1. Come Durga Puja and it’s time to flaunt fash-
ion trends. The youngsters are excited about the fash-
ion trends that are in vogue this year. For them, it is
the time to flaunt dresses and colours. However, for a
majority of Kolkatans, it’s the pre-puja sales offers at
various outlets that hold the greatest attraction. And
this is evident in Big Bazaar, or Brand Factory. These
are spilling over with youngsters in their teens. As
Ruchika Bhowmik, a first year student, says, “The of-
fers that various retail shops offer are too good to ig-
nore. From take one, get one free offer to 50 per cent
discounts on dresses, they are definitely attractive. I
plan to pick up a zardozi salwar kameez, T-shirts and
jeans from one of the stores. ”
There are some youngsters like Debadrita Datta
who do a lot of window shopping throughout the year
before picking up Puja dresses. Debadrita, for instance,
plans to wear capris for Saptami, a salwar kurta for
Navami. The 17-year-old school student says, “I usual-
ly buy dresses throughout the year as well as during
the sale season.” Piyali Sen, who has a two-year old
daughter, says, “Shopping is great fun. And whenever
there is a pre-Puja discount sales I make it a point to
pick up clothes.” And for those who prefer to lose them-
selves in shopping — that would mean most of us —
more disposable income means more shopping through
the year but it still does not rule out festive shopping.
“I pick up what I like whenever there is a sale. But I
wear it during the Puja. Since our tradition says we
should wear new clothes for the Pujas, that’s reason
enough to shop!” says Priya Sur, 22 years. With many
replacing clothes
with cash as presents,
even young people
who are broke amass
a useful bounty. “My
parents give me mon-
ey. Now that I am old-
er, relatives too are
unsure of what I
would like and give
me money that I
spend on clothes, or
for going out. This
year I will definitely
buy jeans, and some
formals from either
Brand Factory
or Pantaloons,”
says Anirban.
— Sonalee M
Shyambazar has been an age-old
hub for shopping in the north of Kolkata. It’s a haven
of affordable garments, accessories and other fash-
ion frills. The shops offer an exciting blend of mod-
erately-priced, durable fashion items.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
The quality and prices of clothing and fabrics could
equal those at MG Road in central Kolkata and those
at Gariahat in south Kolkata. Jewellery could match
those of Bowbazaar in central and those at Garia-
hat. Shyambazar is not just famous for its low budg-
et clothing and accessories availability, but also
the age-old sweet meat shops like Dwarik Ghosh and
Sen Mahasay.
FAMILIARITY
The roads of Shyambazar-Hatibagan are crowded
round the year, be it the excessively long shopping
period before Durga Puja, or weeks before Poila
Baishakh. Think of Hatibagan and you first head to
the row of shops that flank the street. The place is a
bargainer’s paradise, so make sure you check out
the prices at numerous stores before you buy any-
thing. Families wading through the crowd is a fa-
miliar sight on most evenings. The hawkers sell not
just attractive apparel fit for special occasions, but
also casual wear and daily wear clothes. Therefore
they always sell low-priced clothes all through the
year. Before the Durga Pujas, the clothes are given
further sale offers and the shopaholics go on a spree
of buying fresh new clothes for the entire family.
PRICES
The two regular markets at Shyambazar are:
Hatibagan
Shyambazar More
Both being extremely popular shopping areas, the
footpaths have been nearly fully occupied by the
hawkers, all over. The ranges of clothes are low, and
bargainable at some shops as well. Tops for women
range from ` 100 to 150, kurtis cost mostly ` 150. To
match kurtis, they are teamed with patialas which
cost ` 140. Leggings cost ` 70, a pair of good, rough
jeans, cost about ` 300 and above. Men's shirts and
T-shirts range within ` 175 to 250.
