KOLKATA
Kolkata or erstwhile Calcutta, on the eastern bank of river Hooghly is capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Calcutta served as the capital of India during the British Raj until 1911. It was once the centre of Modern education, industry, science, culture and politics in India. Kolkata is also noted for its immense contribution to modern India and producing some of the greatest Indian statesmen, writers, filmmakers, visual and performing artists, scientists and sportsmen. As the former capital of British India, Kolkata retains a feast of colonial-era architecture contrasting starkly with urban slums and dynamic new-town suburbs with their air-conditioned shopping malls. Kolkata is the ideal place to experience the mild, fruity tang of Bengali cuisine. Friendlier than India’s other metropolises, this is a city you ‘feel’ more than simply visit.