After my first visit to Chowkbazaar, I was left gasping for breath at the cultural splendour and raw life that this area housed. Travelling down the narrow winding roads past Lalbagh on a rickshaw, my first notable landmark indicating that I had “finally arrived at Chowkbazaar” was the great looming figure of the stoically bland yellow walls of the Jail, which till date I find mysteriously attractive. At the very centre of the cross roads of Chowk, is what I would like to call the agora where tall buildings are squashed next to each other with the ground floors streaming with stores of different kinds. Bangles shops, decoration shops, mechanics stores, food places, bakeries, what not! The most interesting shop that caught my eye had the signboard painted to represent the stripes of Banglalink, the bright orange and black combination with a black caption on the orange saying "Mobile Hospital". Down in the lower corner right up front were two stationery stores flanking a narrow alley. That’s my road. Next to the two stores was Amaniya, the restaurant with the most amazing beef "bhuna" and in front of the store was a vendor selling a strangely sweet cocktail. I never had it myself but some of the guys loved it so much, Mushfiq would literally force all of us to have it each time we crossed him, which was almost every three days. 

The narrow winding roads sandwiched by the two stationery shops coyly crept down, snaking its way through stationery stores and hardware stores, through clanging and rapping, until suddenly a magnificent beauty crops up. A massive ancient gate known as "Boro Katra", it is all that remains of the 400 year old "caravanserai". Right next to it was Islamia Bohumukhi High School. Going down many more turns, crossing the orange gates, I went down more lanes until I came upon a smaller gate similar to the previous one. This is called "Chhoto Katra". After walking a while longer I crossed UCEP and finally came upon a blue signboard reading S.A.H. Kalander Girls' High School. Walking through the gates, I beheld a two storey building with two more signboards, reading, W.V.A. Primary School, Choto Katra Primary School.