Kolkata, or Calcutta, was the capital city of the British India till 1911. The city has a rich historical background and a strong cultural diversity, thanks to the Bengal Renaissance and the Anglo-Islamic influences. And till date, the first thing to notice if one tries to explore the city is the tolerant coexistence of all religions. Possibly a reason why Babri Masjid demolition or murder of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards had very little effect on Calcuttans.
Slow-down your pace
If you are in Kolkata, the first thing you need to do is to slow down and enjoy the rhythm of the city. This laid-back approach is absolutely unique. One can always find people sitting in groups and engaged in adda (intellectual exchange of thoughts over anything and everything). But that's no reason to think that Bengalis don't work, as they do as much as anyone else, but there is always some time for a little adda in life. This socialising aspect still reminds us that there is much more to life than just earning money. And if you want to have a better feel of it, just visit the Indian Coffee House on College Street– the hub of Kolkata's intelligentsia.
Take a tour of the city
A tanga in waiting in front of Victoria Memorial at night
Well, there's a lot to see in Kolkata. From Victoria Memorial and the Birla Planetarium to St. Paul's Cathedral and Jewish synagogues, Jorashanko Thakurbari (the ancestral house of the Bengali poet and Asia's first Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore), Kalighat Temple, Botanical Garden, Alipore Zoological Gardens, Indian Museum, Academy of Fine Arts, Science City – there's too many places to explore. And to have a more intense feel, take a closer look of College Street (book lover's Mecca, the Presidency University and the University of Calcutta are also located here), Dalhousie Square and Esplanade (the power-house of the state government, also has the GPO, Raj Bhavan, the Metropolitan Building within the vicinity for company), Kumortuli (where man makes gods), the Princep Ghat (just stroll by the riverside or take a boat-ride across the Ganges), and the Howrah Bridge (the biggest and the busiest cantilever bridge in the world made over the Hooghly river to connect two cities, Howrah and Kolkata).
Ride a hand-pulled rickshaw and a tram
If you want to have a feel of that bygone era, which can still be felt in plenty in Kolkata, ride a hand-pulled rickshaw. Though this is now banned in most parts of the city on humanitarian ground, if you are lucky you can still spot one in some corner of the by-lanes. Another eco-friendly public transport available, is the tram. Just hop into a tram and enjoy a very slow ride across the beautiful lush green stretch of Fort William, Maidan and Red Road. Want more? Try out Kolkata Metro – the oldest metro service in India.
For the shopaholics
If you love saris, you are in the right place, as even the best of the Kanjeevarams can be found here. From the wholesale market of Burrabazar to the more retail outlets of Gariahat Market, Dakshinapan at Dhakuria, the New Market and shops on Free-School Street and Sudder Street and even the Chinese shoeshops at Bentinck Street, you can indulge in retail therapy without burning a hole in your pocket. Also, check out the fish markets, if you're a fish lover.
For the foodies
Kolkata is a food-lover's paradise. Explore its street food; try some phuchka (Kolkata's version for panipuri) and jhaal muri (Bhelpuri), fish fry and Egg Devil, Singara (Samosa with peanuts in it) and telebhajas (bhajiyas), Calcutta-styled rolls and even, road-side chowmein. Don't forget to try some Calcutta-styled Biryani. Visit Park Street if you are divided over Chinese, North Indian and Continental. And if you are an early-riser, make sure to visit the Terreti Bazar on the Sun Yat Sen Street between 5 am and 8.30 am for a sumptuous Chinese breakfast. Also, drop by Balwant Singh ka Dhaba for piping-hot ginger tea in clay pots if you want them in the middle of the night. Another must-have is sweets, but there is much more to roshogollas and mishti doi when it comes to Bengali sweets and you can never have enough of it when you are in Kolkata. Other must-trys are Kachagolla or Pranhara (sweet balls made out of uncooked chhena and sugar), Malai Chumchum (an elongated rossogolla with malai and pista), Kheer Kadam (a round two-layered sweet made of grated khoya and sugar), Chhanar Jilepi (jalebi made out of chhena, khoya maida and sugar), Shor Bhaja (milk cream deep-fried and coated in sugar syrup), Langcha or Lady Kenny (Elongated gulab jamun with raisin stuffed inside. It was named after Lady Canning, wife of the then viceroy Lord Canning, who absolutely savoured this sweet), Darbesh (its a Bengali-styled laddoo made of boondis) and Mihidana (means "fine grain" is made of gram flour mixed with water to make a dough which is sieved, deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup).
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