Kolkata slowly gets into Durga Puja spirit

Retail, restaurant, sponsorship gradually recover from the strain of protests and the absence of Bangladeshi shoppers

- ISHITA AYAN DUTT

The crowds outside towering pandals are swelling, shoppers are making up for lost time, and traffic snarls are back. For Kolkata's retail sector, the Durga Puja season is finally looking up after several lacklustre weeks.

Retail is the biggest contributor to the Durga Puja economy, but the recent protests following the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College, and the absence of Bangladeshi shoppers, have weighed on sales compared to last year.

From bustling traditional markets to upscale malls, the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of last-minute shopping, helping to narrow the deficit. The Colonial-era New Market, formerly Sir Stuart Hogg Market in central Kolkata, is now packed with people. However, both hawkers and shopkeepers report that the crowds aren't enough to make up for the losses.

The owner of a prominent saree shop says sales are down by 50 per cent year-on-year: "It's a combination of factors," he explains. "Local buyers are unhappy because of the RG Kar incident, and Bangladeshi customers have been missing for the last two months."

Since political unrest erupted in Bangladesh, visas for Bangladeshi nationals have been restricted to medical and emergency purposes.

Ashok Kumar Gupta, president of the SS Hogg Market Traders' Association, says that sales, which stood at half of last year, have recovered a bit over the last one week. They are now 30 per cent less than 2023. Bangladeshi customers typically account for 30-40 per cent of New Market's sales, and their absence is being keenly felt. Meanwhile, some local customers say they are "mon ta bhalo lagche na (not feeling good)", with protests still in the air.