From Administrative Hub Of Britishers To Manchester Of South India, Here's Why Coimbatore Day Is Celebrated

The district of Coimbatore in present-day Tamil Nadu was established on November 24, 1804, by the British as an administrative hub. At least 218 years later, it is now one of the major urban centres in Southern India.

The city is situated on the Noyyal River banks encircling the Western Ghats and is abundant in flora and fauna thanks to its strategic location along the biodiversity hotspot. It is renowned as Koyamputhur, sometimes shortened for Kovai.

Coimbatore is one of India's leading exporters of cotton, jewellery, wet grinders, poultry, and auto parts. It houses the most tycoons along with Surat and comes second to Thrissur in being the country's wealthiest countryside city.

Coimbatore During Indian Independence Movement

The ancient city of Coimbatore, where numerous cultural and traditional events are held each year, is considered the birthplace of the Cholas, as per the information on Wikipedia.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the city had an economic boom owing to the decline of Mumbai's cotton industry. Mahatma Gandhi made three trips to the city during his activism for Indian independence, and the place also served as an operational hub for several political leaders. Due to industrialisation, it has had tremendous expansion post-independence; further, a municipal corporation was established there in 1981.

'Manchester Of South India'

Koyamputhur, one of India's leading tier-II cities with the fastest growth, serves as a central hub for healthcare, education, and manufacturing in Tamil Nadu. It has over 25,000 small, medium, and large firms as its two primary industries: engineering and textiles. The neighbouring cotton fields and Coimbatore's sizeable textile industry have given the city the moniker "Manchester of South India."

TIDEL Park Coimbatore, a special economic zone (SEZ) under the ELCOT SEZ, was the first SEZ to be formed in 2006. It ranked fifteenth among Indian cities with the most rewarding business climate in 2010.

The ancient city comes second only to TN's capital Chennai in terms of software production, and it is listed as the 17th best city for outsourcing worldwide. In addition to having a sizable and diverse manufacturing sector, it is home to several engineering schools that annually graduate about 50,000 engineers.

With Maruti Udyog and Tata Motors sourcing up to 30 per cent of their automotive components from the city, Coimbatore is a significant centre for manufacturing automotive components in India. Furthermore, it is known as "the Pump City" because it meets almost 50 per cent of India's demand for motors and pumps. It is also South India's largest non-metro city for e-commerce.

Also Read: Managing Plastic Pollution: Know How This Tamil Nadu-Based Startup Is Creating Biodegradable Alternative To Plastic Bags