s, while Kolkata culture features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle intellectual exchanges (adda). West Bengal's 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. Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata differs from other Indian cities by giving importance to association football and other sports.
The word Kolkata derives from the Bengali term Kolikata [ˈkolikat̪a], the name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur. The term Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetro meaning "Field of [the goddess] Kali". Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila, or "flat area". The name may have its origin in the words khal [ˈkʰal] meaning "canal", followed by kaṭa [ˈkata], which may mean "dug". According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun [ˈkolitɕun] and coir or kata [ˈkat̪a] (Bengali: কাতা); hence, it was called Kolikata [ˈkolikat̪a] . While the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a]or Kolikata [ˈkolikat̪a] in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.
