Calcutta 2, the New Market

Northern India17 photographs2001

Time to wake up!

Look out the window. What is it? At the crack of dawn, while you were still sleeping, it looked like snow. There are still a few chickens le

Look out the window. What is it? At the crack of dawn, while you were still sleeping, it looked like snow. There are still a few chickens left.

In netted baskets.

In netted baskets.

We're in Calcutta's great market.

We're in Calcutta's great market.

It's the Stuart Hogg Market—Hogg Market, for short, but also called New Market—as in a football tackle called Tiny.

It's the Stuart Hogg Market—Hogg Market, for short, but also called New Market—as in a football tackle called Tiny.

It's hard to show the scale of the thing, but the corridors run a long way back from this facade. See the tower in the background?

It's hard to show the scale of the thing, but the corridors run a long way back from this facade. See the tower in the background?

Here it is, closer.

Here it is, closer.

An inner courtyard. Photographs from the British period make the place seem clean and tidy.

An inner courtyard. Photographs from the British period make the place seem clean and tidy.

It's not any more.

It's not any more.

Some stretches smell sweet, though.

Some stretches smell sweet, though.

There's plenty of produce, too.

There's plenty of produce, too.

A potato specialist.

A potato specialist.

Fish delivery.

Fish delivery.

Tossing big ones.

Tossing big ones.

Butchers.

Butchers.

The charnel house.

The charnel house.

Retail sales.

Retail sales.

Home delivery.

Home delivery.