ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between Calcutta as an urban space and the emergence of a public sphere. It tries to analyse the question of ‘class’ and the location of the kerani. It explores the impact of English education and its influence on the emergent urban milieu. It also reads the ‘body’ of the kerani as a stereotype and reads in detail the 1886 Report of the Salaries Commission that re-evaluated the salary of the kerani. Consequently, it tries to understand whether the kerani may be called a babu, according to his lifestyle and habits.
