The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...

and

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...

based in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is the oldest

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

in India, and one of the oldest in Asia. Established in 1853, finding its origin in 1833–34, it is the only such institution in India.Welcome to the Bengal Chamber Web Site
at bengalchamber.com, accessed 5 January 2011 The organization has its headquarters at the former Royal Exchange in

B. B. D. Bagh B. B. D. Bagh, formerly called Tank Square and then Dalhousie Square (1847 to 1856), is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh. It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district of Kolkata in ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, which was once the residence of

Lord William Bentinck Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...

, the first

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

Membership

The members include

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

s and industries of all sizes,

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

s, divisions of large

multinational corporation A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a transnational enterprise (TNE), a transnational corporation (TNC), an international corporation or a stateless corporation with subtle but contrasting senses, i ...

s and

service industry The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

organizations. The corporate members are drawn largely from the sectors of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

fast-moving consumer goods Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, cand ...

and

customer service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services. Each industry requires different levels of customer service, but in the end, the idea of a well-performed service is that ...

s, and are not confined to West Bengal and the Eastern Region, but are from all over India.

History

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1853, replacing the former Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, which was merged into the new organization. At the outset, it had eighty-six members in Calcutta and eighteen others. Its objects included – *To establish just and equitable principles in trade; *To form a code or codes of practice to facilitate transaction of business; *To maintain uniformity in rules, regulations and usages of trade; *To communicate with Chambers of Commerce and other mercantile and public bodies throughout the world, and concert and promote measures for the protection of trade and traders. On 30 November 1857, as a result of the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

, the Chamber appealed to the Government of India to send "a force of Europeans, either sailors or soldiers" to defend

Akyab Sittwe (; ; formerly Akyab) is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe, pronounced ''sait-tway'' in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptyi ...

, as it considered the

Arracan Battalion Rakhine State occupies the northern coastline of Myanmar up to the border with Bangladesh and corresponds to the historical Kingdom of Arakan. The history of Rakhine is divided into 7 parts - the independent kingdoms of Dhanyawadi, Waithali, L ...

not to give enough protection. It was concerned about "the safety of the inhabitants and the security of the public treasury". The Secretary to the Government replied on 2 December, regretting that "there is no European force available at present." In 1876, at a time when

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

was falling in value, chiefly due to the opening of new mines in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the Bengal Chamber of Commerce was so concerned that it proposed that the Government of India should suspend the coining of

. ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' of 5 August 1876 reported that The Chamber and its business were greatly disrupted by the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

and the partition of Bengal in 1947, with

becoming part of the new

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

and

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

going to the

Dominion of Pakistan Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...

. Despite this, changes in the Chamber were later described as "slow and incremental". New businesses joined the Chamber, and its first Indian President of the new era was elected in 1958. It developed from a gentlemen's club of able merchants whose chief concern was with trade into a modern organization with as much concern for industry as for trade. Whereas the officers and committee members had previously been the owners of capital, they were now more likely to be professional senior managers.

Notable people

James Lyle Mackay, later first

Earl of Inchcape Earl of Inchcape is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1929 for the Scottish shipping magnate and public servant James Mackay, 1st Viscount Inchcape. He had been created Baron Inchcape, of Strathnaver in the County ...

, was elected president of the Chamber in 1890, and Ernest Cable in 1903, followed by Sir

Apcar Alexander Apcar Sir Apcar Alexander Apcar (1851 – 17 April 1913) was a wealthy Armenian businessman in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. His family had made their fortune in the opium trade with China. He was president of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, sat on ...

KCSI from 1904 to 1907.

Archibald Birkmyre Sir Archibald Birkmyre, 1st Baronet, CBE (28 June 1875 – 24 June 1935) was a Scottish jute manufacturer and merchant in India. Birkmyre was born at Springbank House, in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, the son of manufacturer Henry Birkmyre and h ...

(1875–1935) was vice-president, and

John Jardine Paterson Sir John Valentine Jardine Paterson (14 February 1920 – 12 March 2000) was a Scottish businessman whose career was mostly in India. He was Chairman of the family firm, Jardine Henderson of Calcutta (closely related to Jardines of Hong Kong), fr ...

was President in 1966. In 2004,

O. P. Jindal Om Prakash Jindal (7 August 1930 – 31 March 2005), popularly known as O.P. Jindal, was born in Hisar, Haryana. He established a successful business enterprise Jindal Steel and Power under the flagship of the Jindal Organization, of which he ...

(1930–2005) was awarded the Chamber's Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the Indian Steel Industry.O. P. JINDAL: THE MAN OF STEEL WHO COULD TALK TO MACHINES
at jsw.in, accessed 6 January 2011

List of presidents

*John N. Bullen: 1865 *

George Yule George Yule may refer to: * George Yule (businessman) (1829–1892), Scottish merchant and politician in India * George Yule (linguist) (born 1947), British linguist * George Udny Yule George Udny Yule FRS (18 February 1871 – 26 June 1951 ...

