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Colonial Cities
Describe the changes in the network of trade that were reflected in the urban centres during 18th century India.
(a) The European Companies set up trading centres in places like Panaji (Portuguese), Masulipatnam (Dutch) and Pondicherry (French).
(b) As trade expanded, towns grew around these trading centres.
(c) From the mid-eighteenth century, commercial centres, like Surat and Dhaka declined as trade shifted to other places.
(d) The English East India Company's trade expanded after the Company acquired Bengal. Colonial port cities, like Madras, Calcutta and Bombay rapidly emerged as the new economic capitals.
(e) New buildings, institutions and new, occupations developed. As people flocked to these cities, these cities become the biggest Indian cities in terms of population.
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To what extent are census data useful in reconstructing patterns of urbanisation in the colonial context?
What do the terms “White” and “Black” Town signify?
How did prominent Indian merchants establish themselves in the colonial city?
Examine how concerns of defence and health gave shape to Calcutta.
What are the different colonial architectural styles which can be seen in Bombay city?
How were urban centres transformed during the eighteenth century?
What were the new kinds of public places that emerged in the colonial city? What functions did they serve?
What were the concerns that influenced town planning in the nineteenth century?
To what extent were social relations transformed in the new cities?
On an outline map of India, trace the major rivers and hill ranges. Plot ten cities mentioned in the chapter, including Bombay. Calcutta and Madras, and prepare a brief note on why the importance of any two cities that you have marked (one colonial and one precolonial) changed in the nineteenth century.
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