Kalgachia

Kalgachia is a sub-urban town in Barpeta district, Assam, India. It is 17.5 km west of the district headquarters Barpeta.

History
Kalgachia was once a tiny, unknown village. But in course of time, the village became famous, particularly with the establishment of Nabajyoti College and some government and semi-government offices at Kalgachia. It is learned from elders that banana trees grew in abundance at Kalgachia in the past, for which the original inhabitants of the village gave the name "Kalgachia" to it.

The exact date of the establishment of the Kalgachia village is not, however, known, but there is mention of Kalgachia village in the famous novel "Monomoti," written by Rajanikanta Bordoloi, with reference to the Ahom-Mann battle that took place at Hadirachaki near Moinbari of Barpeta district. After the battle, the famous Treaty of Yandabbo was signed in February 1826 between the Ahoms and the British, thereby bringing Assam under British Rule.

Thus, Kalgachia is an ancient village inhabited mostly by Assamese Hindus who are known as the original residents of the village. They began to leave the village after the great earthquake of 1897, which had affected Kalgachia and its neighboring areas very badly. The Kalgachia area was then full of dense jungles where wild animals like tigers and elephants used to move about even during the daytime. During that time, the East-Bengal Muslim migrants began to settle at Kalgachia and its neighboring areas. Diseases like malaria, Kalajhar, and typhoid were spreading in an epidemic manner in the area, forcing the Assamese Hindus to leave the village for better and more suitable places in Barnagar and Barpeta town areas.

The western part of the village is still known as "Kalitapar." The K.K. Pathak High School (Krishna Kanta Pathak High School), established in 1975 at Kalgachia and recently upgraded to a higher secondary school, stands as a testimony to the memories of the Assamese Hindus who lived in the village for several decades.

The educational journey of the village Kalgachia began with the establishment of a primary school in 1993 and an M.E. school in 1961. There are several government provincialized high schools and a group of high-standard privately managed schools from L.K.G to higher secondary levels in Arts and Science streams at Kalgachia, which have elevated the educational standard of the Kalgachia area to a much higher level.

With the growth of these educational institutions, including Nabajyoti College, Kalgachia has become a hub of educational institutions and a great center of business activities. Moreover, the Government of Assam formally opened the office of the Kalgachia Civil Sub-division with headquarters at Kalgachia in 2016. Though the official functioning of it has yet to begin, this step of the government has further increased the importance of the village.

It is not clear when the village was established, but a few official documents state that the village was established in the 16th century. It is believed that due to the large population of Kal Gaach (Banana tree), the name has become Kalgachia (meaning place the where banana trees are found). The name of this village was Kalitapara before the settlement of the East Pakistani encroachers.

The 3rd proposed Kalgachia subdivision was formally declared as 'Kalgachia civil Sub division' of Barpeta district on 1 January 2016 as a New Year gift by the then-Congress-led state government. The Kalgachia civil sub-division committee was formed in 1975 and since then the demand has been raised to form Kalgachia as civil sub-division. Kalgachia is the center place of Jania LAC from where Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the President of India. The proposal was made by a subdivision committee in June 2015 to form Kalgachia as a civil sub-division, presided over by Abdul Khaleque And Secretary Md Muzzamel Hussain (Former Assam Public Service Commission Member),

Demography
The total population is 6304 of which 3229 are males and 3075 females as per the 2011 census.

Education
Nabajyoti College is a higher educational institution and G K Arabic College Madrassa is a higher educational institution in Kalgachia. There are many private institutions in this place. Ataur Rahman College of Education and B.B. College are another two institutions close to this town. Epitome Computer Institute is the oldest and only certified computer education establishment[ ] and A large number of good quality English Medium Schools are Al-Ameen Academy. K.K.Pathak High School is one of the oldest schools in this town. A new college started (2018) named Ajmal College of Arts & Science. Kalgachia Commerce College is the only commerce college in this town but this college is shifted to Dewkura. There is only one private institution of commerce at present which is Wisdom Academy Kalgachia (A Junior College of Commerce). It has been established only for women's education at Lokpriya Girls College, located in Dimapur. Some private sector schools in this town are Radiance Academy and Royal Global English School.[ ], Fakaruddin Ali Ahmed Junior College, Eden Academy and Assam Techno School.

Transport and communication
Kalgachia is located 14 km south of National Highway 27 and is well connected by road with Sarbhog and nearby towns. The nearest railway station is Sorbhog Railway Station and the nearest airport is Gauhati Airport. Now Kalgachia is connected with district headquarters in Barpeta within 20 minutes with the help of the New Beki bridge completed in 2019.

Notable people

 * Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, former president of India.
 * Abdul Khaleque, MP of the Indian Parliament and former MLA of Assam Legislative Assembly.
 * Rafiqul Islam, MLA of Assam Legislative Assembly.