By Srikanto Ray (18thMarch, 2008)
There was a time when Kolkata shopping destinations ruled by New market in
Esplanade and Gariahat, though the places still hold their heritage charm
but the growing shopping plazas in the city bear witness the rage of mall
culture in the intellectual capital of India. People now a days avoid the
hustle bustle of overcrowded streets and choose the option of air
conditioned comfort with a nice stroll in the lawns of City Center or wide
corridors of Forum Mall at Elgin Road.
Not only the comfort but the style statement is the new rage among the
middle class Bengalis who once gratified with simple 'living high thinking'
formula, now jump on the " brand" wagon. The shopping malls
lustfully displayed the designers wear, whether it is for clothing or
accessories, the new mantra is to lure more and more shopping maniac to the
exuberant malls. In a recent celebrity marriage of Abhishek Bachchan, when
he sports an ethnic label from the city for his much publicised wedding, the
hip and happening naturally follow suit.
The last few years have witnessed many changes in the fashion scene in
Kolkata. Yet there are designers who have remained loyal to the art forms of
the past. One can always sneak peak into 85 Lansdowne to see the most
exclusive designer wears. The designer wear store at the Hazra-Sarat Bose
Road crossing, houses the work of 42 of the most sought after fashion gurus,
including Anamika Khanna, Manish Malhotra, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Sabyasachi
Mukherjee and many others. Apart from designer apparel, you can take your
pick from a range of home accessories, also have an excellent collection of
apparel accessories like slippers, bags and jewellery.
When it comes to jewellery, Kolkata always stands tall among other cities.
Traditional Bengal has been considered to be the home of master craftsmen in
jewellery. PC Chandra is most revered brand in Kolkata, though Anjali
Jewellers have also made its name, even Aishwarya rai got her bridal
jewellery from here. Jewellery houses has an exquisite outlets in Shovabazar
that was created by restoring a heritage house.
And finally one can't imagine Kolkata without books! The intellectual city
has an evergreen charm of books in every corner of the street. In a city
where annual Book Fair draws zillion every day and witnesses sales worth
several lakhs, bookstores in the city never have a dull moment. For most of
them, there is no gift better than a book. College street is the place where
one can find rare as well new collections of books though the place is
mostly crowded with young people seeking text books. There are variety of
bookstores such as Oxford, Crossword and other book chains are dotted in the
city.
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