Durga Puja shopping and the associated madness

Durga Puja is the biggest festival of Bengalis. It is an occasion when families go out to buy new clothes and the latest trends in fashion come into view – the fashion is not restricted to the fairer sex but is equally applicable to the males. As has been the tradition for ages, the fashion style is dictated by screen stars. And, there are any number of outlets in the form of malls where one can get lost in the varieties on offer – if the credit card is handy, no one will return disappointed.

It is generally believed that shopping malls and credit cards are associated with the rich and the nouveau riche and, for the others, the shops scattered all over the city are the answers. These shops are generally localized in the Hatibagan area of the north, and the Gariahat area in the south apart from the famous Hogg Market (or New Market) in the center of the city on Chowringhee Road.
The marketing strategy in all shops is more or less the same – in malls it is the ‘buy one, get one free’ culture and in the shops, it is all about discounts and, in some cases, a bottle of cold drink is thrown in for good measure to influence one’s buying decision.
The annual buying spree does not end with clothes but spills over to accessories – this is especially true for the women and girls but, the men also edge their way into the slot. While the women go in for artificial jewelry, the men opt for more masculine accessories – like belts and goggles.
And – at the end of the day, there is always the inevitable stopover in some restaurant to take the weight off the tired legs and enjoy some delicious mouth-watering snacks.
However, with the advent of online shopping, much of the excitement and charm of Durga Puja shopping would vanish. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Growing up – the charm of English movies

Going to college was all about growing up, facing new challenges and meeting new people. These were the stepping stones to gain new experience that helps one to gain confidence to step forward in the world. Some of the people one meets would turn out to be good company, others would be those one would not like to touch with a ten-foot pole.
Anyway, to me, it were the English movies that changed my outlook on life and gave me an insight into how the world moves – not a world of superstitious beliefs but a world that is practical, that does not hesitate to call a spade a spade.
Most of the movie halls had three daily shows – 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. The 3pm or matinee show was my most preferred slot because attending that show would mean I would be home in time and would not need to explain any delay to my mother.
Therefore, I would select such days of the week when my classes would end by 2pm and would give me enough time to walk down Free School Street and end up in the New Market (Hogg Market) area which was home to all the cinema halls that showed English movies. (to be continued ..)

School days – visit to Hogg Market in Christmas

Hogg Market in Kolkata was and still remains a landmark. It was like a labyrinth and, one could very easily get lost in the maze of shops that sold every conceivable item under the sun from jewelry to dress materials and books apart from foreign goods.

One entrance to the famous Hogg Market was beside the Minerva cinema hall, another one next to Lighthouse cinema hall and the third one in front of Globe cinema hall.
My parents would always caution me and my brothers to make a mental note of the shop where we stood and, if lost, to take help from the shopkeepers to get back to the stating point.

A visit to Hogg Market was a sort of ritual and was invariably on the cards for Christmas – the attraction was the freshly baked cakes. The aroma of the oven fresh cakes was sufficient to drive one crazy and I was no exception. It would draw us from far off and since we were regulars in some of the shops, the owners would take special care for us. And, of course, apart from cakes there were large varieties of pastries, toffees, lozenges, candies whose temptations were difficult to resist. (to be continued…)