The apparent calm at Big Bazaar early in the morning in the photo below belies the dramatic turn of events in the evening. Then it is choc-a-bloc with buyers, onlookers, and yes thieves as well (see my article, Trouble at Big Bazaar). The outside resembles a mela with people jostling for space with honking cars, swooshing bikes, and even occasional cycle-rickshaws.
To be fair, Big Bazaar is not the sole crowd-puller. In the market complex, ‘the metropolis’, there is a 4-screen multiplex, Fame that shows the latest blockbusters. And there are me-too shops that enjoy fairly good amount of footfalls thanks to the 2 anchors.
Although Chowkgaria, the who-knows-where place on EM Bypass where ‘the metropolis’ is located is not heavily populated like most of south and north Kolkata, it isn’t difficult to guess that no one thought there would be so huge rush on account of just a market complex.
But there you are, an unfortunate soul if you happen to step there in evenings especially on holidays. One shivers to think what lies in store when the puja marketing gears up.
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