HAWKERS AND SHOPPERS
Hawkers inform that through the year, even if there
aren’t very many buyers, there are some who always
move around to buy new clothes or apparels. “We
have to keep our shops open all round the year. No
one knows for sure, when customers are going to buy
for occasions. We stay open and get customers
throughout the year,” says an old hawker at Hatiba-
gan. One look around and you will find a sea of peo-
ple shopping for their day-to-day needs, or domestic
use. The streets flock with people from the neigh-
bourhood, as well as people from around the city,
who come to shop in the same recurring expectation
of low priced articles. “The crowd is generally com-
posed of happy people who can 'find almost anything'
at Shyambazar,” says a young man, who was spotted
with his family, on a weekday.
— Arundhuti Ghosh
In the season of
festivities, budget is an
essential part of the
shopping planner.
Hatibagan is one
of the favourite haunts
for the shopper's
of north Kolkata
DazzlingDeals For a majority of Kolkatans,
it’s the pre-puja sales offers at
various outlets that hold the
greatest attraction
A Consumer Connect Initiative
THE TIMES OF INDIA, KOLKATA, 12 SEPTEMBER 2011, MONDAY 9
Shopper’sHub
Scalp & Hair Melysis IStop Hoir Foil An1i-Acnc IMti-Ageh.g Therapy I &or Weight Loss I Inch Loss Doable Chin
Block Baldness/Areata Ilnsta-Growth Marks Removall Depigmentation IDark Reduction I Body Politiuing I Figure
Dandruff Control I Follicular Therapy Circle Removal IWhite Patches Removal Correction I Body Toning I B line
Cold Laser Im ire Red Radiation Psorianis I Eczema I Lichen PlanuslVitiligo Correction I Face Toning & Firming
r
Kolkata:Rashbehari I Kankurgachi I Middleton Sreet
Howrah: Dr. Abani Dutta Road,Salkia
Siliguri: Burdwan Rd. Ph:0353-2500643/93395fl 210 International Health &Weiness Clinic
I N D I A I UAF I A U S T R A L I A I UK I H O N G K O N G I LISA ISO9001:2008 Cert f leiI’ I] ri. iri JW 1 hi 7i Iri TI’l u T.1‘EcI i1 ri•u ,
OUR INITIATIVES
Business Contact :
+91 90074 12494
Corporate Contact :
+91 98743 20998
• Tea
• Edible Oil
• Real Estate
• Hotels&Resorts
• Exports
• Agro Projects
J.:•i ‘
:i’
n
Mahatma Gandhi Road ,Thakurpukur , I
Kolkata - 700063,India
Phone :91-33-2453 2781/82/832781/82/83
91-33-2467 8001/03
Fax :91-33-2467 8002
91-33-24536711
Email :cancerwelfare@yahoo co.in I
ccwhri@cal2.vsnl.net.in
Website: w.cancercentrecalcutta.org
CANCER CENTRE
.0)WELFAREHOME AND
RESEARCH UUSTIThTE
Most experienced super speciality
hospital for all
your LAST
chance to be an
iLEADer
B.Sc.I M.Sc.
Media & Journalism
UGC-AICTE-DEC recognized universitydegree courses
CALL:
LEAfl 9830015201//02
IN OF LEADERSHIP 033-40182000
ENTREPRENEURSHIP — — ——
& DEVELOPMENT iNVllW Iea •flC .Ifl
Visit iLEAD explore our world-class
learning environment; interact with our
students,attend a seminar or take in a
lecture for FREE! Trust us,you won’t
want to leave...
181k C.R. Avenue ,Opp. Ram Mandir
Ph :2270 2590/ 2273 1107 /91436 15452
• Saves between 40-65% of your capital cost of acquisition as compared
to any traditional hardware based Videoconferencing system
• Saves between 50-65% of your operating or running bandwidth cost as
compared to any traditional hardware based Videoconferencing system
• Runs on any kind of network like LAN,WAN,VSATS,Broadband& DatacardDatac
• Runs on Multicast I Unicast Technology
Dealership /Distributorship Enquiries Solicited
INTELLISYS Techno logies & Research Ltd.
I N T E L LI SYS (USA.Kol kata•Mumb ai.Delhi. Banga lore)
www.intellisysin.com Contact email: sales@intellisysin.com