultural production and small and medium-sized enterprises. The railway system is a nationalised service without any private investment. A brief history of migration in West Bengal. In which mass Hindus will be massacred and demanded a separate country called Mughalistan i.e. According to Janet, the demand for partition of Bengal from India will soon begin to arise. The language of politics changed but the messengers of the new ideas remained the same. Following the West Bengal State Assembly Election in 2011, the All India Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress coalition under Mamata Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress was elected to power with 225 seats in the legislature. Giving the example of West Bengal, he has written that the reason for Mamata Banerjee winning every election continuously is the Muslims there. Sensing opportunity, politicians are jumping into the fray. A brief history of migration in West Bengal. Only 14% of women aged 15–49 years in West Bengal have completed 12 or more years of schooling, compared with 22% of men. All are important cultural events. Soon the demand for creating a separate Islamic country in Bengal is going to arise and there is no doubt that the power-hungry Mamata should accept it. [57] Banerjee was re-elected as Chief Minister in the 2016 election in which Trinamool Congress won an absolute majority. State Congress president and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Ghosh’s comment was an insult for Bengal. NIA and CBI are also under investigation against Hasan Imran. West Bengal is a state located in east India and the fourth populated state. [207], Ganga Sagar Mela coincides with the Makar Sankranti, and hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims converge where the river Ganges meets the sea to bathe en masse during this fervent festival.[206]. The Bengali Muslim population in West Bengal before 1947 was around 30% and during the time of independence, it went down to just 18% in West Bengal just after 1947 partition. [191][192], The capital, Kolkata, was the workplace of several social reformers, including Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda. [150], The state's official languages are Bengali and English;[4] [29] According to the Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa, Prince Vijaya (c. 543 – c. 505 BCE), a Vanga Kingdom prince, conquered Lanka (modern-day Sri Lanka) and named the country Sinhala Kingdom. 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City Size and Population Density. A leather complex has been built in Kolkata. West Bengal. [85] West Bengal receives the Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian Ocean monsoon that moves in a southeast to northwest direction. [31] Under Ashoka, the Maurya Empire of Magadha in the 3rd century BCE extended over nearly all of South Asia, including Afghanistan and parts of Balochistan. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. Christianity in West Bengal, India is a minority religion. The growth rate was 13.35% in 2014–2015. Secondary schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open School (NIOS), West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, or the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education. [233] Private FM stations are available only in cities like Kolkata, Siliguri, and Asansol. Natural resources like tea and jute in nearby areas has made West Bengal a major centre for the jute and tea industries. [239], West Bengal has several large stadiums. [91], From a phytogeographic viewpoint, the southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the Gangetic plain and the littoral mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. Population of West Bengal - Located between Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal, West Bengal is fourth most populous state in India. Please enter your username or email address. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of the lives of Mahavira, the principal figure of Jainism and Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism. [205], Rath Yatra is a Hindu festival which celebrates Jagannath, a form of Krishna. [140], Several government-owned organisations operate bus services in the state, including: the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, the South Bengal State Transport Corporation, the West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation and the Calcutta Tramways Company. [84] At night, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. Janet Levy has written that millions of Hindu families living in extreme poverty in Bengal are not given the benefit of any such scheme.Janet Levy has given many examples around the world where terrorism, religious fanaticism and crime cases started increasing as the Muslim population increased. [193], Rice and fish are traditional favourite foods, leading to a saying in Bengali, "machhe bhate bangali", that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali". [184] From the early 1990s, new genres of music have emerged, including what has been called Bengali Jeebonmukhi Gaan (a modern genre based on realism). 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