It is the capital city of west bengal.
It is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India, while the Port of Kolkata is India’s oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port
The city is widely regarded as the ‘cultural capital’ of India, and is also nicknamed the ‘City of Joy’.
West Bengals share of the Bengali film industry is based in the city, which also hosts venerable cultural institutions of national importance, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Victoria Memorial, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India.
