Hatibagan shoe shop vanishes !
The name of the shoe shop was probably ' Bhattacharya &Co' and it was situated on the important crossing of Hatibagan of North Calcutta. I used to frequently visit the shop for my requirements of foot wears. I was around 38/39 years of age when I had the opportunity to meet the proprietor of the shop who was eagerly showing varieties of shoes according to my choice. Somehow we got down to a casual conversation when I asked him about the age of the shop. I don't remember the actual words that he had spoken but I could still recollect that he suddenly became sentimental. Soon I realized that he was too attached to the shop and went on and on to convince me that it's old -perhaps the oldest footwear shop in Hatibagan. Finally when he stopped I asked him an impertinent question. " And how long do you expect the shop to last -I mean do you expect the next generation to stick to it ?" He looked exasperated and thought ...