Sep 25, 2004 12:23 PM
7336 Views
(Updated Aug 02, 2014 10:42 PM)
Kolkata has always been viewed by other metros as being dirty, boring and full of people who start a ''michhil'' (strike/procession) at the drop of a hat. I have friends living in Delhi who are very well-travelled but have never been to Kolkata. Yet, they are the main people who seem to be propagating such an idea about Kolkata. I have decided to do my bit for Kolkata's image as a person who has lived here for about 8-9 years :-)
While there are a lot of shopping avenues here, one of the newest is the mall called Forum.
There are a lot of brands/designers here - 3 floors of Shoppers' Stop, Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Levi's, Be, Bizarre, Satya Paul, Ritu Kumar, etc, etc. The newest shop to open is CIMA which retails creations of Sabya Sachi, Raghuvendra Rathore and the like.
But more important is the atmosphere. Its new and therefore very clean and well maintained. Best of all, it is disabled-friendly (with a ramp and a separate parking lot).
The first 3 floors are all shops. The fourth floor has the INOX ticket counters and some places to pick up snacks from. It also has a Video Game parlour. The fifth houses a food court where you get a variety of edibles - a Pizza Hut, south-Indian food, Mexican, Arabian, etc. This floor also has a kids' amusement area where you can safely leave your children to play while you go shopping.
Its the greatest blessing for mothers of young children like me. Allows you to shop peacefully without having a whining kid in tow (''buy me this, buy me that''), and at the same time not feeling guilty that your child is getting bored at home while you are blissfully shopping ! The sixth floor has INOX which is a multiplex.
The multiplex is expensive but worth the money. The picture quality and the sound is good and the ambience is great. The last show is at about 10 p.m. which is great for working parents who can finally slip out of the house for a movie after the children are asleep. The only thing I dont like about INOX are the snacks they serve. They dont allow you to bring your own food. The popcorns they serve are not crisp and the Italian (or is it Mexican ??) stuff they serve is absolutely yucky.
The worst thing about Forum is the cost of parking. A dinner and movie at Forum can cost you as much as Rs.55-70 only on parking. There isn't enough parking which is the reason they give for charging such sums. First, they should have made better provisions for parking and second, the parking charge should at least not be there late at night since the only people at Forum then are the ones who have come to see the movie (and there is at least enough parking then).
