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Kolkata

Sasha Fair Trade Shop

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Fair trade shopping in Kolkata starts here, at a quiet storefront on Mirza Ghalib Street just off Park Street. Why it matters: this is the retail arm of the Sasha Association for Craft Producers, a fair-trade pioneer founded in 1978 that markets handmade work from artisan groups across India and has run this shop since 1981. Browse kantha textiles, stoles, toys, jewellery, Rasa body care and gourmet spices – all handmade and a world away from the airport-souvenir circuit. Open daily 10am-7pm; check their calendar, as the shop also hosts talks, concerts and craft exhibitions.

Cafe Positive

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India’s first cafe run entirely by HIV-positive youth, opened in 2018 in a 120-square-foot Jodhpur Park garage after landlords across the city refused the team space. Why it matters: its founders grew up in shelter homes after being abandoned because of their status, and every coffee served here chips away at the stigma they’ve faced all their lives. Now in a bigger spot on Southern Avenue, the crew turns out proper cappuccinos, grilled sandwiches and bakes at prices that undercut the Park Street chains. Go for the coffee, stay for a chat – the team is famously warm, and that’s rather the point.

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