Jharkhali market is a small market only a 5 minute rickshaw ride away from where we are staying, or a 20 minute walk if you're up for it. Unlike New Market in Kolkatta, it is a village for the Jharkhali people, so it was clear to us that this market was not a one for tourists. The many sari and punjabi shops held more interest for the girls than for the guys-- by the end of the first week, all the girls had at least one sari each while not a single guy bought themselves a punjabi. The guys attention was more turned to the barber shops, where they could get a shave from a face massaging Indian man holding a cutthroat razor.
Despite the split interests in shops between many of us, all of the Irish students can agree that the general goods corner store was most popular among us. I'm sure by the end of our stay in Jharkhali, we will have bought the shop out of all their various chocolate bars, crisps and sweets that cost only a few rupees each.
The village itself is quite beautiful, in it's own way. The shops and stalls, despite being mostly made of random scraps and pieces of corrugated iron made the place look very rustic. They follow the same custom as the Spanish do with Siesta-- so during the day, Jharkhali market gets very quiet, but at night, it really comes alive. The streets are lit by individual shopkeeper's inconsistant lighting, there are local shoppers everywhere and of course the roads are bustling with cars, rickshaws, tuk tuks, motorbikes and trucks-- all constantly beeping their horns.
Jharkhali market is not a place for the faint hearted, but still a lot more welcoming than the markets in Kolkatta.
-Nicolas
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