The most charming sight to come across when traveling through Kolkata are the dainty trams. Many are charmingly rusty, while even the new ones still maintain that vintage essence that makes the tram the signature icon of Kolkata\u2026<\/p>\n
1. Architectural heritage<\/strong><\/p>\n Thousands of houses with red-oxide floors and sleepy green-shuttered windows, the spacious porches on the ground floor, with their intricate cornices, elaborate wrought-iron grills, and open terraces give Kolkata its unique old-world charm and reflect the amazing architectural ethos of the city, but they are being lost in the mad rush for multi-storey buildings and concrete chaos.<\/p>\n 2. The chaos of the commute<\/strong> 3. The mother of all festivals<\/strong> 4. The legendary sweet tooth<\/strong> 5. The Mecca of cricket<\/strong>
\nMain roads run through residential complexes. These stick thin lanes not only have two rows of parking, but also big fat yellow six-seat ambassadors (mostly carrying just the driver and a malnourished passenger) along with a Benz and a Zen, scrambling their way through them. Then there\u2019s the legendary one way traffic rule. And somehow, everyone seems to know the flow. It\u2019s like their mother tongue. They are just born with the traffic language of the city.<\/p>\n
\nDurga Pujo. These two words bring forth a flurry of images into the minds of Bengalis.\u00a0 The pristine blue skies with tufts of cottony clouds and the softly swaying strands of kaash phool. The sweet strain of Mahishasuramardini at 4 A.M. in the morning on the radio in the sonorous voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra. Durga Pujo is not just another religious festival. It\u2019s social, it\u2019s celebratory and it\u2019s 100% inclusive. Everyone\u2019s welcome.<\/p>\n
\nA true Bengali considers a meal incomplete without desserts and these two items top his list. Rosogolla is a ball of cottage cheese dipped in sugar syrup and mishti doi is sweet curd. You\u2019ll find these at the local sweet shop everywhere. If you have a sweet tooth, it\u2019s a sin to miss them during your visit to Kolkata. Even if you don\u2019t like sweets so much, they\u2019re absolutely worth a try.<\/p>\n
\nSpoken in the same breath as the hallowed turfs of Lord’s and MCG, Eden Gardens needs no introduction. Standing symbol to a number of historic achievements and path-defying victories, an opportunity to visit and revisit this stadium is always impatiently awaited. Even after one\u2019s twentieth visit, after you have climbed the stairs, struggling to balance your ticket, ten pouches of water, chips and popcorn in the two hands, at the sight of the field, you pause in wonder. That one second is enough to fill you with an inexpressible nostalgia. It never fails.<\/p>\n