Garia


Garia is a neighbourhood of southern Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is home to Netaji Subhash Engineering College and Future Institute of Technology. It is bounded by Jadavpur to the north, Bansdroni/ Tollygunge to the north-west, Santoshpur/ Mukundapur to the north-east and Narendrapur/ Rajpur Sonarpur to the south. The southern part of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass runs through the heart of the region. It is also represented by an important, ever-busy, and ever-crowded traffic junction from where a variety of public transports ply in different directions, making it a principal spot of South Kolkata.

Etymology

Garia is a large area bordering South 24 Parganas district and Kolkata district of South Bengal. It is situated on the banks of Adi Ganga, the southern suburb of Kolkata City. This is a very ancient town. The most popular way of naming this area is that, it is home to the Gaudiya Vaishnav community. In the Fifteen Century the great social reformer of Bengal Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu traveled through Adi Ganga on his Nilachal Yatra, stopped near the present Garia, and from then on started Vaishnavas or Baishnabs lives in the area. The Baishnabghata and Kamdahari around Garia are bound to be the same source of Etymological history.
Conversely, Garia received its name from one types of Mangrove trees called Kandelia candel, which was called Guriya in Native Sundarbani Language. It is said that in ancient times the Sundarbans extended North to the Sealdah and This area had maximum of this trees, So this area came to known as Garia.
According to others, Garia gets its name from a Muslim community of Gauda, Gauriyā Who lived near by. It is said that they are currently living in the northern part of Patuli. However, this name-source isn't well accepted by many scholars.

History

Garia is one of the oldest settlements around the region. Tolly's Nullah, which connects Kolkata to the Bidyadhari River to the east, runs through the middle of Garia. It was primarily a peaceful residential neighbourhood before the partition of India, which changed the very fabric of the area.
Overnight refugees came and settled down in the farm lands and country houses of the rich landowners of Kolkata in Garia, increasing the population of the area by many thousands.
Garia became another refugee settlement along with Jadavpur and Tollygunge in the southern fringes of the city. Slowly, after the initial upheaval, development of the area started and it grew to become a peaceful neighbourhood.
But again another change was coming to the region. With the expansion of Kolkata to the east and the south during the 1990s, the area witnessed its latest change. Garia was the southern end of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, the next 'Chowringhee' of Kolkata. This road connected Garia to the northern parts of the city and the newly developing areas like Salt Lake and New Town, and also to the Dum Dum Airport; thus opening the way for rapid commercialization of the area. Already home to two major bus terminus, Garia became the transport and commercial hub for the region.

Modern day Garia

First settlements were on the north of the meeting point of N.S.C. Bose Road, Garia main road & Raja Subodh Chandra Mullick road; Garia More as it is known till day. Kanungo Park, planned by Late Sri Manindra Lal Das an Officer of The Directorate of Settlement Department of West Bengal, from which Milan park was later carved out was the first planned settlement at Garia.
This locality is now home to some of the finest upcoming apartment complexes in the city, and is a heaven for people looking to get away from the congestion of Kolkata. Hiland Park, Avani's Victoria Greens, Westwind, Orbit City, Sunny Seasons, Victoria Greens, Sugam Park, Sherwood Estate and Bengal Ambuja's Upohar are the most famous apartment complexes in Garia. Apartment complexes like Sugam Sudhir, PS Srijan Ozone, Modello Highs are close to completion and will be the newest additions to posh housing complexes. However, increasing population day by day, and the upcoming projects and a vast number of residential flats and increased traffic have made Garia almost the same as the other congested places of Kolkata, at present. Metro railway has added a new feather in terms of communication which connects Central & North Kolkata to save time & have a comfortable journey.
One of Kolkata's red-light districts is situated in Garia.

Neighbourhoods

Garia includes the neighbourhoods of Kanungo Park, New Garia, Chak Garia, Garia Park, Baghajatin, Ajoy Nagar, Baishnabghata-Patuli, Techno City, Panchpota, Model Town, Ganguly Bagan, Ramgarh, Tentulberia, East Tentulberia, Ramgarh, Briji, Dhalai Bridge, Kamalgazi, Mahamayatala, Pearabagan, Boral, Sreenagar, Nayabad, Panchasayar, Kandarpopur town, Fartabad, Garia railway station, Balia, Sreerampur and certain parts of New Ajoynagar.

