Kolkata - The City with a Soul

Right from the time I landed to the huge Airport of the city, lucky to witness the timely splash of the season inspiring several hearts to fall in love ! Yes the rains of Kolkata brought a raw fragrance of the wet earth and the culture of India that most of us miss today. The city has balanced its greenness and the concrete structures. The ride from the airport to the hotel was fun and thrilling in the yellow Ambassador Taxis. Very much inspired with the language and the people, people must try to learn Bengali because it contains the vocabulary base from Magadhi Prakrit and Pali, also tatsamas and re-borrowings from Sanskrit and other major borrowings from Persian, Arabic, Austroasiatic languages and other languages in contact with.

Kolkata (Calcutta) is the capital of  West Bengal. located on the east bank of  the Hooghly River and served as the capital of India during the British Rule until 1911. It was once the center of industry and education and commercial center of  the British Rule. It is one of the four metropolitan cities in India and has retained its quintessential charm despite modernization.  The city colonial past is reflected in its architecture, Raj Bhavan, Writer's Building and the Victoria Memorial Hall are just some of the many buildings that hark back to a bygone era. Ideas of the famous social reformists Swami Vivekananda and Indian freedom fighter Shubhas Chandra Bose were formed during the years of education in Kolkata. Mother Teresa spent a major part of her life and also lies in  eternal rest in the city at The Mother House.

The most popular festival in the city, Durga Pooja is celebrated for nine days with great pomp and enthusiasm across the city. The festival is celebrated in the months of September and October, to mark the victory of  Goddess Durga over Mahishasur. Durga Pooja is celebrated in other parts of India as Navrathri. Dussehra marks the culmination of Durga Pooja. One of the most important points of worship in the city of Kolkata and its holiest Hindu shrine, the Kalighat Kali temple is vital to the the city's culture. 

Legend has it that the place that the temple now stands was once a Ghat next to Bhagirathi River, which its more famously known as Hooghly. The Ghat was sacred to the goddess Kali, herself in a manifestation of Shakti. Hence, it came to be called Kalighat, and the city's name, Kolkata is said to have come from here itself. As centuries passed, the course of the river changed to where it is now, and what remains beside the Kalighat is the Adi Ganga, a small canal that connects to the larger Hooghly.

There is also another Kali temple famous in the city, Dakshineshwar Kali Temple  located on the eastern banks of  the Hooghly River. The presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning. "She who liberates her devotees from the ocean of existence". The Temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a devotee of Kali. There are twelve shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva along the river front. On the other side of the river is the Belur Mutt - regarded as "A symphony in architecture'. The temple is one of the architectural wonders of India that represents the idea of Universal Faith. The temple was conceptualized by none other than Swami Vivekananda, the renowned disciple of Sri Ramakrishna who took Hindu religion to the Western world. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist art motifs as a symbol of unity of all regions.

The city has one the oldest British buildings - Victoria Memorial Hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria. Today the Victoria Memorial Hall is a museum having an assortment of Victoria, British paintings and other displays located on the Maidan by the bank of the Hooghly River. The huge monument is made of marble and stands out as an excellent architectural gem in Indo-Saracenic revivalist style.

The city is not famous for its buildings, but also for keeping the culture of the Indians with modernization. The city has India's only running tram system and icon of  Kolkata. You must experience the Tram ride trundling along Kolkata's streets at an average speed of 35kmph, an anachronism in this age of  Metros. Even traveling in bus, gives  a enormous joy and feel of thrill. The city has all sorts of transport system from the old hand pulled rickshaws to the latest flights today we travel.

No one could come out of Kolkata, without having the famous Rasgulla sweet. Bengali's learnt how to make chenna (cheese from milk)  from the Portuguese  and boiled in sugar syrup to make the most famous sweet of the east Rasgulla. While the Kolkata famous sweet makes us more sweeter, the street foods of Kolkata are endless surprise for foodies like you and us. Matir bhare cha( tea in a clay cup), is something that one tea lover would die for. This is one of the things unique. A cup of hot tea early in the morning by the banks of Ganges can be a mood changer and as we know it says “morning shows the day”.

Shopping in Kolkata is a must for every tourist, the area Esplanade is considered as a shopper's haven. From pocket -friendly items to expensive exotics one can shop anything and everything according to their budget here. Esplanade is definitely a shopaholics paradise. For the famous Bengal Cotton sarees, Gariahat Market  offers the most brilliant, elegant and exquisite Bengali saree stores in the city.

The colonial city in the midst of an extremely indigenous population, re-shaping into a true metropolitan , is a city of contrasts - the city of Kolkata where time has moved on, but its vestiges have remained, the cultural center of the past and present national landscape. Among its many connotations, is the ability to embrace the modern and upcoming, while respecting its roots. Life, laughter and struggle are still the very essence of its people. "Baro mashey tero parban" is Kolkata's way of life. The city with the lowest cost of  living is also the one ranking high on its happiness index.  If you haven't visited Kolkata yet, you have reasons galore to go to the city of soul  and lock some amazing memories in your heart.

"A city should be built  to give its inhabitants security and happiness"

- Clarence Stein