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KOLKATA
Kolkata is the great Indian melting pot of culture, art and literature. The city life sways in the melodies of ‘Rabindra Sangeet’, thrives in the urban clamour in City centre and blooms by the glamour of Park Street. This more than 300 years old city of eastern Indian was the pedestal of British Empire in India. Calcutta, before being christened as Kolkata in 2001, served as the imperial capital till 1912 and now is the same for the state of West Bengal. In the past century the city limits have expanded by leaps and bounds and have included suburbs of Barrackpore, Barasat, Kalyani, Nadia and more. Kolkata is situated on the banks of the Hoogli River, the local name for the Ganges and prospered as a major destination for industrialisation, port activities, education and tourism. Apart from the resident citizens of the city, a huge population commutes from far-flung suburbs to downtown offices, banks, factories and mills for a living everyday through Howrah and Sealdah station.
Kolkata is the cultural capital of India that blossoms in the theatres of Nandan and Rabindra Sadan, the art exhibitions at Academy of Fine arts, the fairs of Maidan and brain storming sessions of Coffee House. From the days of the ‘Babu’ culture to the hip shopping places of New Market and Esplanade, the hysteric cultural cacophony of Kolkata compels you to immerse in it. The city has houses of Swami Vivekananda, Mother Teresa, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and many more great Indian personalities who shaped the future of the country. The sweetness of Bengali people and their diverse ethnic backgrounds add colour, flavour and texture to the Great Kolkata Potpourri. Hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfasts of all ranges and categories are available in the city. Victoria Memorial, Kalighat Temple, Birla Planetarium, Nicco Park, Aquatica Vivekananda Setu and Vidyasagar Setu are some of the places of interest in the city. Various forms of accommodations ranging from affordable hostels to plush apartments for rent are available in Kolkata. The contrast of Kolkata life is best viewed in its transportation where a hand-pulled rickshaw runs over the road with an underground metro rail plying below.
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