Day 25, Sep 25, 06: Kolkata:
I think this Saturday working thing just makes the weekend fly-by in a haze. Before Sunday begins, it seems like I’m on my way to office on a Monday morning and usually at the gates the earliest, waiting for the shutters to go up.
Anyway Saturday was quite a lazy kind of days and we went out for Momos on Elgin Road, the Mecca of great momos. About three plates of Momos and a bowl of Thupka for lunch and I was done in.
Got back home and then headed out to Chandni Market to buy a hard disk for the computer at home. Man that market is bustling with people. The shops seem to be overflowing into the road. The crazy part is that suddenly from within the sea of humanity you have a hand rickshaw guy tingling away on his little bell, or even worse, a bike or scooter fella laden with wares trying to manoeuvre his way through.
Chandni Market is famous for all things electronic and electrical and maybe more. I have never seen so many different DVD players in my life and that too stacked up to the ceiling in come places. Light fitting, computer hardware, you name it and all at nearly half the price than what would be available at any showroom. The catch is, 1. You should be able to bargain and 2. You should be able to spot what’s genuine and what’s not. Even if it’s an imitation, sometimes they are really good. And if you’re luck’s good, it might just last longer than a branded one from one of the many showrooms in the swanky malls.
After that we went to New Market and my aunt took me to Anand Stores. We used to go there with my mom and all our stores were bought from there on Saturday or Sunday. That was a good quarter century ago. Wow! The owner was quite thrilled to see me and enquired about my brother and sister.
After Saturday’s adventure, Sunday was a treat. Got up in the morning and got into action moving furniture around. While my aunt was at it, I convinced her to get the drawing room painted too. The kitchen was being done. So we visited the paint shop, came back, had lunch and then headed out to a garments sale at Ice Skating Rink. Nothing impressive, so we stopped by at the DI (Dalhouse Institute) Club and had some “nimbu sikanji” and momos.
After that we went for a drive down The Strand Road. I must admit, in all this excitement, I was expecting it to be like the good old days when both sides used to be packed with Puchka walas, Bhel Puri, Cold Drinks, Ice Cream wallas and lots of young Calacuutans on bikes romancing and families out for a weekend treat. None of that! All the street hawkers are gone and its quite a subdued affair, bordering on non-existence. Well the bright side is that it’s much cleaner now and the rejuvenation of the Princep Ghat looked impressive and does warrant a visit. I can’t wait to bring my bike down from Delhi.
Tea is still sold like this. You can buy packaged tea also, but if you really want to relish an early morning sip, there is a variety of Assam & Darjeeling Leaf Tea for the connoisseur.
I think this Saturday working thing just makes the weekend fly-by in a haze. Before Sunday begins, it seems like I’m on my way to office on a Monday morning and usually at the gates the earliest, waiting for the shutters to go up.
Anyway Saturday was quite a lazy kind of days and we went out for Momos on Elgin Road, the Mecca of great momos. About three plates of Momos and a bowl of Thupka for lunch and I was done in.
Got back home and then headed out to Chandni Market to buy a hard disk for the computer at home. Man that market is bustling with people. The shops seem to be overflowing into the road. The crazy part is that suddenly from within the sea of humanity you have a hand rickshaw guy tingling away on his little bell, or even worse, a bike or scooter fella laden with wares trying to manoeuvre his way through.
Chandni Market is famous for all things electronic and electrical and maybe more. I have never seen so many different DVD players in my life and that too stacked up to the ceiling in come places. Light fitting, computer hardware, you name it and all at nearly half the price than what would be available at any showroom. The catch is, 1. You should be able to bargain and 2. You should be able to spot what’s genuine and what’s not. Even if it’s an imitation, sometimes they are really good. And if you’re luck’s good, it might just last longer than a branded one from one of the many showrooms in the swanky malls.
After that we went to New Market and my aunt took me to Anand Stores. We used to go there with my mom and all our stores were bought from there on Saturday or Sunday. That was a good quarter century ago. Wow! The owner was quite thrilled to see me and enquired about my brother and sister.
After Saturday’s adventure, Sunday was a treat. Got up in the morning and got into action moving furniture around. While my aunt was at it, I convinced her to get the drawing room painted too. The kitchen was being done. So we visited the paint shop, came back, had lunch and then headed out to a garments sale at Ice Skating Rink. Nothing impressive, so we stopped by at the DI (Dalhouse Institute) Club and had some “nimbu sikanji” and momos.
After that we went for a drive down The Strand Road. I must admit, in all this excitement, I was expecting it to be like the good old days when both sides used to be packed with Puchka walas, Bhel Puri, Cold Drinks, Ice Cream wallas and lots of young Calacuutans on bikes romancing and families out for a weekend treat. None of that! All the street hawkers are gone and its quite a subdued affair, bordering on non-existence. Well the bright side is that it’s much cleaner now and the rejuvenation of the Princep Ghat looked impressive and does warrant a visit. I can’t wait to bring my bike down from Delhi.
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Tea is still sold like this. You can buy packaged tea also, but if you really want to relish an early morning sip, there is a variety of Assam & Darjeeling Leaf Tea for the connoisseur.
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