I honestly don't know what we were thinking.
Somehow, we got talked into going to New Market on a Saturday evening. I don't think my head was quite screwed on straight when I agreed to this rather ludicrous plan, because surely anyone with even a tiny bit of common sense would know that New Market + Saturday evening + shopping = a perfect storm.
But there we were.
Anna and Devi wanted to do some shopping, my wife absolutely loves New Market, and before I knew it, we were heading into the madness. To make things even more interesting, Devi had her baby daughter with her, safely tucked in her arms.
We got there a little after 6 pm.
And almost immediately, I realised the gravity of the decision I had made.
The side streets around New Market were absolutely heaving. In fact, calling it a crowd would be an understatement. It was more like a sea of heads. That's pretty much all you can see when you're walking through the place—heads, heads everywhere, moving in every possible direction.
Every now and then, sticking out of this human ocean, you'd spot the odd pole displaying someone's wares. Balloons. Clothes. Trinkets. Bags. Things you didn't know you needed until someone waved them directly in front of your face.
And then there were the shops.
And the shoppers.
And the people trying to get somewhere.
And the people who had apparently decided that the middle of the road was the perfect place to stop and have a conversation.
It was chaotic, noisy, crowded and completely, unmistakably New Market.
We somehow survived nearly two hours of this madness.
Two whole hours.
I'm still not entirely sure how.
But I will say this—New Market on a Saturday evening is quite a spectacle. There is an energy to the place that is difficult to describe unless you've actually experienced it. It's noisy, colourful, chaotic and alive in a way that few other places in Kolkata can quite match.
As for me, I've decided that next time someone suggests New Market on a Saturday evening, I'll first check whether I've taken leave of my senses.
For now, though, I'm just going to let the pictures tell the rest of the story...
Because, frankly, they probably explain the madness better than I ever could!
