Area : 87,853 sq. km

Capital : Calcutta Population : 67,982, 732 (1991) Languages : Bengali Literacy : 57.72% (1991) Roads : 57,539 kms Railways : 3,800 kms No. of Districts : 17 No. of Bank Branches : 3,990 Major Ports : Calcutta Airports : Calcutta, Bagdogra

West Bengal is strategically placed with three international frontiers - Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

A hinge between the bulk of Indian territory and the north-east of the country, West Bengal is located at 21°31' and 27°14' North Latitude at the head of the Bay of Bengal and 86°35' and 89°53' East Longitude, with the Tropic of Cancer running through it.

The great Himalayas start a distance of only 300 miles from the Bay of Bengal and the coastal tropical rain forest, Sundarbans Physiographic

The entire Bengal basin is that part of the great Indian shield, which approximately to the east of longitude 87°E, disappears under alluvium.

It consists of high peaks of Himalaya in the northern extremes to coastal regions down south, with regions like plateau, Ganges delta etc superseding in between.

It may be attractive to note that West Bengal is only state in India where Himalayas are in the north and Sea is at the south, with both Plaines and plateau are covering the remaining region.

West Bengal has a tropical climate. The plains are hot except during the short winter season. The mountainous region in the north is cold. On account of its height

but there humidity is high. The standard tradition speaks of six seasons-Spring, Summer, the rainy,

Autumn, mild Winter and severe Winter. Only four evidently marked seasons with a brief interregnum of spring

are observed, namely the hot season, the rainy season, the post monsoon season corresponding to autumn and the cold season. The hot season lasts from mid-March to mid-June,

The monsoon arrives by a middle of June. This is called the Chhota monsoon which breaks the hot spell of summer.

The monsoon rains in west Bengal are caused solely by the current of wind from the Bay of Bengal.

A welcome change in the weather begins to be specifically felt towards the end of September.

Autumn in West Bengal is the period for festivity in the fields the golden grain of paddy starts ripening and is harvested towards the end of the season.

The economy of this state relies on the industrial growth of the following sectors: petrochemicals, electronics and Information Technology, iron & steel, textiles, leather, edible oils, aquaculture, medicinal plants, rubber, palm oil, tea, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and mineral based industry. Besides, the cottage industries of handicrafts and handloom products also contribute substantially to the state gross domestic product. Rice grown in the paddy fields of the lowlands remains West Bengal's most important cash crop and tea is a close second. Most multinational companies have left Bengal because of the excessive trade unionism. Work remains undone, strikes are on and the companies suffer great losses. However the state government has lately made major strides in stabilizing the labour situation and invite outside investment in the private and public sectors.

Bengali : Bangla ( Baņla) is an Indo-Aryan language of South Asia that evolved as a successor to Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit. Bengali is the English word for the name of the language and for its speakers; in Bengali, the language itself is called Bangla (pronounced: IPA: ['baŋla]), a term that now has greater currency in English. From this point forward, Bangla will be used to refer to the language.

With more than 200 million native speakers, it is the fourth or fifth most widely spoken language in the world (after Mandarin, Spanish, English and Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu).

It is also the fourth most spoken language in terms of native speakers . Bangla is the second most commonly spoken language in India (after Hindi)

As a result of the Bengal renaissance in the 19th and 20th centuries, much of India's most famous literature, poetry, and lyrics are in Bangla; the works of Rabindranath Tagore (the first Asian to be awarded a Nobel Prize), for example, are in Bangla.

Many of the reformist religious, philosophical, and political movements that began in that era were led by Bengalis.

Hinduism is practiced by the majority of the people and Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists make up the rest.

Bengali food consists of a lot of fish, lentils and ric

Sandesh Panch poran-Whole

cumin seeds Whole black mustard

seeds Whole fennel seeds Whole kalonji seeds Whole fenugreek seeds Bengali Fish Curry Bengali Dhal

Start of winter coincides with Durga Puja in October, the most important festival in Bengal.

According to Hindu mythology, all gods and goddesses of thee Hindu pantheon endowed Durga

All over the Western part of the state, a festival is held in the honor of the serpent-deity Manasa on the previous day of the Bengali month Sravana (mid-August).

But the most stunning is the one held at Vishnupur in the district of Bankura, with its shows of live snakes on open platforms.

Kali Puja is primarily a Bengali festival, held in accordance to the lunar calendar around the first week of November.

The Goddess Kali is worshipped at night on one night during this festival.

Kali Puja is light-up night for Kolkata, corresponding to the North Indian festival of Diwali (pronounced Dipabali in Bengali), where people light candles in memory of the souls of departed ancestors.

This is also a night of fireworks, with burning sparklers and crackers throughout the night.

A Departmental Museum under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research displays various facets of the jute and allied fabrics, charts showing chemical properties , structure and machining of the fiber, also decorative, industrial and household products resulting from jute.

Gurusaday Museum is located 15 km. from the BBD Bagh on Diamond Harbor Road.

The museum has a collection of over 2,000 items, a rich set of the folk arts and crafts on undivided Bengal.

Its highlights are the Kalighat pats, Jorano pats (scroll paintings) and beautiful kantha quilts, a thrift needlecraft of rural Bengal, wood carvings and terra-cotta panels.

Crafts Museum was recognized in 1950. (Formerly of the Indian Institute of Art in Industry).

Collections include rural arts and crafts of diverse regions of India including ivories, metal objects and textiles from West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Maharashtra, U.P, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and TamilNadu. Maintains a good library and pictorial records.

