Bengal - An Introduction

The state of West Bengal in the India and the country of Bangladesh together form the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. That there are two divisions in Bengal one being a part of the secular Indian state and the other being the Islamic country of Bangladesh, has several politico-religious reasons.

This blog primarily focuses on the Indian part of Bengal which is called West Bengal with its capital in Kolkata.

It is one of the smaller states in the Indian nation but at the same time the most densely populated. The reason behind such a population explosion in the state can easily be found in the history behind the creation of the Indian and Bangladeshi states. Often cited as the worst victim of the partition of the subcontinent, the state had two major influxes of refugee population from the eastern parts of earstwhile Bengal which is on today's date the country of Bangladesh - once during Indian independence in 1947 and again during the Bangladeshi War of Independence in 1971.

West Bengal is primarily an agriculture dependent state with its prime crop being paddy. Jute and tea are other important agro-industries in the state.

Often cited as the cultural capital of the country, the city of Kolkata, is the capital city of the state. It was previously called Calcutta and was the capital of British India until 1911 when the capital was shifted to New Delhi which is still the capital of India. The city of Kolkata and the state of Bengal has a rich cultural history.

The most important festival in the state in the Durga Puja which is held in the season of autumn in September or October. It is during this festival that the culture of Bengal is displayed to its fullest grandeur to the rest of the world.

West Bengal has recently seen some upsurge in political violence centering land acquisition for industry by the government.