The New Market Area

                         

We went to the New Market Area for shopping. It was filled with loud chatters of the horde of people assembled there. The teachers shopped for local Bengali Saris, while we were constantly haggling for our purchases. It was a tiring yet content experience. We were really proud of our purchases. The area is known for its "puchkas" and we ate to our hearts' content. 

SS Hogg Market, or New Market, is Kolkata’s first municipal market set up in 1874 to cater to British residents who were averse to brushing shoulders with the “natives”. A century-and-a-half on, it has metamorphosed into a cauldron of diverse cultures, a favourite shopping haunt for not only locals but also foreign tourists, particularly Bangladeshis from Dhaka and Chittagong.

The scene also gives a reflection of the population density of the city. The city has a very high population density of 24,000 people per square kilometer or 63,000 per square mile. This is one of the world's highest densities. The city itself qualifies as a megacity and covers an incredible amount of surface area that comes to a total of 205.00 square kilometers (79.150 square miles).