 Calcutta
, or Kolkata, also famous as the "City of Joy" is one of the largest city
of India and the capital of West Bengal. It is a city made famous by its
people and its culture. However, being one of the most populated cities in
the world, it has its associated problems. Still all Calcuttans regard it
as a "fascinating , bewitching and bewildering" city and it is well worth a
visit. Calcutta is known to a lot of people because of mother Teresa and
her charity works. Although she passed away, the helping of the poorest of
the poor still continues.
Popular belief is that Calcutta was an obscure village before 1686 ,
when Job Charnock, a British merchant decided to make a settlement there.
However, recent studies suggest that Calcutta was an area of pilgrimage in
the medieval age.
Durga Puja, which is celebrated every autumn , is the main festival of
Calcutta and it is a good time to visit Calcutta and get the essence of the
city. For five days, the city is all lit up and resonant with the sound of
drums. The pandals (where the festivals take place) and the idols of the
gods and the goddesses are great works of art.
Apart from religious festivals, there is a myriad of other attractions
that make the city richer in its latent tradition. The gorgeous structure
of the Victoria Memorial, the tranquility of the St. Paul's Cathedral, the
glittering lights of the Second Hooghly Bridge cast a mystic spell over the
city centre. The old buildings of North Calcutta, the Marble Palace, The
National Musuem preserve the heritage that the city has been flaunting for
centuries.
Its the people who always form the attribute of a place, be it urban or
rural. Calcutta is no exception. It can be proudly asserted that the
Calcuttans are one of the most hospitable and cordial people by any world
standards. The city, in fact, derives its vibrant ambience from the people.
A rich tradition of education runs in the blood of the Calcuttans and time
and again Calcutta has produced some of the best brains in the fields of
literature, art, music, science to name a few. In a scorching day when the
merciless sun renders someone paralysed by a heat stroke, you can still
find a large group of people rushing to his or her help, irrespective of
the meagre resources they might have. This is something that is defintely
missing in many cities of the world, although they might be studded with
skyscrapers and mammoth concrete structures. After all, if there is no
feeling or emotion associated then a city would just be a necropolis in
spite of all its glittering bounty. |
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