Trinkets, Textiles & Touts

Trinkets, Textiles & Touts

All of India tempts the shopper here: mammoth amounts of goods arrive in Kolkata from the rest of the subcontinent, especially crafts from Bangladesh and neighboring northeastern states. Prices are tantalizingly low. The irritants are touts, including the instant friends who approach you claiming they have nothing to sell and then start pushing you to buy their goods. Although roadside vendors' prices are negotiable, clerks at government emporiums, shops that sell branded goods, and most places with fixed-price tags may be put out if you try to bargain.

Some of the most interesting crafts in West Bengal are brightly painted terra-cotta figurines and bas-reliefs. Dhokra are cast figures made of clay and metal. Shells, bell metal, and soapstone are all used in popular Bengali trinkets and figurines. Kolkata's bazaars and shops sell all kinds of textiles, including embroideries. With its longtime traditions of literacy and cosmopolitanism, Kolkata is also a good place for English-language books.