Come home to Kolkata, the third-largest urban agglomeration and the
fourth-largest city in India. The capital of West Bengal, and the leading city in the
East, Kolkata is known for its energy, imagination and zest for life. Also referred to as
the 'Cultural Capital of India' and 'The City of Processions', Kolkata has been home to
luminaries such as Rabindranath Tagore, Ronald Ross, Subhas Chandra Bose, Mother Teresa,
Satyajit Ray, Satyendranath Bose, Sri Aurobindo, C. V. Raman, Jagdish Chandra Bose,
Amartya Sen, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda to name a few. Famous for its
literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage, Kolkata is widely acknowledged as the
birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought - as someone has famously said:
'the city of furious creative energy.' It was also the intellectual and spiritual capital
of the Indian independence movement.
For long the gateway of India and its commercial capital in addition to
hosting the Indian headquarters of blue-chip British firms, it also witnessed the rise of
industrial houses like the Birlas. The city is experiencing an economic rejuvenation since
2000 that has led to a spurt in the city's growth. Kolkata is quickly becoming the chosen
destination for industry, especially the IT industry, given its favourable positioning in
terms of availability of an educated resource pool and basic infrastructure like water and
power.
In Kolkata, avenues of intellectual activity are varied and aplenty.
The city boasts a tradition of nurturing high quality films, music, theatre, art and
dance. The city has been of great influence to the traditional media and its development.
Hundreds of theatres and local bands have sprouted in the region. There are some important
libraries in the city with great collections.
The Kolkatan has a passion for food. The city is dotted with gourmet
restaurants serving cuisines from various parts of the world. There is an interesting mix
of discotheques and pubs for that well-deserved and rare break from quizzes and exams.
Kolkata is an enigma. The city that displays stoical maturity during
the most provoking situations and flies high the flag of communal harmony, behaves in the
most erratic fashion over a game of cricket. It's THE place to make friends with, to be
romantic, to taste rosogolla, to sing a song, to write a poem, to debate, to ride a bus,
to walk in the rain, to shop, to play cricket, to fight over a football match, to get
refused by a taxi, to watch 'natok', to enjoy 'adda', to live in the warmth of your
family, to have a golden heart and to be happy!
You can love it or you can hate it, but you just cannot ignore Kolkata!
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