Don Bosco Alumni
Park Circus, Kolkata
Calcutta is an Anglicized version of Kalikata. According to some, Kalikata is derived from the Bengali word Kalikshetra, meaning "Ground of (the goddess) Kali." Some say the city's name derives from the location of its original settlement on the bank of a canal (khal). A third opinion traces it to the Bengali words for lime (kali) and burnt shell (kata), since the area was noted for the manufacture of shell-lime. Still another opinion is that the name is derived from the Bengali term kilkila (meaning, "flat area"), which is mentioned in the old literature. Maybe the name springs from the fact that being the home of the 'Kol' tribe known as 'Kolka Hota.'
It is the capital city of West Bengal, in India. It is the former capital (1772--1912) of British India. The city boasts being the nation's largest metropolitan in area. Calcutta is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, an arm of the Ganges, about 96 miles (154 km) upstream from its mouth at the head of the Bay of Bengal. This river port is the most important urban center of Eastern India. 
Fashioned by the colonial British in the manner of a grand European capital--yet now set in one of the poorest and most overpopulated regions of India--Calcutta has grown into a city of sharp contrasts and contradictions. Calcutta has had to assimilate strong European influences and overcome the limitations of its colonial legacy in order to find its own unique identity. In the process it created an amalgam of East and West that found its expression in the life and works of the 19th-century Bengali elite and its most noteworthy figure, the poet and mystic Rabindranath Tagore. This largest and most vibrant of Indian cities thrives amidst seemingly insurmountable economic, social, and political problems.
Its citizens exhibit a great joie de vivre that is demonstrated in a penchant for art and culture and a level of intellectual vitality and political awareness unsurpassed in the rest of the country. No other Indian city can draw the kinds of crowds that throng to Calcutta's book fairs, art exhibitions, and concerts. There is a lively trading of polemics on walls, which has led to Calcutta being dubbed the "city of posters." Yet for all of Calcutta's vitality, many of the city's residents live in some of the worst conditions, far removed from the cultural milieu. The city's energy, however, penetrates even to the meanest of slums, as a large number of Calcuttans sincerely support the efforts of those who minister to the poor and suffering. In short, Calcutta remains an enigma to many Indians as well as to foreigners. It continues to puzzle newcomers and to arouse an abiding nostalgia in the minds of those who have lived there.
Our city has, over the years, been the home and the inspiration for many famous men and women , all of whom have excelled in their respective fields in the international scenario during their lifetime.
Sir Ronald Ross Noble Prize for Medicine 1902 for discovering the cause of malaria. Rabindranath Tagore Noble Prize for Litrature 1913 for ‘GEETANJALI’. Sir C.V. Raman Noble Prize for Physics 1930 for work on the diffusion of light. Mother Teresa Noble Peace Prize 1979 for work which needs no mentioning. Prof Amarthya Sen Noble Prize for Economics 1998 for work on Social Economics Merle Oberon One of Hollywoods biggest stars in the ‘30s. Satyajit Ray One of the greatest film directors the world has ever known.Norman Pritchard Two silver medals in the Paris Olympics, 1900 Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose Demonstrated the use of wireless a year before Marconi and discovered the fact that plants are living organisms. Dr Satyan Bose Co-discoverer of the Bose –Einstein Statistics Dr Amar Bose Inventer of the world famous BOSE accoustimas Audio speaker systems & BOSE CORPORATION Sir Cliff Richard Pop & Gospel Singer Pt Ravi Shanker Well known Sitar player Pt Uday Shanker Renowned dancer who evolved his own unique dance form. Sri RamaKrishna One of the greatest religious teacher & saint of India Swami Vivekananda Disciple of Sri RamaKrishna and a founder of The Ramakrishna Mission Sri Aurobindo Another great religious leader And many more….
