Kolkata spends year’s last Sunday shopping with friends & family

KOLKATA: People chose to make the most of the last Sunday of the year to get some winter shopping done. Though some New Market shops remained closed, several cake stores, gift and apparel shops and eateries were open to cater to the rush of people.
Atanu Chatterjee, 64, a senior employee at the 117-year-old Nahoum and Sons in New Market, said they had an exceptionally busy week.“The sale this year was almost four to five times compared to that of 2018 and we served an average of 100 customers every hour. A lot of regulars, as well as new customers thronged our shop. The crowd was so huge that we had to maintain a queue from 10am to 10pm.” Chatterjee added that most customers bought the 500-pound rich fruit cake, which is only available this time of the year.
A 27-year-old cabin crew member, Priya Roy Choudhury, who was at New Market on Sunday, said, “For me, visiting New Market at this time of the year is a tradition. I missed coming to this place in the past few years due to my work-related travel. But this year I was in the city and couldn’t miss the chance.”
The scene was similar at the city malls. Jyoti Saha, 40, a Gariahat resident, visited a mall in Park Circus with her family. “I have to do some last-minute shopping. Some of our friends from Nepal have joined us. The kids are also having a lot of fun,” she said.
Howrah resident Dipayan Saha was in a south Kolkata mall with friends. “It’s the last Sunday of this year and I am enjoying with my friends. We are going for dinner and plan to stay back late,” the 24-year-old said.