Colonialism and the City

• How colonial rule changed Indian cities — Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta.
• The "White Town" / "Black Town" divide in colonial cities.
• How Delhi changed — from Mughal capital to colonial capital; then modern capital.
• Urban planning and segregation under the British.
• How cities looked before and after colonialism.

Pre-colonial cities

Before British conquest, Indian cities reflected Mughal and regional kingdoms:

• Delhi: Mughal capital; dominated by the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk bazaar.
• Murshidabad: capital of Bengal nawabs; large, wealthy.
• Surat: major port; dominated by Indian and Arab merchants.
• Cities built around royal courts, mosques/temples, markets.

How colonialism changed cities

The "White Town" and "Black Town"

• Early colonial cities (Madras, Calcutta, Bombay) were divided:
  • White Town: European residential areas; wide roads, parks, administrative buildings, churches; sanitation, electricity.
  • Black Town: Indian residential areas; crowded, narrow lanes, poor sanitation, no parks; markets, traditional craftsmen.
• This was deliberate racial segregation — not just economic inequality.
• The cantonment (military area) was always European-only; neat, planned.

Calcutta (Kolkata)

• Founded by Job Charnock (EIC, 1690) as a trading post.
• Became capital of British India.
• Fort William (rebuilt 1758) = military heart.
• Writers' Building: administrative offices.
• Maidan (large open ground around Fort William): cleared for firing range → became park.
• Dalhousie Square (BBD Bagh): colonial administrative centre.
• North Calcutta = Black Town; crowded; Indian merchants, artisans.
• South Calcutta: European residential (Alipore, Chowringhee).
• 1857: seat of colonial power moved to Delhi.

Bombay (Mumbai)

• Seven islands; Portuguese → British (1661, dowry from Portugal).
• Became India's major west coast port.
• Horniman Circle, Rajabai Clock Tower, Victoria Terminus (now CST): neo-Gothic colonial buildings.
• Reclamation: islands gradually joined by land reclamation (filling sea between them) → single island.
• Mill district (Girangaon): cotton textile mills → industrial working class.
• Dhobhi Ghat, chawls (crowded tenements for mill workers) = Indian city within colonial city.
• After Independence: financial capital; Bollywood; sprawling metropolis.

Madras (Chennai)

• Fort St. George (1644) = EIC's first major settlement in India.
• White Town: European residences near the Fort, along the beach.
• Black Town (George Town): Indian merchants, weavers, craftspeople.
• Developed as textile and administrative centre.

Delhi — three cities

Delhi's transformation illustrates colonial urbanism most dramatically:

Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi)

• Built by Shah Jahan (1638–1648); walled city.
• Red Fort: imperial residence.
• Jama Masjid: largest mosque in India.
• Chandni Chowk: main bazaar; bustling, densely populated.
• After 1857: British punished Delhi — destroyed many buildings near the Red Fort; cleared the area around the Fort for military security.

New Delhi

• British decided to move capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911) — symbolic reassertion of power.
• Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed New Delhi.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan (formerly Viceroy's House), India Gate, Rajpath (now Kartavya Path), Parliament building — built in 1920s–1930s.
• Wide, planned roads; bungalows with large gardens for officials.
• Lutyens' Delhi = elite government zone; still exists today.
• New Delhi inaugurated 1931.

After Independence (1947)

• Red Fort → site of PM's Independence Day speech (15 August).
• Partition: massive refugee influx from Pakistan → new colonies (Lajpat Nagar, Punjabi Bagh).
• Urban sprawl into Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad (satellite cities).

Colonial architecture

British created a distinct architectural style for India:

• Neo-Gothic: pointed arches, elaborate facades → Victoria Terminus, Bombay High Court, Rajabai Tower.
• Indo-Saracenic: mix of Mughal + Gothic + Hindu → many railway stations, courts, government buildings.
• Classical: columns, domes → Rashtrapati Bhavan inspired by St Peter's Basilica + Indian elements.

Purpose: architecture showed imperial power and permanence.

Legacy of colonial urbanism

• Indian cities still show the colonial divide:
  • Old "Civil Lines" (European residential areas) = well-planned, tree-lined.
  • Old "native quarters" = dense, poorly planned.
• Colonial buildings now house Indian government offices, courts, museums.
• Railway network built for colonial trade still forms the backbone of Indian transport.

• What was the "White Town" and "Black Town" divide in colonial cities?
• How did Calcutta develop as a colonial city?
• Who designed New Delhi? When was it inaugurated?
• Why did the British move India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911?
• Name two styles of colonial architecture in India with one example each.

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