Oct. 21 - Gariahat Market

The director at Calcutta International School was thrilled I'd be joining Nandini at the school fundraiser on Saturday night - a "ramp walk", i.e. fashion show, dinner & open bar formal event. She also mentioned, as an aside, "Oh, Ann, yes, of course, you should were a sari!"

Well....I thought I may get around to wearing a sari sometime in India...but knew it would not be an easy endeavor + finding all the items in my size would be a challenge. (Saris, or sarees, are actually three piece outfits: the shai, or petticoat - a straight, floor length skirt that is made of light cotton - the blouse - an almost brazier like garment that snaps in the front - and the very long strip of fabric that is wrapped.)

The wonderful neighbors across from my veranda, the Deys, rode to the rescue. Off we went Gariahat market! I was worried about finding all we needed in less than 24 hours, with the blouse having to be larger...and I just heard "It's Gariahat!", meaning everything is available in Gariahat! Learned first thing - it's not a market, but an eight square block area of the city with nearly everything you truly could want to purchase - food, electronics, clothing, giftware...many of the shops & stands were either selling items for Diwali or decorated for Diwali.








Between Mrs. Dey and her sister we found everything I needed, including chudi, costume gold bangles women wear during Diwali & to show they are married, & a small set of bindi dots so I would be completely dressed like a Bengali woman entering the party. (We not only accomplished finding an outfit for me, but I also learned an interesting tidbit - they use inches in all their clothing sizes. Interesting, huh? When I asked why they didn't use metric they simply said "we use inches, naturally".)