Kolkata : the human city

The Ganges (called the Hooghly in Kolkata) is still the inspiration, as it was to Job Charnok, East India Company agent, who reached the shores in August 1690 finally, to settle here.

The City was founded 300 years ago out of 3 villages namely Sutanati, Gobindapur and Kolikata. Once the capital of British India, the capital of undevided Bengal and now the capital of West Bengal since Independence. Kolkata, on the east bank of river Hooghly, retains the aura of days long gone, weaving the past and the present, the intense and the funloving into a charming fabric.

Home to five Nobel laureates – Ronald Ross, Sir C.V. Raman, Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa and Amartya Sen, Kolkata is the nerve centre of intellect and human values, where many modern movements began in art, cinema and theatre, science and industry. India’s quest for freedom began here.

Kolkata is the gateway to Eastern India. A city with a rich heritage, bustling streets and bewildering variety of facets. From October to March, Kolkata wears a radiant look. Sunshine, mild winter, lights, colours, fairs, festivals, galas and excursions, the mood is infectious and spirit sweeping.