Cities are not just places, they are living, breathing characters in our stories. Kolkata, often called the City of Joy, has been that paradoxical character in my life. The city that tests my patience and steals my heart at the same time. She’s a friend who makes me laugh and a stubborn companion who tests my patience every single day. To me, Kolkata is not merely a city, it’s a perpetual love–hate affair that I can neither escape nor fully surrender to.

In this article, I want to take you through both sides of my relationship with this city: the things I adore, and the things that frustrate me. Because to understand Kolkata is to embrace her contradictions.

Things I Love About Kolkata

What makes Kolkata truly unforgettable is the way she surprises me at every turn with her charm, her warmth, and her unapologetic authenticity. There’s a reason people call her the City of Joy, because beneath the chaos lies a heart that beats with compassion, creativity, and culture.

• The Cultural Soul: Kolkata breathes art, poetry, literature, and music. From Tagore’s legacy to street theatre, it feels like the city’s veins carry culture instead of blood.
• People with Warmth: For all its chaos, Kolkata has some of the kindest and most genuine people. Strangers still stop to guide you, neighbors still drop by unannounced, and kindness lingers in the air.
• The Cost of Living: While metros around the world squeeze you dry, Kolkata still manages to offer comfort without demanding every penny. Affordable meals, reasonable rent, and local joys make life livable.
• Street Food and Sweets: Phuchka, kathi rolls, rosogolla, and mishti doi. Our food is not just food, it’s identity. Every bite feels like a story passed down generations.
• Intellectual Conversations: Kolkata is the city where an adda (casual chat) over tea can turn into a debate about politics, philosophy, or cinema. Here, intellect isn’t a luxury, it’s part of everyday life.
• Historic Landmarks: From Howrah Bridge to Victoria Memorial, from Kumartuli’s artistry to College Street’s book stalls, Kolkata wears her history proudly, like wrinkles that make a face more beautiful.
• Durga Puja and Festivals: For five magical days, the city becomes a universe of lights, pandals, and music. Durga Puja is not just a festival here, it’s an emotion that binds us all.
• Book Culture: Where else will you find entire streets dedicated to second-hand books, or annual book fairs bigger than most music festivals? Kolkata keeps the printed word alive.
• The Love for Sports: Whether it’s football at Maidan or cricket in para grounds, sports are stitched into our identity. The passion is raw, fierce, and beautiful.
• Old-World Charm: There is a romance in Kolkata’s yellow taxis, colonial buildings, tram rides, and leisurely evenings that modern skylines can never replicate. It’s a city where nostalgia feels eternal.

These are the reasons I can never stop loving Kolkata. She may not be perfect, but her imperfections are outshined by her soul. The city’s laughter, festivals, food, and people carry a kind of magic that keeps me rooted, no matter where life tries to take me. Kolkata has a way of stealing your heart and refusing to return it.

Things I Hate About Kolkata

Love without honesty is hollow, and Kolkata tests my patience as much as she wins my affection. For every moment of joy, there are equal moments of frustration. The very things that make life in this city unique are often overshadowed by its flaws, flaws that are difficult to ignore when you live them daily.

• Traffic Congestion: Patience is a virtue, but Kolkata’s traffic tests it like nothing else. Hours wasted in jams leave you wondering if time has a different meaning here.
• Pothole-Ridden Roads: Walking or driving often feels like an adventure sport. The roads demand as much attention as the destination.
• Waterlogging in Monsoons: The moment heavy rains arrive, Kolkata seems to drown not just in water but in chaos. What should feel refreshing often feels suffocating.
• Overcrowded Transport: Metros and buses are lifelines, but during peak hours, they feel less like transport and more like human jigsaw puzzles.
• Pollution and Noise: The constant honking, dust, and smoke rob the city of the calm it deserves. Silence feels like a luxury.
• Unhygienic Corners: Many areas struggle with waste management, and garbage-strewn streets hurt the image of an otherwise beautiful city.
• Power Cuts in Pockets: Though improving, power outages still exist in certain areas, pulling us back to decades we thought we had left behind.
• Political Disruptions: Bandhs, protests, and political drama, sometimes it feels like governance plays second fiddle to power games.
• Unplanned Urban Development: Skyscrapers stand awkwardly beside crumbling buildings. The lack of planning robs the city of visual harmony.
• Bureaucratic Slowness: From paperwork to official clearances, the red-tape culture is maddening. Progress often feels deliberately slowed down.

And yet, even with these struggles, I can’t walk away. The things I hate about Kolkata often feel like the shadows that make its light visible. Maybe that’s why this relationship feels eternal, it’s a city I complain about endlessly, but defend just as fiercely when others do. Kolkata is my paradox, my test, and my truth.

The Paradox That Is Kolkata

Every love story has flaws, and every hate has hidden affection. Kolkata, in all her imperfections, still feels like home, a city where history, culture, chaos, and charm co-exist in impossible harmony.

I love her because she frustrates me, and I hate her because I love her too much to walk away. That’s the eternal contradiction that binds us, like two people who fight constantly but can’t imagine life without each other. This is why I sometimes say,

“Kolkata is not a city I live in, it is a city that lives in me, stubbornly, beautifully, and forever.”