Kolkata’s historic College Street is India’s largest book market and the largest second hand book market in the world. Its name derives from the presence of many institutes, e.g., the University of Calcutta, Sanskrit College, Presidency University, Medical College of Kolkata, to name a few. The 1.5 km street is home to hundreds of bookstores and some of India’s biggest publishing houses leading it the nicknames Boi Para (Book Town). Rare books are sold at throwaway prices, and extensive bargaining is the order of the day. One can find books dating back 250 years and rare first editions. The street also houses the Indian Coffee House, which has seen writers such as Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray stop by. Many talented geniuses have penned down pieces of lyrics, poems, story scripts or exchanged brimming ideas related to the world of art and culture in this cafeteria. The Coffee House is a part of the Indian Coffee House restaurant chain in India, run by a series of worker co-operative societies. Presently, the place is regularly thronged by students from nearby premiere institutions, literary intellectuals and enthusiastic tourists.
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