THE OTHER EUROPEANS AROUND CALCUTTA

There is so much history about the British and Calcutta that people simply forget about European possession around Calcutta


Serampore (The Danish Colony): Frederiksnagore (named after King Frederick V of Denmark).

Chandannagar/Chandannagore (The French Colony): The French held onto it until 1950, long after the British left India.

Chinsurah (The Dutch Colony): The Dutch East India Company (VOC) traded opium, saltpeter, and textiles here from the mid-1600s until 1825, when they swapped their Indian holdings with the British for Sumatra (Indonesia).




Bandel (The Portuguese Colony): The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle in Bengal (late 1500s). The famous Bandel Cheese comes from here.



When India gained independence in 1947, the Portuguese "settlement" in Bandel wasn't a sovereign territory like Goa was. It had already been integrated into British India administratively. The Portuguese administrators and soldiers left, but the Roman Catholic Diocese (which had deep Portuguese roots) remained.



Banquibazar (Ichapore)(Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) Colony): The current Ichapur Defence Estate that has the two ordinance factories was at one time the Ostend Company (Austrian Netherlands Compagnie d'Ostende) Gunpowder factory.


The British (in Calcutta) and the Dutch (in Chinsurah) didn't want a new European competitor. They successfully lobbied the Nawab of Bengal, Alivardi Khan, to view the "Ostenders" as a threat. A combined force kicked the "Ostenders" out of Banquibazar.

Interestingly, many of the captains and sailors of the Ostend Company were actually British, Irish, or Dutch veterans of the more famous East India Companies. They sailed under the Imperial Austrian flag to bypass the monopolies of the British and Dutch.

Banquibazar combines Bengali "Bank"(meaning bend/curve of a river/path) and Bazar(market). The Hooghly near Ichapur, the river takes a distinct turn there.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE POLITICS OVER BORDER FENCING

  When Modi sarkar came into office in 2014, 1. Roughly 1,520 km of the total 2,216.7 km border was already fenced in West Bengal. All of it by UPA-I and UPA-II under Dr Manmohan Singh. 2. By August 2025, Modi sarkar managed to fence only 127km in 12 years. 3. Pending (Feasible): 456.2 km 4. Non-Feasible/Unfenceable: 112.8 km (Rivers/Swamps/Sundarbans mangroves etc) For 12 years Modi and Shah have been screaming Ghuspethiya because they failed to fence a mere 456 kms while past govts, UPA-I and UPA-II under Dr Manmohan Singh, since the year 2000 managed to complete 1,520 km of the total 2,216.7 km border in Bengal and also the rest of the Indo-Bangla border stretching across 4,096.7 km Nobody asked when over 3,232 km is already fenced and sealed, what prevented BSF from sealing a mere 456.2 km by physical control and patrolling? Border sealing in any case is the primary responsibility of the BSF. Suvendu Adhikar says that BSF will be provided land within 45 days for border fencing ...
Read more
Image
  CROSSING "THE THIN RED LINE" The "Thin Red Line" often means the final boundary or division between order and chaos, or between good and evil. It is also used to denote a limit beyond which someone must not go without facing severe consequences. It suggests the idea of a physical boundary marking the limits between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. The expression is part of the English language vocabulary. However, there is a military origin to this phrase which goes back to the British Crimean War, particularly the Balaklava Campaign. Though the Balaklava Campaign became infamous for one of the most infamous blunders in military history, the Charge of the Light Brigade, made immortal by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of h...
Read more
Image
  ঢেমনা, ঢ্যামনা(ḍhēmanā, ḍhyāmanā) In Bengali this word commonly is used as a slang to denote an idiot, Someone is very bad and ugly, lewd or illegitimate. Oft used when there is a verbal fight and one is trying to insult the other person In reality, ঢেমনা, ঢ্যামনা is the non poisonous Oriental rat snake মাকাল(Makal) Common Bengali slang used as an insult to denote a person completely bereft of any good qualities, useless fellow etc In reality Makal is a type of fruit, specifically the bitter snake gourd (Trichosanthes bracteata). Bitter Snake Gourd is valued for its ornamental flowers and unique fruit used in traditional medicine and as a vegetable in some cultures, although the fruit is very bitter. The fruit of bitter snake gourd, is considered poisonous. It contains toxic compounds like cucurbitacins, which can cause gastrointestinal issues if ingested. While the plant is used in traditional medicine, caution is advised due to its toxicity. বুড়ো ভাম বুড়ো ভাম(Buro Bham) in Be...
Read more