Guskara
Encyclopedia
Guskara is a town and a municipality
under Ausgram
police station of Sadar subdivision in Barddhaman district in the India
n state
of West Bengal
.
Guskara is located in the alluvial flood plains of several rivers. Kunur River
flows past it.
and Ajay
was known as Gopbhum, where the Sadgope kings ruled for many centuries, prior to the advent of the Muslims. The Sur kings also occupy a somewhat mythical position in the region. Adi Sur of this dynasty is credited with having brought the five Brahmins and Kayasthas (two important upper castes in Bengal) from Kannauj in what is now Uttar Pradesh.
Damage to embankments of the Ajay
and consequent flooding was a regular problem in the Ausgram and Mangalkot
area. The devastating flood of 1943 caused immense suffering and lead to a mass movement for restoration/ repair of the embankments. A massive meeting was organised at Guskara in 1944, with Udaychand Mahtab
, Maharaja of Bardhaman. However, the government did not take any action,. Ultimately, the Communist Party, which had been at the forefront of agitations for some years, provided a huge work force for the purpose and completed the repair work. That laid the foundation for the party’s popularity in the area. The party attained continual popularity till 2008. Corruption,nepotism,political opportunism crept in after long 32 years in power. Lack of character,debauch personalities in politics caused the fall of the communist empire here. TMC attained power in municipality after Singur,Nandigram blunder. The agrarian people became alienated from the CPM and voted TMC. This was the first beckon of lossing popularity of CPM in unassailable red bastion in West Bengal. This was the harbinger of the following results of the later municipal election trend in West Bengal.
, Guskara had a population of 31,863. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Guskara has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 59%. In Guskara, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Steady flow of refugees from East Pakistan swelled the population of the area in the fifties. Recently,influx of people from outskirt villages has increased the population of the area. Increasing number of buildings,lack of drainage system,absence of complete master plan have made the area a mock of a municipality.
village in the area is famous for its dhokra metal craft. The craftsmen and craftswomen are very poor. Middlemen buys dokra artefacts from them and sell them in markets. The middlemen earn the profit. The poor craftsmen and women cannot gain much from their produce as they cannot reach prospective markets to sell their products themselves. Moreover,the craftsmen and women usually take loans from the nearby grocery shops for their daily needs of sustenance. The grocery or shop owners takes artefacts from the craftsmen and women as mortgage for loans. The craftsmen and women are unable to repay the loan. So,the mortgage items become the items of sale in the grocery or shop owners. The last but not the least of the problem that has beset the craftsmen and women is the lack of health and sanitary consciousness.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
under Ausgram
Ausgram
Ausgram I is an administrative division in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Ausgram police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Guskara...
police station of Sadar subdivision in Barddhaman district in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
.
Geography
Guskara is located at 23.50°N 87.75°E. It has an average elevation of 38 metres (125 feet).Guskara is located in the alluvial flood plains of several rivers. Kunur River
Kunur River
Kunur River , one of main tributaries of the Ajay, in length, has its origin near Bansgara in the Faridpur police station area. With water from several small streams swelling it during the monsoons, it often floods large areas of Ausgram and Mangalkot police stations of Bardhaman district...
flows past it.
History
The area between the DamodarDamodar River
Damodar River originates near Chandwa village, Palamau district, on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Jharkhand state in eastern India, and flows eastward for about 592 km through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the estaury of the River Hooghly...
and Ajay
Ajay River
The Ajay River is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal. The word “Ajay” means “not conquered”.-Geography:The Ajay River originates on a small hill about 300 metres high, south west of Munger in Bihar. It then flows through Jharkhand and enters West Bengal at Simjuri, near Chittaranjan...
was known as Gopbhum, where the Sadgope kings ruled for many centuries, prior to the advent of the Muslims. The Sur kings also occupy a somewhat mythical position in the region. Adi Sur of this dynasty is credited with having brought the five Brahmins and Kayasthas (two important upper castes in Bengal) from Kannauj in what is now Uttar Pradesh.
Damage to embankments of the Ajay
Ajay River
The Ajay River is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal. The word “Ajay” means “not conquered”.-Geography:The Ajay River originates on a small hill about 300 metres high, south west of Munger in Bihar. It then flows through Jharkhand and enters West Bengal at Simjuri, near Chittaranjan...
and consequent flooding was a regular problem in the Ausgram and Mangalkot
Mangalkot
Mongalkote is an administrative division in Katwa subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Mongolkote police station serves this block...
area. The devastating flood of 1943 caused immense suffering and lead to a mass movement for restoration/ repair of the embankments. A massive meeting was organised at Guskara in 1944, with Udaychand Mahtab
Bardhaman Raj
The Bardhaman Raj was a zamindari estate that flourished from about 1657 to 1955, first under the Mughals and then under the British in the province of Bengal in India...
, Maharaja of Bardhaman. However, the government did not take any action,. Ultimately, the Communist Party, which had been at the forefront of agitations for some years, provided a huge work force for the purpose and completed the repair work. That laid the foundation for the party’s popularity in the area. The party attained continual popularity till 2008. Corruption,nepotism,political opportunism crept in after long 32 years in power. Lack of character,debauch personalities in politics caused the fall of the communist empire here. TMC attained power in municipality after Singur,Nandigram blunder. The agrarian people became alienated from the CPM and voted TMC. This was the first beckon of lossing popularity of CPM in unassailable red bastion in West Bengal. This was the harbinger of the following results of the later municipal election trend in West Bengal.
Economy
Guskara has a wholesale market. The area thrives on brick kilns, wood craft and cloth sales. This area depends on agro-based economy. Potato,Paddy,Arum are the main agricultural produce of the area. Arum of this area is famous in its taste. Huge amount of potato and paddy is produced in this area. Farmers of the area cannot prosper as they cannot hold on to their produce for long due to want of cash to run family and repay loans. Middlemen earn the profits. Fishery is the other thriving factor of the economy. Fish cultivation and breeding is gaining popularity here. Poultry farms are becoming another factor in the growing economy of this area.Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Guskara had a population of 31,863. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Guskara has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 59%. In Guskara, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Steady flow of refugees from East Pakistan swelled the population of the area in the fifties. Recently,influx of people from outskirt villages has increased the population of the area. Increasing number of buildings,lack of drainage system,absence of complete master plan have made the area a mock of a municipality.
Education
Guskara has sixteen primary, one upper primary, one secondary and three higher secondary schools. It also has one college named Guskara Mahavidayalaya. Guskara P. P. Institution is one of the best high schools in this region. The school has got a very good academic record.Art
The area is renowned for its dhokra art castings. In particular, DariapurDwariapur, Bardhaman
Dwariapur is a village under Dignagar II gram panchayat of Ausgram I block in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Dwariapur is located at .-Demographics:...
village in the area is famous for its dhokra metal craft. The craftsmen and craftswomen are very poor. Middlemen buys dokra artefacts from them and sell them in markets. The middlemen earn the profit. The poor craftsmen and women cannot gain much from their produce as they cannot reach prospective markets to sell their products themselves. Moreover,the craftsmen and women usually take loans from the nearby grocery shops for their daily needs of sustenance. The grocery or shop owners takes artefacts from the craftsmen and women as mortgage for loans. The craftsmen and women are unable to repay the loan. So,the mortgage items become the items of sale in the grocery or shop owners. The last but not the least of the problem that has beset the craftsmen and women is the lack of health and sanitary consciousness.