Kolkata's New Market turns into Little Dhaka this Eid

"What can I say about Kolkata? It’s our second home,” says Kaji Gulshan, checking out the colourful dress material with expert fingers. We’re inside a busy New Market on a weekend. The storefronts are lit up, there’s furious haggling and banter as customer and shopkeeper measure each other up before sealing the deal. The hum of commerce is everywhere.But Gulshan — a Bangladeshi woman in her 50s — is undaunted and unfazed by the din and bustle. “This city is very familiar; after all, we are born from the same seed. No other place can give us such a homely feeling as Kolkata,” adds Gulshan, who has been flying down to Kolkata for shopping or health check-ups over the past many years.
Bangladeshis have been coming to Kolkata for years. It was a trickle that started two decades back with medical tourism. But recent years have seen the numbers swell into a tide, especially during Ramzan, with families from across the border making Kolkata their shopping destination for Eid. Easier visa norms and cheaper flight and bus fares have ensured that not only Dhaka residents but also those from smaller towns like Chittagong and Rajshahi book transport to Kolkata before Eid.

Neighbourly love
“I have travelled to many cities around the world. But Kolkata is still my favourite city after Dhaka,” stresses Oliza Monowar, who’s come to shop for a cousin’s wedding with her family. Oliza feels New Market is the best place for salwar suits and dress material. “We have a big family and every year, someone gets married. It is a ritual to organise a Kolkata shopping trip before the wedding. What we get in Bangladesh is imported from Kolkata and is expensive. The options there are limited. Also, train and bus services have made the trips cheap.”
It helps that Oliza and her family can go for a hearty meal in superb Bangladeshi restaurants like Randhuni, Kasturi and Prince after a day of shopping at New Market. “We have always stayed near New Market. The food is similar to ours and this time, we visited during Ramzan and I’m gorging on kebabs and biryani.”
Building a relationship
For Md Aminuddin and his wife, who are from Dhaka, the relationship with Kolkata is organic. “She loves to come here,” he says, to which she replies, “I’ve been visiting some shops for over 10 years and they know me. I talk to them over the phone before planning my trip to Kolkata.”
Not everyone has a similar experience though. Razia Sultana, also from Dhaka, says people still try to con them. “We look similar, we speak the same language but because of our dialect, some shopkeepers think they can charge more. They don’t realise that our relationship with the city is not new. We are regulars here.”

The lost glory
The influx of Bangladeshi shoppers has also been a boon for New Market, which opened in 1874 as an elite shopping destination for British residents. It has 2,000-odd shops, but over the years, has lost out to glitzier malls that offer a more upmarket shopping experience. Ashok Sarkar, who runs a garments store in the market, says, “Over 90% of my profits come from Bangladeshi customers. They come with a huge list and shop for the entire year before Eid,” Sarkar says. “I have seen the glory days when my father ran the shop. I have also seen the downfall. Customers from Bangladesh — and not from Kolkata — are keeping us alive.”
A Bangladeshi para
The entire zone around New Market — Marquis Street, Free School Street — is dotted with hotels where the Bangaldeshi population puts up. There’s a bus depot here that offers direct connectivity to Dhaka. “I have been working here for more than four years now. Most of our guests are from Bangladesh. Many have businesses here but others come for shopping. We have some regular guests as well,” says Nitin Rai, a hotel manager. There are also travel agents’ offices that offer instant currency exchange, while in every restaurant of this zone, you can hear numerous dialects of Bengali. With the food and the apparel and conversation, this is a little slice of Dhaka in the heart of Kolkata.
They are us, aren’t they?
We are able to run our business because of the Bangladeshis. A few days back, there was a strike in Bangladesh and many tourists came down here for shopping. We had good business. They come during the weekends and Saturdays are the busiest
— Md Wasim Raja, shopkeeper
Saris are in great demand among Bangladeshi customers. They buy cotton saris for regular wear but they are more fond of gorgeous varieties. Most of my expensive items are bought by Bangladeshis. They buy in huge lots and are very generous as customers
— Niyaz Ahmed, shopkeeper
Walk down the lanes of New Market area and all the hotels you will see are mostly occupied by Bangladeshi tourists. Since my shop leads to Marquis Street, many tourists come here for tea. It is tough to interact with foreigners as I cannot speak English but for the Bangladeshis, it’s like I am talking to my own people
— Totan Paul, tea-seller
I have an export-import business and for that, I often need to come to Kolkata. Generally, I keep a day for shopping at New Market and when I come with my family the number of days increases automatically. I come here about three to four times a year. It may sound clichéd, but Kolkata is my second home
— Md Aminuddin, Bangladeshi tourist
— Shrutanwita Chakraborty