West Bengal

Well known as the state of Rabindranath Tagore, the Guru who has written India's national anthem, the artistic streak of West Bengal does not end at its lyrical music or literature. It finds its undertones extended to everything from the Baluchari or Cotton handloom sarees, conch shell products to precious silks. Kolkata, or `the City of Joy, is synonymous with mouth-watering street food, love for soccer, `Baur style of folk music, and centuries of Indian heritage blending effortlessly into a cosmopolitan culture. The fragrant mangrove forests of Sundarbans are the habitat of the famous West Bengal tiger. The state comes alive with colours and festivities during Durga Pooja.