The College Street is famous for its small and big book stores, which gives it the nicknameBoi Para (Colony of Books).[2][6] People from the whole city and different parts of the state flock the innumerable book stores along the side-walk for books. Many bigwigs of the Bengali publication industry (like: Ananda Publishers, Mitra and Ghosh Publishers, DasGupta and Company Pvt. Ltd, Dey's Publishing, Rupa & Co. etc.) are situated here. The street is also dotted with countless small book kiosks which sell new and old books.[2] An article in the journal Smithsonian described College Street as ...a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement, carrying first editions, pamphlets, paperbacks in every Indian language, with more than a fair smattering of books in and out of print from France, Germany, Russia and England.[7]One can buy rare books at throw-away prices and extensive bargaining takes place.
Recognition
In 2007, College Street featured among the famous landmarks of India which have made it to 6pm to 9pm Magazine's "Best of Asia" list.[8]
Educational institutes
Well-known academic institutions situated on this street include:
Higher education institutions
Presidency University, established as Hindoo College in 1817, making it one of the oldest post secondary liberal arts colleges in South Asia.
University of Calcutta, established in 1857, and the first university (to be established as a secular multidisciplinary university) in South Asia.
Old second-hand books being sold by a shopkeeper at the College Street
Inside view of College Square in Kolkata
References
^ a bGoogle maps
^ a b c dCollege Street or the Boi Para Archived 2013-11-16 at the Wayback Machineastrainfotech.org. Retrieved 24 March 2013
^Kolkata Heritage- College Street Archived 2013-09-02 at the Wayback Machinewestbengaltourism.gov.in. Retrieved 24 March 2013
^"Cyclone Amphan wipes out Asia's largest book market, College Street, in Kolkata - Business Insider India". www.businessinsider.in. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
^"The World's Largest Secondhand Book Market is in Kolkata, India". 23 March 2016.
^ a bKolkata's historical College Street 'Boi-Para' ceases to exist Archived 23 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. webindia123.com. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
^Hollick, Julian Crandall (July 1991). "Amid Calcutta's poverty, there's no dearth of cultural wealth". Smithsonian. 22 (4): 32–41. ISSN 0037-7333.
^Press Trust of India (28 April 2007). "Mehrangarh Fort, College Street, figure in Time's Best of Asia". The Statesman. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to College Street (Kolkata).