In Kolkata, Pujo shopping has a rhythm of its own – the crowd at New Market, the shoulder-to-shoulder scramble on Gariahat’s footpaths, three hours gone before you’ve found a single sari. But scattered across the city is a quieter route: boutiques that double as cafes, where you can shop at your own pace and simply sit down when your feet – or your appetite – give out.For the heirloom huntersAt AranyaBaari the vibes are aesthetic and the shopping list can go on and on. “For Pujo, I want to buy a hand-block printed sari, which is their signature, for myself, and Jamdani anti-fit shirts for my brother and dad,” says Rishika Simran Mukherjee, who’s drawn as much to the store’s home décor – lamps, wall plates, linen – as to its textiles. It’s the attached café, Aranyabaari Khabarghor, that turns the trip into an event: familiar Bengali flavours plated with a twist, from mutton singara to a pea-flower lychee lemonade that has nothing to do with nostalgia and everything to do with a good, cold drink after an hour of browsing. “I absolutely love the food here,” she says – the rasam prawns and mejbani mutton with paratha are regulars on her order.A few localities away, Byloom has been Usri Das’s one non-negotiable Pujo stop for years. “There hasn’t been a single Pujo in years that I haven’t shopped from here,” she says, gravitating toward matka silk with jamdani weaves — “weave and colours always make me happy” – alongside the store’s Baluchori and shibori saris, beaded jewellery and tote bags. Byloom Canteen next door keeps things unpretentious: luchi-mangsho and mangsher chop, the kind of food Usri and her friends order without needing to look at a menu.For the eclectic dresserKarma Kettle trades in things you won’t find twice – products sourced from small businesses across the country, laid out in a space Srabonti Ganguli calls soothing rather than chaotic. “They house products from small businesses all over the country, which makes it a great place to shop local,” she says, eyeing ceramic and bronze jewellery along with eco-print clothing for this Pujo. She rarely leaves without sitting down first: “Whenever I visit, I make sure to have a cup of tea with their high tea platter” – one of an extensive tea list that runs alongside café staples like Burmese khao suey and Vietnamese coffee.Sienna Store & Café has a similar effect on Sahana Ghosh. “I can spend hours at Sienna just browsing and shopping,” she admits, singling out the ceramics and brass jewellery she has to “really control” herself around. But it’s the food that keeps pulling her back – specifically the maach’r deem XO rice and golda chingri with ghilu hollandaise, dishes that sit closer to inventive than comforting, alongside a menu that also runs to ros omelette and bone-marrow jhol for anyone wanting something heartier between purchases.For the one-stop hamper runGood Earth is where Pujo shopping shifts from wardrobe to home. “I always end up buying clothes for myself and family for Pujo, but this time I plan to invest in things for the home,” says Srideep Das, who’s set his sights on the Persia Garden fine bone china and the floral silk-and-linen cushions — high-end, considered pieces rather than impulse buys. Next door at CAARA, the food matches the store’s register: modern, ingredient-forward, unhurried. “Whenever I visit, I always end up having a truffle salami pizzette and a slice of gluten-free orange almond cake at the café,” he says. “It makes for a perfect shopping trip.” The menu backs him up, with chilli avocado toast, jackfruit and Kalimpong cheese fritters, and harissa-spiced chicken rounding out a list built for lingering.Don’t miss this Pujo
- Semi-precious stone, copper, bamboo & wood jewellery
- Tableware & tea sets
- Printed shirts
- Handspun tussar and sequin saris
- Wall art and cushion covers
