[powerpress]

This week, in a break from interviews, Hour of History looks back to Calcutta কলকাতা 150 years after Gandhi was born. Gandhi, of course, was not from Calcutta, but he was there on the day India won its independence from the United Kingdom. This episode is a look back to the city that rose from a fishing village to one of the British Empire's most important colonial cities. By selecting important moments and items in the history of the city, your host, Steven, draws on history, religion, and art to understand Calcutta's early years.

Some Highlights:

From fishing village to imperial town

The Black Hole of Calcutta or the Black Hole of Empire?

The British East India Company

Enlightenment and the growth of empire

Colonial Divisions

Weekly Suggestion:

Steven - Black Hole of Empire - Partha Chatterjee

 

Gandhi released from prison in Calcutta.

Your host, on a distant shore, far from Calcutta.

https://youtu.be/DVasGR-bpAE