Calcutta, a one-time capital city of the British Colonial Raj is today like any other big city of the world with all the blues that are contributed to by tremendous hustle and bustle of its population, pollution and political activity. Amongst all its chaotic contributions, lies the ever-intact element of joy, love for culture and food, in every Calcuttan’s heart. It boasts about its various cultural institutions and universities such as Fine Arts Academy, Vishwabharati University, Rabindra Bharati University and Shanti Niketan.
For a culinary trip, Calcutta has to offer a wide range of places that can broadly be classified as street food, restaurant food and homemade food. For the best of street food, the food stalls on the footpaths of the central district offer everything from a simple meal of rice, dal and fish curry to South-Indian fares to Rajasthani delicacies, Mughlai food and the unforgettable Chinese cuisine.
’Park Street’ has been the only such street in the whole of Calcutta for over a hundred years which is dotted with a number of restaurants serving Moghlai, Chinese and continental cuisine. To name a few - Kwality & Bar-B-Que are the first names that come to my mind followed by Waldorf, the famous Flury’s, Mocambo, Blue Fox, The Olympia, Peter Cat and Magnolia. The party animals can try out the modern age discotheques such as ’The Anticlock’ at the H.H.I., ’Tantra’ at the Park Hotel, ’Equinox’ at the Peerless Inn and ’Incognito’ at the Taj Bengal.
Shopping is an important feature for every visitor to Calcutta and the ’New Market’ holds the fort till date.It is Calcutta’s oldest market spot. One can shop from groceries, vegetables, flowers, pets to clothing, jewelry, designer wear and antiques. Some other hot marketing spots are ’A.C. Market’ on Shakespeare Sarani and ’Vardaan Market’ on Camac Street both of which offer a whole range of upmarket Indian and imported goods to satisfy the modern westernized upper middle class and rich clientele.
Walking down Calcutta streets one will notice why Dominique La-Pierre referred to Calcutta as the ’’City of Joy’’. You would see a smile as wide as that on the face of a rich happy lady who has just spent a fortune on shopping, as you would on the face of a little girl begging who has just been gifted a one rupee coin by you. Both the faces convey to you that this is one city where every one lives contended, however small the means may be.