By Isobel Chiang, 08/05/2019. Tiretta Bazar (pronounced colloquially as “Territy Bazar”) is Kolkata’s original Chinatown. As I’ve written before, it’s a fascinating, confusing place, and not an altogether thriving one. Indian-Chinese restaurants rest shoulder-to-shoulder beside Hindu and Muslim-owned businesses, and often look uncomfortable and out of place. Streets are bloated with families, small children, and urban slums. A government-run garbage dump sits precariously besides Toong On Church, which brings with it not only a slew of olfactory problems, but a new population of crows, flies, and stray dogs. The old and new, the secular and sacred, the holy and unholy: they all rest against each other like old friends.

What follows is a small collection of photos from my time in Territy Bazar.

In Territy Bazar, you’ll find a mix of Chinese, Hindu, and Muslim businesses and residents.
A Chinese restaurant accommodates Muslim and Hindu dietary restrictions.
A woman enjoys fish ball soup for breakfast at the Cheenapara market.
An Indian-Chinese man sits and observes the street at rushhour.
A Clean City garbage dump next to Toong On Church.
Two Indian-Chinese residents who have lived in Territy their whole lives.