Day 17: Travelling from Jamshedpur, the Steel City of India to Kolkata, the Cultural Capital of India

Blows are what awaken us and help to break the dream. They show us the insufficiency of this world and make us long to escape, to have freedom. 

Swami Vivekananda

We left Jamshedpur with lively memories towards Kolkata, the Gateway of Eastern India.

On the way, we passed by 3 major cities of cultural and industrial significance with the first one being Ghatshila, formerly the headquarters of the royal family kingdom of Dhalbhum which originated from the border of Rajasthan. They established themselves by conquest in the western part of Bengal, the area commonly known as Jungle Mahals.  

Ghatshila, located on the bank of the Subarnarekha River, is situated in a forested area and owing to its natural beauty has gradually become a favorite tourist spot, especially for Bengalis from Kolkata and other nearby places.

Ghatshila has the presence of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) which is the chief employer and indirect source of income for most of the people of Ghatshila and the nearby villages. HCL is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Mines (India), Government of India and is the only vertically integrated copper producer in India engaged in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from mining, beneficiation, smelting, refining and continuous cast rod manufacturing.

Ghatshila is best known for the HCL mines because they are among Asia's first copper mines and among India’s deepest mines.

Mentor On Road has entered West Bengal, the Cultural Capital of India and the 10^th state of leg 2 in this mentoring road trip.

The second major city which we passed by was Kharagpur, a multi-cultural and cosmopolitan city where the first IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) was set-up in 1950. Kharagpur has one of the largest railway workshops in India, and the third longest railway platform in the world (1072.5 metres).

Kharagpur has one of the largest industrial setups in West Bengal due to its proximity to Kolkata, good rail and road connectivity via NH-6, availability of labor, and raw materials. Major companies such as Tata Metaliks, Tata Bearings, Siemens, Kharagpur Metal, ISD Cement, Godrej, Telcon, Century Extrusions, Humboldt, Rashmi Metaliks, BRG Group have set up their plants in and around Kharagpur. There are also many small iron rolling mills and rice mills dotted around the town. The real estate market is also booming due to presence of players such as Diamond Group, Shakti Infrabuild etc. A few new IT companies such as Apprise Technologies have also set-up in and around Kharagpur.

The last major city that we passed by was Howrah, the twin city of Kolkata. Howrah was historically occupied by the ancient Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut over 500 years ago which was also described by Venetian explorer Cesare Federici in 1565–79, as the location into which large ships could travel (Hoogli River) and possibly a commercial port.

Burn Standard Company a major company in heavy engineering industry, now part of Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Limited has its oldest manufacturing unit located in Howrah. The Howrah plant of Shalimar Paints (established in 1902) was the first large-scale paint manufacturing plant to be set up not only in India but in entire South East Asia. Often termed as Sheffield of the East, Howrah is known today as an engineering hub, mainly in the area of light engineering industry. There are small engineering firms all over Howrah, particularly around Belilios Road area near Howrah station.

Major industrial clusters of Howrah include metal casting foundry, shuttle cock manufacturing, metal spare parts, rerolling mills and embroidery.

After a refreshing journey, we finally reached our destination, Kolkata, the City of Joy.

Each work has to pass through these stages, ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood. 

Swami Vivekananda