Chittaranjan Park

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Chittaranjan Park or C.R. Park is a middle/upper-middle class residential neighbourhood in

Fish Market at CR Park

Location: South Delhi.

1 Areas Around CR Park
2 The Neighbourhood
3 Attractions
4 The Demography
5 History
6 Accessibility
7 Related Topics

[edit] Areas Around CR Park

It is bordered by Kalkaji, Greater Kailash-II, Greater Kailash-I, and Alaknanda, and was set up in the late 1960s to house Bengali migrants from what was then East Pakistan and soon after became Bangladesh, explaining its original name, EPDP Colony, where EPDP stands for East Pakistan Displaced Person(s).

[edit] The Neighbourhood

Durga Puja at CR Park

The neighbourhood is still largely the preserve of Bengalis, though not all of them are necesaarily displaced persons or their descendants, since the status of the neighbourhood as a centre of Bengali life in Delhi has led to its being a magnet for many non-refugee Bengalis. In addition, rising property prices and a prime location in the heart of South Delhi have led to an influx of people from other linguistic communities, so that the neighbourhood is now ethnically more diverse than before. It remains a major centre of Bengali cultural life in New Delhi, with several Durga Puja celebrations renowned throughout the city for their elaborate pandals.

[edit] Attractions

It is also home to one of the city's main markets for freshwater fish, an integral part of Bengali cuisine, a large Kali temple, several cultural centres, and numerous sweet shops specialising in Bengali sweets and as well as nummerous stalls selling Calcutta style street food - chops, cutlets, etc.

[edit] The Demography

The colony is divided into blocks, originally running from A-K, but several blocks, called M,N, O, K-1, K-2 and Pocket 40 were added in the early 1990s. The spine of the colony is Bipin Pal Marg. Institutions of note are a branch of the Raisina Bengali School and Chittaranjan Bhawan.

[edit] History

Notable residents include novelist Upamanyu Chatterjee, journalist Swapan Dasgupta, sometime Member of parliament Nitish Sengupta, and included, in the years preceding her death, dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi.