The crowd moves smoothly as if engaged in a choreographed routine, carrying briefcases or balancing baskets upon their heads. Gracefully, they make their way through the market squares and busy streets of Kolkata. Once the capital of British India, the city is awash in Victorian remnants, but the history of Kolkata ventures well beyond 1690, the year the East India Company arrived. Thought to have risen around an ancient Kali temple, the city’s Hindu heritage is abundant, influencing everything from the city’s cuisine to its art. A vast metropolis, Kolkata stretches out along the banks of the Hooghly River, a patchwork of fascinating neighborhoods where modern high-rises mingle with historic abodes.