Kolkata, formerly
Calcutta, is also known as the City of Joy, after the title of the famous book by Dominique Lapierre. Director Roland Joffe based his much acclaimed 1992 movie on the same book.
Kolkata was born out of the coming together of three villages: Gobindapur, Sutanati and Kolikata. In the three centuries of its history, Calcutta has grown from a mere fishing village into the largest city in India with a population of 10.5 million. It has often been said that one has to live in the city of Kolkata in order to feel its pulse. It is chaotic, volatile, noisy and decaying. On the other hand it is vibrant, warm, indestructible, dynamic, alive and friendly- A state of affairs often baffling to the casual tourist but completely explicable to the Kolkattan.
The origin of the name Kolkata is still uncertain, although it is well known that the British anglicised it to Calcutta, and in 2001, this famous city reclaimed her original name. There are many theories and myths regarding the origin of the name, although none has wide acceptance. According to one theory, the name means “Ground of the Goddess Kali”, while another speculates that the name originates from the word “kilikita” which means flat ground.
Growing up in Calcutta, I came to realize that the people of the region were just like its weather: warm all year long. The people of the region are called Bengalis, as the State is known as West Bengal. The regional Bengali language has its roots in Sanskrit, but is known for it's rounded "o" sounds. The distinctive sweetness and melodic tones of the Bengali language make even an admonition sound like a love song.