The bookshops on College Street are perhaps
the last remnants of the quaint old-world charm that Kolkata was known for,
reminding the discerning world-traveller of the old bookshops of Paris.
However, a severe housing problem coupled with acute poverty has left many
spending fatigue-laden nights on the streets of Kolkata.
The homeless people sleeping on the streets are primarily migrant
workers from the neighboring states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Many of them
sleep in the open. The day-time din gives way to an eerie stillness at the end
of day, and the colourful bookshops lining the ancient streets turn into
transient refuges for the night, providing temporary solace under the canopied
darkness. Most of the sleepers have left their families to come and find work
in Kolkata. Sleeping in the open saves them the cost of renting a place. It is
difficult for most to afford accommodation with their low wages, even in a city
where rents are relatively cheap.
Many of them wake up early in the morning to go to find work as
labourers in the city. Some have their own handcarts to ferry goods from one
place to another. The 2011 census estimated 70,000 homeless living in Kolkata,
up from 55,000 in 2001.















