Decennial census taking in India in its present form was started in 1872. Since then it has been religiously undertaken in the first year of each decade i.e. 1881, 1891, 1901 and so on without any interruption. Over the years Indian Census has acquired a reputation for coverage and authenticity and has become a true reflection of the rich and heterogenous cultural and social milieu that is India. Situated in the eastern part of the country, West Bengal also boasts of a rich tradition of culture and history with a scientific temperament and never ending quest for knowledge. Starting with the hilly regions under the Himalayan range beautified by picturesque tea gardens in the north merging into the Bihar plateau and then the famous Gangetic plains and ending in the estuary regions in the south at the confluence of the mighty rivers into the sea with its deep and lonely mangrove forest being the home of the Royal Bengal tiger, the West Bengal landscape is as varied and as interesting as the people who inhabit these lands. The capital city of Kolkata, the eastern metropolis of India, has seen more than 300 years of hope and despair, glory and tragedy and has learnt to take everything stoically while retaining the spirit of adventure and the joy of living.