Garden Reach is a neighbourhood of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is situated in the south-western part of Kolkata near the bank of the Hooghly River. It is located to the north-east of Maheshtala, the west of Kidderpore and the north of Taratala and Behala. Localities within Garden Reach include Metiabruz, BNR Colony, Bartala, Badartala and Rajabagan.[4]
Garden Reach | |
---|---|
Neighbourhood in Kolkata (Calcutta) | |
Coordinates: 22°32′20″N 88°17′31″E / 22.539°N 88.292°E | |
Country | India |
State | West Bengal |
City | Kolkata |
District | Kolkata[1][2][3] |
Kolkata Suburban Railway | Santoshpur railway station |
Municipal Corporation | Kolkata Municipal Corporation |
KMC wards | 80, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141 |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 700018, 700024, 700043, 700044, 700066, 700088 |
Area code | +91 33 |
Lok Sabha constituency | Kolkata Dakshin and Diamond Harbour |
Vidhan Sabha constituency | Kolkata Port and Metiaburuz |
History
editNawab Wajid Ali Shah in Exile
editThis area is connected to the history of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, eleventh and last King of Oudh, who after being ousted by the East India Company, made Garden Reach his refuge. Accompanied by his close relatives, musicians, cooks and animals from his menagerie, he came ashore at Bichali Ghat near Metiabruz on 13 May 1856. A year later when the Indian Rebellion of 1857 spread to Lucknow and the rebelling sepoys installed one of his sons to the throne of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah was imprisoned in Fort William by the East India Company along with his Prime Minister, due to the fear that he could become a rallying figure for the rebellion. H.E.A. Cotton wrote that "on Panic Sunday (June 14, 1857), there was wide spread apprehension among the white inhabitants of Kolkata because he had one, two, three thousand (no one knew) armed men under him". After his release from Fort William, he was "allotted" a building called BNR House,[5] in Garden Reach-BNR Colony area, now a part of headquarters of South-Eastern Railway, Kolkata.[6][7][8]
Heartbroken after leaving Lucknow, he tried to carve out a miniature of Lucknow in Metiabruz. In his exile in Metiabruz, Complete with grand Islamic structures and cultural hubs, he arranged dance and music events and nurtured his love of poetry and the arts. He kept the sweet memories of his Lucknow alive by recreating the musical evenings of his Qaisarbagh Baradari. The king spent his life lavishly out of his income of 12 lakhs rupees per annum and a second Lucknow arose in this area. The Imambaras he created stands at the centre of Metiabruz.[9][10] He established a zoo of exotic animals, Kabootarbazi (pigeon flying), and kite flying, and brought along secret recipes from royal kitchens to feed the entourage. His royal chefs knew the recipes of the Awadhi Kitchen, which arrived in Kolkata with them. Awadhi cuisine was distinguished by its delicious biryani, a dish of spiced rice and meat that was popular for its aromatic richness and flavour balance. Due to a shortage of funds following the banishment, the cooks started using potatoes and eggs instead of a large quantity of meat to maintain the royalty. These skilled chefs adapted their traditional recipes to suit the local taste buds, resulting in the birth of Kolkata Biryani.[11][12][13]
Surinaam Ghat
editOwned by the Port Trust of India this Ghat is situated at the eastern bank of Hooghly river near Kolkata Port. It is named after the South American Caribbean country Suriname commemorating the indentured migration of Indian workers from this ghat to that country. A total of 64 sailing ships carried 34,300 workers to the country from 1873 to 1917.[14] Suriname ghat is also popularly known as Balu Ghat.[15]
In the Honour of Indian indentured workers who had migrated to Suriname, an aluminium statue of a plainly-dressed couple carrying a potli which symbolizes the first Indian man and woman to set foot on Suriname was set up as a memorial. It was unveiled by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on 7 October 2015. The statue is a replica of the Baba and Mai monument in Paramaribo, Suriname's capital and is gifted by the government of Suriname.[16][17]
Geography
editPolice station
editThe area is served by the Garden Reach police, Metiabruz police, West Port police, Nadial Police, Rajabagan police and Rabindranagar police.[18][19]
Post office
editGarden Reach is a vast locality with many Postal Index Numbers:
Garden Reach has a delivery sub post office, with PIN 700024 in the Kolkata South Division of Kolkata district in Calcutta region. Other post offices with the same PIN are K.C Mills, T.G Road and P.G Reach.[20]
Bartala has a delivery sub post office, with PIN 700018 in the Kolkata South Division of Kolkata district in Calcutta region. Other post office with the same PIN is Rabindra Nagar .[21]
South Eastern Railway has a delivery sub post office, with PIN 700043 in the Kolkata South Division of Kolkata district in Calcutta region. Other post office with the same PIN is Sonai.[22]
Rajabagan Dock Yard has a non-delivery sub post office, with PIN 700044 in the Kolkata South Division of Kolkata district in Calcutta region. Other post office with the same PIN is Badartala.[23]
Taratala Road has a non-delivery sub post office, with PIN 700088 in the Kolkata South Division of Kolkata district in Calcutta region. Other post offices with the same PIN are Hide Road, Telecom Factory and Brace Bridge.[24]
Bidhangarh has a delivery sub post office, with PIN 700066 in the Kolkata South Division of Kolkata district in Calcutta region.[25]
Crimes
edit- On 11 February 2013 a police officer, Tapas Choudhury, was shot dead as members of the students' wings of Indian National Congress and Trinamool Congress violently clashed at Harimohan Ghose College while filling the nomination papers for the students' union election. Four students were injured in the violence.[26][27]
- On 18 March 1984 during a clash between residents, a mob clashed with the police and the police fired several rounds. As a result, a deputy commissioner, Vinod Mehta, and his bodyguard, Mokhtar Ali, were killed by anti-socials.[28][29]
Economy
editIndustry
editSome of the major industries in the Garden Reach area are:
- Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers - the premier warship building company in India,[30] under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence.[31][32]
- ITC Ltd., Garden Reach, the Kolkata-based largest cigarette manufacturer in India, which has diversified into Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), hotels etc.[33][32]
- Hindustan Unilever, Garden Reach, consumer goods company.[34][32]
- Paharpur Cooling Towers Ltd., Garden Reach, pioneers and leader in cooling towers.[35][32]
- General Electricals Co. Ltd., Paharpur, Kolkata.[32]
- Britania Biscuit Co. Ltd., Hide Road, Kolkata.[32]
- Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd., Hide Road, Kolkata.[32]
- Videocon Glass and Appliances Factory
- Southern Generating Station CESC Limited
- Danieli, the Italian supplier of equipment and physical plants to the metal industry.[32]
- A bottling plant unit of Indian Oil Corporation.
- A bottling plant unit of Hindustan Petroleum.
- Readymade Garments manufacturing at Metiabruz.[36]
- Santoshpur Industrial Estate [37]
Education
editColleges:
Government schools:
- Arya Parishad Vidyalaya
- Badartala High School
- Bartala Girls High School
- Bengali Bazar High School
- Fatehpur Giribala Girls High School
- Garden Reach Kesoram Cotton Mills High School
- Garden Reach Maulana Azad Memorial Girls High School
- Garden Reach Mudiali Girl's High School
- Garden Reach Mudiali High School
- Garden Reach Nut Behari Das Boy's High School
- Garden Reach Nut Behari Das Girl's High School
- Kendriya Vidyalaya Garden Reach[38]
- Maulana Hasrat Mohani Memorial Girls High School
- Metiabruz High School
- Metiabruz Girls' High School
- Nadial High School
- Santoshpur Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya For Girls
Private schools:
- Birla Bharati
- All Saints High School, Garden Reach
- The Garden Reach School
- Dar Al-Arqam International School
- Guru Nanak Modern School
- J D School, Metiabruz
- Little Steps School (Ashoka Hall Group)
- P.A.J's English Day School
- St. Annes Day School, Garden Reach
- St. Mathew Convent School
- St. Anthony's Day School
- The Study Park
Hospitals
editNotable people
editTransport
editTransport system of Garden Reach has been improved. Although traffic jam occurs at late night after 11pm. Garden Reach Flyover, which connects Garden Reach with Majherhat, helps in smooth transportation of vehicles. The port area is congested primarily because of the trailers.[39] However, people of Garden Reach are now using this flyover from brook lane in the Garden Reach area to reach Diamond Harbour Road easily. The foundation stone of the flyover was laid on 1 March 2014, after being approved by Central Government. Its estimated project cost is of Rs 313.27 crore.[40] The project was completed in 2018.[41][42]
Several buses ply on Garden Reach Road, Paharpur Road, Karl Marx Sarani Road, Railway Line Road and Taratala Road are:
Private Bus
edit- 227 BNR Colony - Bangur Avenue
- 1 Ramnagar - Mukundapur
- 1B Ramnagar - Nayabad
- 12/1 Ramnagar - Rajabazar
- 12 Badartala/Rajabagan - Esplanade/Rajabazar
- 12A Badartala/Rajabagan - Howrah Station
- 12B Kamal Talkies - Esplanade