[New Garia]

New Garia is a fast-growing neighbourhood in the eastern part of Garia. The terminal metro station of Kolkata metro in the south is located here.

Chak Garia

Chak Garia, also known as Chakgaria, is a posh neighbourhood in the eastern part of Garia. It is dotted with high rises like Hiland Park and Bengal Ambuja Upohar.

[Baishnabghata Patuli Township]

Baishnabghata-Patuli Township is a township located in the northern part of Garia. Baishnabghata-Patuli Township is a World Bank–funded project on the EM Bypass. Currently, it is one of the most promising parts of south Kolkata.

Mahamayatala

Mahamayatala is a well-known place in Garia. Even one of the most renowned posh localities in Garia. There are many modern luxurious residential complex/apartments, medical diagnostic centers, banks, departmental stores, multi-cuisine restaurants and even also few standard quality bars are available. You can easily fetch all required stuff for living. Mahamayatala is known for very famous Maa Mahamaya Temple.

Pearabagan

Pearabagan is a major locality in South Garia. It is a residential area with a market bazar popularly known as Kalibazar. Laskarpur is associated with Pearabagan. There are many schools over here including the Laskarpur Vidyapith. BDMI school is connected with Purba Para, Laskarpur. The post office of Laskarpur is situated here. Rishi Apartment, Elina Apartment, Narayani Apartment are some of the major apartment complexes located in the area.

Tetultala

This is a residential place between Mahamayatala and Hindustan More. There is a sweet shop named Hindustan Sweets and Patton's factory nearby. Various residential buildings and housing complexes are situated in this locality such as Sanghati Abasan, Victoria Enclave, Tinni Apartment, Puskar Abasan, Basundhara Apartment,Luv kush Apartment, Mondal Para Sabuj Sangha club is also there and this area developing very faster, etc. In this area, one new temple is also established and it has become famous also, it is called a "Bajrangbali Temple". Nowadays this place is very crowded.

Hindustan More

It is one of the posh areas of Garia location with renowned multi specialty nursing home like Hindustan health point and shopping destination like bazaar.
BSF camp, West Bengal State Electricity Board office, HDFC Bank, Electronic Store,
Housing Complex like Ananya Apartments, Victoria Greens, 4 Sight Florence.
Balia is also a fast-growing neighbourhood in the eastern part of Garia.

Kandarpopur town

Kandarpopur town is a major locality of Garia. This locality is situated beside Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Garia Railway Station and Shahid Khudiram Metro Station are the nearby railway stations of the locality. Kandarpapur, Boalia, Natunpara are the major portion of the locality. There are many Housing Complex, clinics, schools, markets are located in this area. It is also a fast-growing neighbourhood of Garia.

Geographic location

The converging point of Raja S.C.Mullick Road, N.S.C.Bose Road & Garia Main Road is known as "Garia More", adjacent to Kanungo Park & Garia Traffic Guard of Kolkata Police. It is the point where Garia started evolving post Independence.

Transport

Garia is home to four major bus termini. Besides 45, 45B, 80A, 80B, 218, 228, KB17, SD5, AC5, AC6, AC37, AC37A, AC37C, AC50, AC50A, S14, S15G, S37, S55, BARASAT- BARUIPUR etc. buses connect Garia with all parts of the city. All varieties of bus services are available here.
Kavi Nazrul connects this locality to the Kolkata Metro network. Two more stations - Shahid Khudiram & Kavi Subhash have become operational from 7 October 2010.
Garia is served by the Garia Railway Station.

Major roads of Garia

Garia is one of the major shopping areas of Kolkata. It is home to many shopping malls and departmental stores. Some of them are :
Garia is home to several academic, research and professional institutions and schools. Major colleges, schools and research institutions located here includes:
Rakhi Utsav organized by "Garia Manabik" a NGO held every year at Kishore Kalyan Samsad ground Garia, Kamdohari Narkelbagan, Celebrities and dignitaries from different fields and society attend this ceremony.

In popular culture

In early 1953, the principal photography of the Satyajit Ray's debut film Pather Panchali was done at Boral, then a small village on the outskirts of Kolkata, now a locality of Garia. A decade later, Ray again shot a scene of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne in the dense bamboo groves near a local pond.

Notable people