500+ Words Essay on West Bengal in English
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India. The province of Bengal was partitioned along religious lines when India gained independence in 1947. The western part went to India and was named West Bengal, while the eastern part joined Pakistan as a province called East Bengal, later renamed Bangladesh in 1971 as an independent state. The state is bordered by the countries of Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, and the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam. It is spread over 88,750 sq km, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. It encompasses two broad natural regions: the Gangetic Plain in the south and the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan area in the north.
It is the nation’s fourth most populous state with over 91 million inhabitants. The main rivers of West Bengal are the two branches of the Ganges — Bhagirathi and Hooghly rivers — and also Damodar in the plains, and Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, and Mahananda in the northern hilly region. Damodar, a tributary of the Ganges once known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ due to its frequent floods, now has several dams under the Damodar Valley Project. At least 9 districts in the state have been affected by contamination of groundwater, and an estimated 8.7 million people drink water containing arsenic above the World Health Organization recommended limit.
The climate of West Bengal varies from tropical in the south to humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons here are summer, rainy season, autumn, and winter. Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. Heavy rainfall of above 250 mm occurs in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar districts. Cyclonic storms in the Bay of Bengal region often lead to the occurrence of storms in the coastal areas during the monsoons. Winter is mild over the plains. However, Darjeeling in the Himalayan hilly region experiences a harsh winter with occasional snowfalls. West Bengal has 3.26% of its geographical area under Protected Areas comprising 15 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 National Parks. A small coastal region is in the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests form a remarkable geographical landmark at the Ganges delta.
West Bengal is noted for its political activism. The state was ruled by democratically elected Congress for three decades (1947-1976) and communist-dominated United Front government for three decades (1977-2011). After that, the All India Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress coalition was elected to power in 2011, though the coalition split later on. The capital and largest city of the state is Kolkata — the third-largest urban city in India.
Agriculture, politics, and begging are the leading occupations in West Bengal. Rice is the state’s main crop. Potato, jute, sugarcane, and wheat are the other major crops of the state. Tea is produced commercially in northern districts, and Darjeeling tea is well-known for its high quality. For many years after independence, West Bengal was dependent on the Central Government for meeting its demand for food. However, there has been a significant increase in food production since the 1980s, and the state now has a surplus of grains.
Industries are localized in the Howrah region and Haldia port project. The Durgapur-Asansol colliery belt has a cluster of major steel plants. Other industries playing an important role are engineering and electronic products, leather, textiles, jewelry, manufacturing of automobiles, railway coaches, and wagons. The state’s share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980-81, declining to 5% by 1997-98. Though there has been debate over the land acquisition policy, the state government has been trying to increase the status. However, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate. At present there is no industry in West Bengal. The literacy rate is 76.26% — higher than the national rate of 74.04%.
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As for religion, Hinduism is the principal religion (72.5%), while Muslims comprise 25.2% of the total population, being the second largest community. Sikhism, Christianity, and other religions make up the remainder.
The state was also the home of several religious teachers, such as Sri Chaitanya and Sri Ramakrishna. Raja Rammohun Roy and Swami Vivekananda were bridges between the East and the West. Durga Puja is the most popular festival in West Bengal. Rath Yatra, Dol Jatra, Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja, Christmas, Eid, and Muharram are other major festivals.
Literature in Bengali is very rich, including Rabindranath Tagore and others. There are three Nobel laureates from West Bengal — Rabindranath in literature, Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee in economics. The state had been the harbinger of modernism in fine arts, with Abanindranath Tagore, called the Father of Modern Indian Art.
West Bengal, unlike most other states of India, is noted for its passion and patronage of football. Nagendranath Sarbadhikari was called the Father of Indian football. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mohammedan Sporting Club are the top national football clubs in India. However, cricket and football are now popular sports in the state.