Kolkata has a pretty cool nickname.
The City of Joy.
Why?
Some of the answers you’ll hear are how Kolkata makes a priority out of art and culture, intellect and philosophy and literature. People gather intentionally to talk about these things, and they’re more of an emphasis here compared to cities like Mumbai or Bengaluru that are more industrious. The cost of living tends to be lower. The pace a bit slower. And all this is kind of true.
But the nickname also came from the book City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre, a French author.
This book was set in a slum where poverty was rampant, and life was really difficult, but people were still happy. Really happy. People believe that life is worth living and their slum is named Anand Nagar, which more or less translates to City of Joy.
I don’t exactly love the trope of “they’re very poor, but they’re so happy!” It’s a way we often romanticize poverty that obscures our motivation to actually do something about it. But for people who’ve long assumed the pathway to happiness is through material wealth, this image challenges people’s priorities in a way that’s helpful. Back when the book was written in 1985, I imagine it was a more widely held view.
While the origin story isn’t my favorite, Kolkata does live up to its nickname in a lot of ways.