- S-161 Metiabruz - Shyambazar
- S-123 Metiabruz - Howrah Station
- 12AD Akra Phatak - Howrah Station
WBTC Bus
edit- C-7 Harimohan Ghose College - Howrah Station
- 14-A Harimohan Ghose College - Karunamoyee
- S-62 Metiabruz (Bichali Ghat) - Kasba Bus Depot
- S-63 Metiabruz Ssp Hospital - Behala 14 No. Bus Terminus
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "South 24 Parganas".
- ^ "KMC Wards in South 24 Parganas".
- ^ "Electors Details As On 30-10-2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2013.
- ^ "Garden Reach: Where Calcutta's original elite once built their homes". The Indian Express. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "BNR headquarters in Garden Reach: Colonial glory by the Hooghly". The Telegraph. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ "Garden Reach: The Forgotten Kingdom of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah". 19 March 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Exploring Metiabruz – Kolkata's mini-Lucknow". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "'Piya ka des': 165 years on, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's legacy lives on in Kolkata". The New Indian Express. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Forgotten history: How the last Nawab of Oudh built a mini Lucknow in Calcutta". 26 July 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Hauntings of Metiabruz: Urban Legends from The Mini-Lucknow of Kolkata". 31 October 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "The royal legacy of Wajid Ali Shah and the Kolkata Biryani". The Telegraph. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Here's how Wajid Ali Shah made the Kolkata biryani". The Times of India. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "How An Exiled Nawab Invented The Famous Kolkata Biryani". 8 June 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Suriname Ghat : Tracing the Journey of Suriname Indians". 18 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Suriname envoy at Kolkata ghat from where ancestors set sail". The Times of India. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "In honour of labourers who left for Suriname, a memorial to Baba, Mai". Indian Express. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Finally, a memorial for indentured labours at Kolkata ghat". The Hindu. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Port Division". Kolkata Police. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Midnight change of guard - 17 more police stations come under Lalbazar". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Garden Reach Post office". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Bartala Post office". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "South Eastern Railway Post office". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Rajabagan Dock Yard Post office". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Taratala Road Post office". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Bidhangarh Post office". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Cop killed in firing as student wings of Congress, Trinamool clash during Kolkata college election India Today | Kolkata | Soudhriti Bhabani |12 February 2013
- ^ "Police officer shot dead in violence at Calcutta college over elections". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "I didn't want Kolkata to forget Vinod's murder: 1984 victim". The Times of India. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Horror retold: DC lost & found". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Brief Industrial Profile of Kolkata District" (PDF). Some major large scale industries. Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute, Kolkata. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "ITC Ltd". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Hindustan Unilever". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Paharpur Cooling Towers Ltd". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "About Metiabruz Cluster". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "List of Industrial Commercial Estates under The WBSIDCL". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Kendriya Vidyalaya Garden Reach". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Mob torches police bikes after accident timesofindia.com | 4 August 2011
- ^ "Garden Reach flyover to be thrown open tomorrow". The Times of India. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "CM inaugurates 4.4 km Garden Reach flyover". millenniumpost.in. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Police suggest flyover ramps for Garden Reach flyover". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
External links
edit- Kolkata/South travel guide from Wikivoyage