Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), is the capital of West Bengal. Located in eastern India on the bank of River Hooghly, the city has a population of 4.6 million plus and is the fourth-largest city in India.

Kolkata was the capital of India during the British Raj and was once the centre of modern education, science, culture and politics in India. While Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation in the years following India's independence in 1947, however, since the year 2000, economic rejuvenation has led to a spurt in the city's growth.

Kolkata has long been known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage. As the former capital of India, Kolkata was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought. Kolkatans tend to have a special appreciation for art and literature; its tradition of welcoming new talent has made it a "city of furious creative energy" (Kolkata - The Living City. Volume 1: The Past. Oxford University Press, Oxford)

A melting pot of many cultures Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Indo-Islamic (including Mughal), Oriental, Baroque, Roman, and Gothic motifs. The city is also noted for its appreciation of Indian classical music as well as Bengali folk music such as baul. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, Bengali literature was modernised in the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The rich literary tradition set by these authors has been carried forward in the works of Jibanananda Das, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Manik Bandopadhyay, and Sunil Gangopadhyay among others.