Kolkata Unleashed !!!

phew !!! after 3 days of relentess shopping, I got some time to spend an evening with my lappie. Not because I m done, but because today is a Sunday. and most of the places (where I intend to go) are close today. Now, you must be thinking: what kind of shopping centre is this which remains closed on Sundays ??

Well, I myself never knew such places existed in Kolkata ... but now that I have been there, I m quite sure and am determined to give u the detailed (somewhat) description of whatever I saw in these 3 days.

A point to be noted is that I learnt a lot of things during these "expeditions" (I choose to call these expeditions, and u wud agree with me once u go thru the text :D )

So here it begins (the 'events' are spread over all 3 days):

1) We have a sofa set which was not in a very good condition. The sponge was coming out at places. Needed repairing. Went to Chandi Market (This is the famous place in Kolkata for electronics goods). I have been there a lot many times but today the search criteria was competely different. So, I started seeking "Ganjee Foam" (thats what the covering foam of a sofa called). The passages were narrow and filthy, shopowners too rough (they havent read the customer satisfaction chapter in Kotler). I learnt that BHOR is the best company which produced Ganjee Foam but now its in locks. So, the next best is NATIONAL and thus I bought 2.2 m of the same.

2) got to buy some cosmetics. Papa told me to visit Kajaria Market in Dalhousie. Initially I had some inhibition: Why go that far for buying cosmetics ?? About the market: a highly congested building with small shops (around some 300 ft each). Just enuf space for a person to somehow paas between two opposite shops (yeah, they were that close). Still, each person there is talking in lakhs and crores. Thats the biggest cosmetic market around here which supply materials to the whole city. They dont entertain a single piece customer like me. "Managed" to get some of the best cosmetics, at prices I cud never imagine in my dreams (wholesale prices, you know).

3) Next in line is the Bhikamchand Market where Steel / aluminium items is the core competency. Again in Dalhousie, the market is probably the oldest building I have seen (at least, the outlook suggests so). The shop where I went to have my 7.5 ltr Prestige Pressure Cooker is owned by a person called Mr. Amarnath Kundu, who seemed to a very nice guy. He gave me some discounts (am good in PR :D ) and even showed me the way to Thirhatty Market.

4) On the way to Thirhatty Market. Lots and lots of shops, all selling electrical items: bulbs, lights, tubes etc etc. It seems that all markets in Dalhousie try to develop monopolies by mutual agreement (We studied this in Economics, and as expected, I am unable to remember the exact term right now !! )

5) hmm... straight off to Baghri Market (Dalhousie, yet again). The product which I was wanted to buy was a shaving brush. The speciality was that the hairs were not normal, I mean, common. The hairs used in the brush were taken from a Horse's tail. Priced around 6 times that of a normal Gillette Shaving brush. Believe me, I dont know what it feels like but the price suggests it must be good. Only time I failed to find a product. Returned empty-handed to the pavilion.

5) My last place of adventure (again in Dalhousie) is a market which I dont know by name. I started asking ppl: where is the market where I get Locks and Keys?? and they were smart enuf to understand that I am a new to the place and they must help me out. So I enter another building, shops selling locks of all possible sizes. Got thoroughly confused. Absolutely no idea how to judge a Lock by its outlook. Decided to go by the weight and number of levers. Well, bought whatever my list (made by my mom n dad) asked me to.

6) On the way back... till now, the experience has aroused enuf curiosity in me to explore more. Went about roaming and saw a place which seemed like a slaughter house, though not exactly. was a lot bigger, not in a house but spread across a huge area.

Tried to learn more about the place (Dalhousie and burra-bazaar) and got the following info:

There is a "Gali" where u get only balloons... wow, what an idea...isnt it !! and another gali where u get only hangers ... do the people manage to earn a living thr ?? god knows ....

The places out there in Dalhousie are of those times when Kolkata was the capital city in India under the Brtish rule. No doubt, these must be the posh places then but ofcourse, they dont fit our style of living today. Nevertheless, the places are something to be seen (at least for once). Not only because of the historical value and the best buys u can have, but because you will see how busy a person and how narrow a road can get. U will see people always rushing, no one bothers for anyone else, people using slangs at will and throwing the leftovers of Pan-masala wherever n whenever they feel like.

Well, I now firmly believe that I am far away yet closer (than what I was) to Unleash Kolkata.