As you queue up every Sunday in front of the local mutton shop, have you ever consider where he gets the goat from? Or from where your favourite Biryani outlet sources its meat? Even those who oft en take that scarcely-lit, near empty Canal East Road between Rajabazar and Maniktala Main Road, negotiating through the herds of goats tethered together as a shortcut to Ultadanga are hardly aware of Chhagalpatti, the largest market for goats in the city.

Bazaar USP 
Scattered over a large stretch, the goat market or Chhagalpatti is the biggest in West Bengal and known for its quality goats. Th e market supplies goats to shops selling mutton and all eateries across the city. “Apart from the goat market here, there is another one in the city located under the Kidderpore Bridge. Th e Kidderpore market is much smaller both in size and scale and hardly as busy as ours because this is the oldest and the biggest market in the state”, says Muhammad Armaan, a prominent araatdaar (stockist) of the market. “We source quality goats from all over the country and hence this market supplies the best goats to other markets” added Armaan. Th e market supplies goats to retailers as well as to hotel and restaurant suppliers. Trucks are the major mode of transportation of goats from other states to the market. A truck can carry 300-310 goats at most. A number of trucks arrive daily; the number varies between 7-10 and may go up to 60-70 in peak seasons.
History 
Th e current lot of traders in the business does not have any clue regarding the history of the market, though they assume that the bazaar is at least 250-year old. According to Muhammad Rabbani, “Th e market was probably started by our ancestors. It is the demand for quality mutton that has sustained the market till date. We would be proud if we can continue the market in future too

Negotiations are through signals with fi ngers in clasped hands between buyers and sellers

The Market
 Th e Chhagalpatti is located near Narkeldanga khalpool. Take the third left from Rajabazar while proceeding eastwards towards Phulbagan; just across the bridge on the Beleghata Canal, turn into Canal East Road which leads towards Ultadanga. Continue on the lane where you would fi nd herds of goats tied under numerous sheds. Don’t be baffl ed if you do not catch sight of a single buyer or seller. Th is improvised market otherwise remains empty except when sales are at a peak during night between 9 and 11 pm. Needless to say, the overbearing stench would make it diffi cult for you to walk through the bazaar. On either side of the road are shanties and sheds, stretching all along the canal. Th ere are a total of 17 sheds and about 100 goats are tied under each shed. You would also notice large, well-fed goats sitting on cots, reared by the sellers so that they can be sold later for a much higher amount. Th e market is open on all the days except Wednesdays, while Th ursdays to Saturdays are the peak days. Th e market is generally deserted during the day while nights are dark and crowded. Th e lane is lit with the street lights; hence some sheds lie in absolute darkness while some are better-lit.

Market Economics 
Th ere is an inherent risk factor for buyers because one cannot estimate exactly the actual weight of the anima Both parties bargain on the basis of estimated weight. But, according to veterans in the business, the actual weight is usually more than the estimated weight and for the retail mutton shop owner, his profi t lies in the diff erence in weight. For instance, a goat estimated to be 10 kilo would yeild a minimum of 11–12 kilo aft er being slaughtered and weighed. A khasi which weighs 10 kilo is usually sold between `4300 and `4600. At present, the retail price at local meat shops is `460 per kg, and we were told that the profi t depends on that excess 1 or 2 kg. Over all, profi tability varies between `20 and 30 per kilo for a retailer and varies between `200 and `300 per goat. Every part of a goat is sold apart from the meat, such as hide, head and so on; these are sold at `100- 200 which adds to the profi t. Off -take by retailers from this market generally depends on their daily requirements. For example a retailer who runs a local meat shop may buy 5-6 goats every day. Whereas a supplier may buy 200-300 goats daily depending on the requirement of the restaurants or hotels he supplies. Th e buyers generally stand at fi xed positions with the sellers moving around and displaying their goats. Business is best during festivals and marriage seasons. “We generally have khasi as they taste much better compared to patha”, said a seller. “Quality is the main factor; and hence the prices are fi xed according to quality." Claimed Md Sayeed Khan, a seller in the market. Bakri are generally smaller in size and similar to that of a patha but low in quality and cost less. Th e suppliers feed the tethered goats with leaves and grass and they are also given a bath to keep them clean and healthy. "People who buy patha for ‘boli’ (sacrifi ce) are generally charged `100 or `200 more as they do not buy in bulk", claimed Md Mehfooz Alam Ansari Th e bazaar starts at dawn but the main market takes off aft er dusk and is at its peak between 9 pm and 11 pm. All meat shop owners visit during this period to buy their stock. Th e striking feature during bargaining is that no transactions are done verbally – the prospective buyer and seller communicate through signals with fi ngers in clasped hands. Th e best qualities come from Rajasthan’s Ajmer and UP’s Jashvant Nagar. Other varieties are brought from villages of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Th e goats are led away on foot at night to the butcheries to be slaughtered as required. Th e wholesellers send the payments to their suppliers to diff erent parts of the country mainly through couriers
Business 
Th e prices in the market vary with time. Th e business here booms during the festive seasons. “Goats are brought to the market according to demand. Th e sale is quite high during festivals and oft en a buyer buys in bulk”, added Rabbani. Th ere are approximately 300 sellers but the market is mainly dominated by 5 or 6 sellers called “araatdaar”. Restaurants, retailers and caterers primarily buy in bulk. Meat shop
owners from all around the city come to this market and haggle with the sellers. According to Sayeed Khan: “Due to stiff competition, it is not that a particular seller is able to sell as much as he would like to. If lucky, each seller sells about 10-15 goats daily. It is his rapport with the buyers that helps him to sustain profi t throughout the year.” So next time you get a chance to savour those chunky pieces of mutton cooked either traditionally as pathar jhol or biryani, you should be certain that the meat has been sourced from Chhagalpatti.

Types of goats 
Th e goat market deals with 4 major types of goats which include: z Kahi – These are female goats smaller in size but the meat is tastiest and softest and hence commands the highest price. z Khasi – These are ranked second in terms of quality and the goats are slightly bigger in size. Khasi are castrated goats. The meat is easy to cook and quite tasty and hence sold most commonly by retailers. z Bakri and Patha – The meat is a bit stiff in terms of quality and the prices are low. This meat is mostly used in Biriyani since the chunks don’t get overcooked. It is also used for budget meals and parties.