Ah, the pleasures of sari shopping in Kolkata! The joys of wandering through Gariahat, browsing at Dhakeswari Bastralaya, Adi Dhakeswari, Trader's Assembly, Kundahar, Asha Brothers, Tant House, Indian Silk House, Bhojraj, RMCA Basak, and Tantuja. It is an indescribable experience. Each store packed to the brim with saris -- tangails, silk tangails, dhaniakhalis, dhakais, dhakai tangails, jamdani dhakais, tussores, murshidabad silk, benarasi, baluchari, kantha stitch. Not surprisingly, one of the most popular buys in Kolkata is the Bengali sari.

It is very likely that sari shops outnumber any other kind of store in the city. And no self-respecting owner will neglect to keep saris from other states in stock: and so you will surely find kanjeevarams, odissis, patolas and gadhwals, along with synthetics and chiffons, in most middle- to large establishments. But if you are visiting Kolkata, don't come away without a "Bengal cotton" -- a tangail.

Gariahat: This South Kolkata market is the stronghold of the Bengal sari. Vardaan Market in Central Kolkata is the place to go for kotas, moonga kotas and other "north Indian" saris. Visit North Kolkata's famous establishments for Benarasi saris, Burra Bazar for wholesale rates, and New Market for fancy saris. Every one of these locations has scores of shops to choose from.

The other unique Kolkata institution is the home-shop. Enterprising people, usually women, started getting saris woven or printed from rural artisans and selling them in their homes: the attraction was a one-of-a-kind, exclusive buy. Today, some of these places are as much Kolkata institutions as a Dhakeswari or Tantuja.

So if you are at Basak during the annual March sales, be prepared to dive into the tempting pile of saris. Be also prepared to arm-wrestle half a dozen matrons diving for your choice!