Taltala
Encyclopedia
Taltala (also spelt Taltola, archaic spelling Taltollah) is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

, earlier known as Calcutta, 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...

. One of the old neighbourhoods of the metropolis, it has a police stationand is an assembly constituency.

History

According to H. E. A. Cotton
H. E. A. Cotton
Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton CIE was a barrister, administrator, journalist, historian and writer...

 Taltala was chiefly peopled by Bihari Muslim khalasis and lascars. Wellesley Street (renamed Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road) is described as a ‘fine broad thoroughfare’, along the course of which is situated Wellesley Square (renamed Haji Mohd. Mohsin Square). To the north of it is the Madrasa
Madrasa 'Aliya
Aliah University, is an autonomous university, as well as a minority institute whose goal is the overall educational improvement of Muslims, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 2007, when the Aliah University Act XXVII was passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly...

.

In 1758, one year after their decisive win in Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...

, the British East India Company commenced construction of the new Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...

 in the center of the village Gobindapur
Gobindapur
Gobindapur was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Kalikata and Sutanuti...

. The inhabitants of the village were compensated and provided with land in Taltala, Kumortuli
Kumortuli
Kumortuli is a traditionally potters’ quarter in northern Kolkata , the capital of the east Indian state of West Bengal. By virtue of their artistic productions these potters have moved from obscurity to prominence...

 and Shovabazar.

Although a predominantly Muslim locality, its early Hindu settlers included Durga Charan Banerjea, father of Surendranath Banerjea
Surendranath Banerjea
Sir Surendranath Banerjee was one of the earliest Indian political leaders during the British Raj. He founded the Indian National Association, one of the earliest Indian political organizations, and later became a senior leader of the Indian National Congress...

.. Muslims have been living in the area since the early 19th century ,and the earliest inhabitants were mainly Bengali Muslims, though Bihari Muslim settlers began arriving in a flood since 1870-1880 and more so since the 1980s.

Geography

While Ward Nos 52 and 53 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...

 are under the Taltala Police Station, and are part of Taltala, ward no. 62, broadly under Park Street Police Station but a part of it is under Taltala police station, is also a part of Taltala. The neighbourhood is bound by Dharmatala
Dharmatala
Dharmatala is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Dharmatala Street has been renamed Lenin Sarani but the neighbourhood continues to be referred to as Dharmatala...

 in the north, Entally
Entally
Entally is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It has a police stationand is an assembly constituency...

 in the east, Park Street neighbourhood in the south and Janbazar
Janbazar
Janbazar is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The two century-old house of Rani Rashmoni, the central attraction in Janbazar, is still used by descendants in the family.-History:...

 and Chowringhee
Chowringhee
Chowringhee is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jawaharlal Nehru Road runs on its western side...

 in the west. Great celebrities of Taltala are Surendranath Banerjee, Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee, Hiren Mukherjee, Rezaul Karim, Dr. Moni Biswas, Dr Tamiz Khan, Narendranath Sen, Tripura sankar Sensastry, Sudam Banerjee, Nilmoni Mukherjee, Bijoy Singh Nahar, Benjamin Gomes, Syed Badruddoja and so on

Demographics

Taltala police station area spread over ward nos. 52 and 53 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...

 had a total population of 53,348 in the 2001 census, of which 24,121 were males and 19,227 were females. Ward No. 62 had a population of 45,817, out of which 28,019 were males and 17,798 were females.The locality is largely Urdu-speaking. Urdu-speaking Muslims form 85 % of the population. Taltala has its own literary Bengali journal named TALTALA DARPAN EDITOR: Dr Sankar Kumar Nath,professionally an Oncologist but having talents in singing,painting,astronomy,writing history,poems.

Important landmarks

  • Madrasa 'Aliya
    Madrasa 'Aliya
    Aliah University, is an autonomous university, as well as a minority institute whose goal is the overall educational improvement of Muslims, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 2007, when the Aliah University Act XXVII was passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly...

     on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Street
  • Headquarters of Communist Party of India (Marxist)
    Communist Party of India (Marxist)
    The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...

    on Alimuddin Street.
  • Taltal Public Library, (Oldest existing Public library of Calcutta established in 1882), 12B, Taltala Library Row, Calcutta - 14.

Images

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK