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Colonial Cities
Why the cities of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay were fortified? How did it lead to the development of White Town and Black Town?
Madras, Calcutta and Bombay had become important ports by the eighteenth century. They had many factories and mercantile offices built by the East India Company. So the British got these cities fortified to ensure protection of both men and the goods. In Madras, the White men settled in Fort St. George. They settled in Fort William in Calcutta. They lived near the Fort in Bombay. On the other hand, the Indians lived outside these forts. They had their own settlements where the merchants, artisans and other workers lived together.
All these cities had separate quarters for the Indians and the Europeans. The Indians lived in the Black Towns wheres the white lived in the
White Town. The Black areas symbolised by chaos and anarchy, filth and disease. But the white areas stood for hygiene and cleanliness.
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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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