It's a large open air, a series of stall-like shops on either side of the footpath bordering College Street really, near the oldest part of the colonial city that sells every thing educational. The entire stretch houses some of the world's oldest educational institutes. Magnificent in architecture, Boi para (book-neighbourhood in Bengali) is the world's second largest market of second hand books; all sorts of them - from classics, textbooks, and manuscripts to comics and so on -  are sold at unbelievably low prices. The neighbouring College Square with its muddy water swimming pool [the water is drawn from the River Hooghly(Ganges) which explains its colour!!] is frequented by young couple looking for a moment's privacy and of course, swimmers. It's a great place for people who just want to discover. 

However, the old-world nostalgia will change very soon with the West Bengal government planning to build a book mall and pull down the shops in order to beautify the city.The thrill of finding  an out-of print book or an original leather-bound classic jostling for space alongside  a 'how-to-crack-the-IAS' will go too, along with these little shops so full of character.