Bangiya Sahita Parishad Chitrasala was established 1910.

Collections include valuable mediaeval stone and metal sculptures, manuscripts, letters of famous Bengali author, art and archaeology objects depicting the past and culture of Bengal.

•On display are basalt sculptures from Pala and Sena periods with us distinctive blend of Hindu and and buddhist styles, as also sculpted clay panels from temples of the Vishnupur region. •There are also interesting collections of patachitras, or painted scrolls from Bengal, playing cards, palm leaf manuscripts, ritual objects, toys and dolls. •The textiles include embroidered Kanthas, the patchwork and quilting textile technique, and saris from Baluchar with their quaint figurative designs.

These drawings are related to ancient magic cults. These drawings are also used for decorative purpose, in the modern times. Alpana is a ritualistic drawing made on the floor during a festive or religious occasion. This custom is practiced by the women of West Bengal.

In West Bengal, Chikankari is an embroidery work which is practiced.

It is done by using white cotton thread on fine white muslin. fabric.

A variety of silk, called moga, is used for outlining the embroidered portions to create an enhanced effect.

The designs of Chikankari Embroidery are very delicate

Dhokra Craft indicates variety of beautifully shaped and decorated brassware products created by the lost wax process.

Dhokras indicate group of nomadic craftsmen who use lost-wax process to cast hollow brass objects and images.

Dhokra Craft is the method of non-ferrous metal casting.

The technique of Dhokra is "Cire Perdue" or lost wax process in which metal, mainly brass, scrap is used.

In India, these craftsmen

are clustered in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal

The Dhokra craftsmen went from tribe to tribe making their ceremonial and religious figures, ornaments and kitchenware. Dhokra group of tribal craftsmen give us a timeless heritage of beautifully shaped and ornamented products of cast metals.

These are used by children and for decorative purposes and made with small cloth, cotton & wool.

Root from a Japanese influence, this craft has lately gained immense popularity in Bengal.

These dolls are known as RAG DOLLS.

Clay Dolls are also made in Bengal. These dolls are unique in their realism and have the quality in their finish.

Today, Bengal is a major producer of jute goods ranging from pllush jute-blended carpets, to decorative tapestries, garden pot hangings, decorative hand bags, bedspreads etc.

In ancient times Jute as a fabric was much popular.

In West Dinajpur, the process of colouring, weaving of jute on single looms goes on.

Jute, the ‘golden fibre’ has traditionally been braided by women of Bengal, often for domestic storage

In various colors such as red, orange, brown, black and cream, Handmade pottery mainly consisted of different types of bowls, jars, vessels, etc.

Hand-modeled Pottery is mainly a woman's art in West Bengal.

Variety of dolls and toys are made by Women of Patua caste.

Hand-modeled pottery is made exclusively by women in Bishnupur, Murshidabad and some other places in Midnapore.

Wood Carvings In West Bengal, Wood is widely used for making toys and decorative panels.

Image made in wood relate back to traditional icons, deities some of them stylised to a modern look.

Sandalwood is of great religious significance and one of the oldest fragrances known to man.

Sandal wood is of two types one is srigandha which is close grained and yellowish-brown in color and used for carving.

Second is nagagandha which is darkish-brown in color and from which oil is extracted.

•In Bengal, masks actually represent the theatrical tradition are used by the Chhou dancers of Purulia and those who perform the Gambhira dances of Malda. •The masks generally made here are of mythological character. • The material used is paper mache painted in bright colours. •Today Masks are more popular as items of interior decoration.

In India, International Textiles & Garment Fair is the first one-stop opportunity for textile professionals and exporters to discover what West Bengal has to offer.

In Bishnupur,(West Bengal)

Dhoop Chhaon Saree is a

famous textile product.

‘Dhoop Chhaon’ literally

means ‘double shade,’ which

refers to the apparent

difference in color when seen

from different angles or lights.

The borders of the saree

contain patterns of small

yellow flowers.

This saree is woven from silk.

Tangail Saree contains tiny

repeating patterns, giving the

feel of an embroidery work.

Borders of this saree are

adorned with designs depicting

temples and the patterns seen

on the ‘rudraksha’.

The silk saree features dark

shades and is mostly preferred

during special occasions.

The Bengali Tussar Embroidery Sarees are specially handspun to contain a crisp pebbly texture on the surface.

These sarees are not artificially colored.

The embroidery is done using a particular stitch called the kantha, which is a kind of running stitch.

The Tussar brocade sarees feature heavy ornamental designs.

The ‘pallu‘ (falling edge of the saree) features complex jacquard designs.

The fibers are of fine nature, colored in dyes extracted from natural materials used in this saree .

This saree is light and comfortable to wear.

Tant sarees come in a wide range of styles and colors.

They feature broad silk-embroidered borders.

Their ‘pallu’ (falling edge of the saree) is embellished with delicate embroidery.

They are ideal as a casual wear.

The word ‘nilambari’

literally means blue

sky referring to the

saree's deep navy-

blue color.

The ‘pallu’ (the

falling edge of the

saree) is decorated

with stripes of varying thickness.

Jamdani was primarily a dress material for women and men but in contemporary lifestyle we find them in the form of saris with a great variety of patterns donned with geometrical motifs designed on simple frame or pit looms.

During the weaving process a paper pattern is kept beneath which acts as a trace to set up the design onto the sari. Generally two weavers weave the jamdani sari.

Jamdanis are mostly woven in lightly dyed backgrounds with designs in white, maroon, black, green, gold, silver and in muga silk of a golden colour.

By: Savita Thakur