Centuries before Dominique Lapierre’s book highlighted the emotional strength and unity that define the people of Kolkata, Mirza Ghalib immortalised his love for Kolkata( erstwhile Calcutta) in his letters and poems.

“Kalkatte ka jo zikr kiya tu ne ham-nashin,
Ik teer mere seene mein maara ki haaye haaye.”

(When you mentioned Calcutta, my friend, aah, you shot an arrow into my heart) 

Kolkata is historically a very significant city. Originally founded in 1686, the British made Calcutta the capital of their Raj. Kolkata is densely populated and is situated on the banks of the river Hooghly. It is known for its culture, people, food, music, literature, and movies. Blessed with abundant art and creativity, it is the home of great thinkers, artists, filmmakers, writers, and scientists. Kolkata is the city of Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ravi Shankar, Alauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, and Uday Shankar, Dr J C Bose and many more luminaries. Four Nobel laureates and two Nobel Memorial Prize winners are associated with the city.

Despite visible abject poverty, Kolkata’s spirit, culture and warmth make it the city of joy. Kolkata is a city with a soul. After a visit to Kolkata and some time spent there, one can understand why Ghalib was enamoured of this city.

Text and Photos by Prerna Jain.