Kolkata is one such place that you love to death and also love to complain about. In a way Kolkata is like a paradox. There are two parts to Kolkata – one that still lives in the past and loves to reminisce about the ‘good ole time. And then there is also the modern Kolkata – all swanky and fast-paced (trying to be!) But you can hardly deny that there is a charm to the city that makes it easy to fall in love with it. And here are a few quotes on Kolkata that depicts this undeniable charm and beauty of the “City of Joy”.

For all those who are visiting Kolkata for the first time, here is a kickass Kokalta Travel Guide for you to know what to do for the first timers in Kolkata.

Also known as the Cultural capital, Kolkata thrives in culture and its people. Like most older cities, Kolkata is also an eclectic mixture of the decaying past and the promising future. And those of us born here and/ or living in Kolkata have a love-hate relation with the city. There are times we are frustrated about the city (Oh! There are loads of reason for being exasperated) and keep complaining. While at other times, we simply bask in its charm and heap praises on it. I think this is something that we all do for the places or people we love!

So here are a few Kolkata Quotes that defines the spirit and vibe of Kolkata. Some of these quotes on Kolkata are from eminent personalities, while some are spoken by those who live and love the city. Have you visited Kolkata?

Quotes on Kolkata

1. “Calcutta’s the only city I know where you are actively encouraged to stop strangers at random for a quick chat.” – Tahir Shah

2. “For years and years, even during the time of my first visit in 1962, it has been said that Calcutta was dying, that its port was silting up, its antiquated industry declining, but Calcutta hadn’t died. It hadn’t done much, but it had gone on.” – V.S Naipul

3. “It is as if the people who inhabit the streets, inspired by some mysterious wisdom, realise that the true history of Calcutta has always been written in the invisible tales of its spirits and unspoken curses.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafón

4. “Where does one go in a tremendous city like Calcutta to find insider information? I recalled India’s golden rule: do the opposite of what would be normal anywhere else.” – Tahir Shah

5. “Calcutta is not for everyone. You want your city clean and green, stick to Delhi. You want your city rich and impersonal, go to Bombay. You want them hi-tech and full of draught beer, Bangalore’s your place. But if you want a city with a soul, come to Calcutta.” – Vir Sanghvi

6. “Bengalis love to celebrate their language, their culture, their politics, their fierce attachment to a city that has been famously dying for more than a century. They resent with equal ferocity the reflex stereotyping that labels any civic dysfunction anywhere in the world ‘another Calcutta.” – Bharti Mukherjee

7. “Calcutta is beautiful Wherever you place a camera, you get a vision.” – Pradeep Sarkar

8. “Those places where sadness and misery abound are favored settings for stories of ghosts and apparitions. Calcutta has countless such stories hidden in its darkness.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

9. “Kolkata always opens its heart to me and I am a sucker for love.” – Vidya Balan

10. “Calcutta, if you must exile me, wound my lips before I go, only words remain and the gentle touch of your finger on my lips.” – Pritish Nandy

11. “Calcutta is like another world. People, there are very special and grateful.” – Penelope Cruz

12. “Kolkata is special. I have been privileged to spend time in the city and make some great friends there. I like to go there whenever I can.” –  Arjun Rampal

13. “Calcutta is like a work of modern art that neither makes sense nor has utility, but exists for some esoteric aesthetic reason.” – Amit Chaudhuri

14. “I grew up in Kolkata in a traditional family. We had friends who lived in mansions just like the one in ‘Oleander Girl.’ Growing up, I was fascinated by the old house and the old Bengal lifestyle.” – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Have you read the story ‘The Palace of illusions‘ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni? It is an amazing retelling of the Mahabharata from Draupadi’s point of view. Give it a reading if you haven’t done.

14. “I think Delhiites know how to party, but Kolkata has people who know how to celebrate.” – Gautam Gambhir

16. “Kolkata is a musical city. What I like about people here is the lack of diplomacy. Some of the best Indian classical musicians belong to this place. Kolkatans do not go by fashion, but by passion.” ― Sukhwinder Singh

17. “Kolkata is like an ex-girlfriend who you know is bad for you, but about whom you cannot stop thinking. She has always let you down and treated you badly, and you have promised yourself hundreds of times that you are not going to spend any more time in her company. But, then, just as you think you are finally over her, she does something so utterly alluring, so impossibly irresistible, you find yourself falling in love again.” ― Simon Majumdar

Simon Majumdar speaks my heart! This is what I meant when I said that we have a love-hate relation with the city!

18. “The foodie in you will live the best of life in Kolkata, this city never disappoints the street food lovers.” – Anonymous

19. “Kolkata is a football-loving, politics-crazy, bone-idle glutton. It scuffles in the overcrowded minibus on its way to office, enjoys its neatly packed maach-bhaat and ends the day with raging storms over tea cups.

20. “It’s the best place to be at if you are a bookworm because of all the rich literature Kolkata has inherited from the past.”

21. “Kolkata is where you feel the whirlwind of intellectual politics and halogen-bathed love. It does not grow on you. It does not retain your nostalgia. It just becomes you.”

22. “Kolkata is the city of talent and passion where people are lively and have enthusiasm to live life to the fullest. Festivities are an integral part of the city.

23. “It’s a combination of Bengali culture, reminiscent of British Raj and of course, people from other regions have also settled down and made it their home.”

24. “It’s not the best city I’ve lived in and I’d be glad to leave it without a second thought, but it is a city with an old soul and echoes that are as sweet as they are bitter.”

A Few Captions on Kolkata

25. Kolkata City is a tourist trap I don’t mind being in.

26. Kolkata is a city where you can find a little bit of everything.

27. Somewhere between living and dreaming, there’s Kolkata.

28. Want to take a walk? If you aren’t married go to Victoria, if you are married, go to *South City Mall..!*

29. Kolkata is, without a doubt, one of the most unique cities in India.

30. Where food is always hot and tea is always sweet.

31. Finding peace in the chaos of Kolkata.

32. Discovering new stories in the city of heritage.

33. In Kolkata, every photo tells a story.

In Conclusion

So those were a few quotes that describes the beauty, charm and spirit of Kolkata. Have you visited Kolkata? If yes, does any of these quote resonate with you?

And for all those born and brought up in Kolkata, or living in the City of Joy, which of these quotes do you agree to? And if you know any other incredible Kolkata quotes, let us know in the comments below. We will include them here.

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