1878-79 *Sir Alexander Wilson : 1885 *Henry Blois Hawkins Turner : 1886–1887 * James Lyle Mackay, later first

, 1890 *Sir Allan Arthur : 1894–95, 1896–97, part of 1898, 1899–1900 *Sir Montagu Cornish Turner: 1898, 1901, 1902 *Sir George Henry Sutherland : 1900–1901 * Ernest Cable, 1903 *Sir

KCSI, 1904 to 1907 *Sir Ruthven Grey Monteath: 1914 *Sir Francis Hugh Stewart : 1915 *Sir Edward Hugh Bray : 1917 *Sir Walter Erskine Crum : 1919–20 *Sir

Alexander Robertson Murray Sir Alexander Robertson Murray (29 November 1872 – 19 March 1956) was a former President of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce. Career A native of Elgin, he commenced his business career in the town clerk's office at Montrose, coming to Dunde ...

: 1920 *Sir Campbell Rhodes : 1922 *Sir Willoughby Langer Carey : 1923 *Sir William Crawford Currie : 1924–1925 *Sir John William Anderson Bell : 1926–1927 *Sir Basil Eden Garth Eddis : 1927–1928 *Sir Edward Charles Benthall : 1932 and 1936 *Sir George Riddoch Campbell : 1935–36 and 1938–39 *Sir (John) Henry Richardson : 1940 *Sir (Robert) Renwick Haddow : 1942–43 and 1945–46 *Sir John Henry Burder : 1943–1944 *Sir Kenneth William Mealing : 1944–1945 *Sir Harry Townend : 1946–1947 *Sir Hugh Douglas Cumberbatch : 1947–1948 *Sir Arthur Paul Benthall : 1948 and 1950 *Sir Anthony Joseph Elkins : 1949 *Sir Albert Ridgeby Foster : *Sir Charles Alexander Innes : 1952–1953 *Ernest John Pakes (1899–1988): 1953–1954 *Sir George Mason MacKinlay : 1954–1955 *Sir (George) Alexander Sim : 1955–1956 *Sir Owain Trevor Jenkins : 1956–1957 *Sir Walter Harold Strachan Michelmore : 1957 *Sir John Douglas Keith Brown : 1958–1960 *Sir Henry Morton Leech Williams : 1960 *Sir Nicol Stenhouse : 1961–1962 *Sir Hugh MacKay-Tallack : 1962–1963 *Sir Alec Drummond Ogilvie : 1964–1965 *Sir James Harvey Kincaid Stewart Lindsay : 1965 * Sir John Jardine Paterson : 1966-1967 *Sir Cyril Alfred Pitts : 1967–1968 *Sir (John) Michael Parsons : 1968–1970 *Mr. A. K. Sen: 1970-1971 *Mr. Bhaskar Mitter: 1971-1972 *Mr. A. N. Haksar: 1972-1973 *Mr. A.W.B. Hayward: 1973-1974 *Mr.D.P. Goenka: 1974-1975 *Mr. A. L Mudaliar: 1975-1976 *Mr.J. Sengupta: 1976-1978 *Mr.P.Z. Baldik: 1978-1979 *Mr. S. K. Mehera: 1979-1980 *Mr.H.D. Wahi: 1980-1981 *Mr. R. S. Mamak: 1981-1982 *Mr. S. P. Acharya: 1982-1983 *Mr.T.D. Sinha: 1983-1984 *Mr. A. Mazumdar: 1984-1985 *Mr. S. D. Singh: 1985-1986 *Mr. R. S. Sikand: 1986-1987 *Mr. P. K. Gupta: 1987-1988 *Mr. Samir Ghosh: 1988-1989 *Mr. K. S. B. Sanyal: 1989-1990 *Dr. Abhijit Sen: 1990-1991 *Mr. Mumtaz Ahmad: 1991-1992 *Mr. Biji K. Kurien: 1992-1993 *Mr. K. C. Mehra: 1993-1994 *Mr. P. B. Ghosh: 1994-1995 *Mr. P. K. Dutt: 1995-1996 *Mr. H. P. Barooah: 1996-1997 *Mr. S. S. Prasad: 1997-1998 *Dr. Bhaskar Banerjee: 1998-1999 *Mr. B. D. Bose: 1999-2000 *Mr. S. B. Ganguly: 2000-2001 *Mr.S.K. Dhall: 2001-2002 *Mr. Sumit Mazumder: 2002-2003 *Mr. Biswadip Gupta: 2003-2004 *Mr. A. Lahiri: 2004-2005 *Mr. Aloke Mookherjea: 2005-2006 *Mr. S. Radhakrishnan: 2006-2008 *Mr. Anup Singh: 2008-2009 *Mr. Sandipan Chakravortty: 2009-2011 *Mr. Harsh K Jha: 2011-2012 *Mr. Kallol Datta: 2012-2014 *Dr. Alok Roy: 2014-2015 *Mr. Ambarish Dasgupta: 2015-2016 *Mr. Sutanu Ghosh: 2016-2017 *Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh: 2017-2018 *Mr. Indrajit Sen: 2018-2019 *Mr. B B Chatterjee: 2019-2020 *Mr. Deb A Mukherjee: 2020-2021 *Mr. Abraham Stephanos: 2021–Present

External links

bengalchamber.com
official web site

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry 1853 establishments in India Trade associations based in India Chambers of commerce in India Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Non-profit organisations based in India Organisations based in Kolkata Organizations established in 1853