Markets of Delhi - What is hot n where.....

Julie Andrews trilled in the evergreen Musical The Sound of Music, Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens….. these are a few of my favourite things….. if it were to be sung again in Delhi, every word in the list would be shopping, shopping and shopping. Yes, it would be mild to call Delhi, a shopper’s paradise, it is a shopper’s addiction binging on the almost maniacal. Unlike other places, Delhites do not need an excuse to shop, it is almost a habit, be it the wedding season, the festival (and there are more festivals in a year than the number of days!!!), birthdays, marriage days, rituals, ceremonies…….shop Delhi must!! And to give indulgence to this craving are well stocked market places, from the ever popular nukkad (corner mom pop stores) markets, the upscale Khan Market, Connaught Place, Malls (Saket, Ansal Plaza…), South Ex, G K I & II.., to the weekly – Budh bazaar, Shukr bazaar (Wed or Friday markets)….the wholesale markets of Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh, the evergreen Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Markets….the list is never ending ever increasing. In these markets, the supremely expensive sits very comfortably with the dirt cheap bargainable, contemporary modern pieces are as much sought after as antiques, bargaining is a compulsive habit and reveled in and not considered infra dig. And everything is bought, cushion covers from the designer outlets to cushion covers from the footpath weekly bazaars. Delhites do not distinguish between upmarket or downscale, an average shopper is as comfortable shopping in the swish environs of Malls as bargaining hard at the Budh Bazaar.

The variety in each of the shops is mind boggling. Try this, despite shops selling same products (jewellery, shoes, sarees….) no two shops stocks similar products or prints, one is awed with the design availability everywhere. So here’s a recce of Shopping in Delhi.

One of the most comfortable places to shop is the Khan Market, the nice leafy avenues, controlled traffic, enough space to move about and the swish crowd makes it an excellent place to stroll and indulge in. Similar areas for quite browsing include Santushti Complex, Hauz Khas Village and Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan. Connaught Place aka CP, always holds a special place in the hearts of everyone coming to Delhi. Sensuous silks, stylish bags, custom made shoes, jewellery…

The college goers, backpacker tourists paradise is Janpath. The main attraction is the small bylane selling export reject fashion wear at dirt cheap prices. The best of Western fashion can be accessed and good brand names at a mere fraction. No, they are not rip offs but a consignment meant to be shipped abroad at times gets rejected because of time delays or minor quality problems, this finds it way to the portals of Janpath. A fashion savvy individual can pick up the best at affordable prices. It attracts tourists and even fashion divas. The main shops on the street also stock some beautiful stuff, the antique textile sellers from Gujarat in another inside bylane also offer interesting patchwork and furnishing pieces. Craft pieces, metal wares, footwear are all must do here. A similar place for such affordable wear is the Sarojini Nagar market where nearly two bylanes are full of excellent T-shirts, skirts, Kaftans…cushion covers a plenty on the foot path and shops selling beautiful sarees and woollen products. In the same genre is Lajpat Nagar which though was a middle class market today offers an excellent range in fabric, stitched garments… it stocks Lucknowi Chikan, juttis, kolhapuri, printed Jaipuri Cotton and loads of Fabric.

The bylanes of Chandni Chowk pack in so much of nostalgia and variety that one can spend decades browsing it and still come with surprises. Each of its bylane is devoted to a particular product. The fact some shops are centuries old simply adds to the flavour. So the Kinnari Bazaar offers zardozi work, woven laces, worked pieces, Dariba Kalan is well known for silverware, Kapda market for clothes, fabrics, Khari Baoli for dry fruits, snacks, sherbets.., Nai Sarak is a book lover’s treat while Lajpat Rai market for electronic goods, the main road houses plenty of gold and silver merchants…One can discover niche shops selling pure zari work, selling itar or hand made perfume.., Sadar Bazaar is a wholesale market and stocks everything from shoes, silver, clothes, kites, books, lace, borders….The famous place in Karol Bagh is the Banker’s Street which has rows upon rows of shops selling gold ornaments. Nearly every gold styling from the country can be found here, Konkani, Marathi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengali…The Gaffar Market is excellent for rip offs and fake electronic items.

The Malls changed the way many shopped atleast during the summer months, where else can one get an Air conditioned market. The Ansal Plaza which was the first soon had competition from the DLF Emproio, the Saket Malls – MGF Metropolitan Mall, Select City Walk (it is a must do place!) are today “the” places to see and shop. The Flea Market Night organized attracts its fair share of visitors.

The biggest attraction and shopper’s indulgence is the humungous IITF – India International Trade Fair held from the 14th to the 30th of November every year at Pragati Maidan. With participation from almost all states and foreign countries, it is a gargantuan enterprise, offering excellent bargains and plenty of freebies. The display of gems from Burma, Rajasthani & Gujarati wear, Hyderabadi pearls, Carpets from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Saffron, dry fruits…..

They say shop till you drop, in Delhi there is no drop it is only shop shop and shop!!!

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Handicrafts and handloom hold a special place in India and there is much experimentation on to create contemporary pieces using age old skills. For excellent craft picks – Baba Kharak Singh Marg (all State Emporiums are located here), Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan where Tribes, Kamla, Industree stock some very beautiful products. Cottage Emporium in Janpath. To buy straight from the craftsmen - Crafts Museum shop and demonstration area and Dilli Haat (INA Market & Pitampura).
Fab India outlets, Khadi Bandaars, Soma, Anokhi, Neemrana Shop….are others offering excellent ethnic stuff.
Interiors – The Bamboo Store, House of Istavam, Zara
For T-shirts – Tank Road for wholesale and Tantra outlets, Tribes
For silverware – Amrapali (Khan Market), Silverline
Antique Furniture – Amar Colony market, Puratan
Darya Ganj Sunday Market for books especially old.

(This article appeared in Discover India October 2010 Issue)

Hindu Rituals – Tam Brahm ones in Delhi

Death is never discussed, it is never planned and least of all ceremonies associated with it are never thought about. Who would want to visit them again, hearts of hearts everyone knows one has to reach there but no one ever wants to, so it is a much avoided topic. Happy thoughts and ceremonies are welcome, but this is usually a big no no. Call it Destiny, but once it stared us in the face, there was much learning. A revelation that a place like Delhi, could pack in so much in ritualistic traditions, where ceremonies could be performed as it could be in a village on the banks of a river. There were people associated with it, for whom such rituals and participation in it were a part of life. The entire operation running smoothly without a hitch, every aspect could be organized to ensure its smooth performance without any fuss, of course for a consideration. Given our Tam Brahm emphasis on rituals, Delhi in my opinion seemed to be the North Pole when it came to facilities for such rituals which could be contracted out and performed with ease in other cities like Madras, (Chennai if you must), Mumbai….. For my father and I the loss was of a larger magnitude which coupled with grief stunted our ability to organizing the rituals at home. And then, vistas opened up where we heard or Priests / Pandits or in Tamil Vadhyar or Sanskrit Shastrigal (one who has mastered the Shastras) who organized the entire run of 13 day ceremonies including buying all items, the Dhan (to be given to Brahmins), Dakshina, the ahuti for burning, food…….

Kartik Shastrigal was the one who came to our rescue, referenced through a short chain of relatives. An enterprising young man in his late 30s man, born, brought up and educated in Delhi, who studied the Vedas and Shastras at a Gurukul in Benares (Varanasi). What set him apart was his being from the contemporary world he was able to understand our grief, circumstance and be able to perform the rituals so that each of the variable was addressed. The rituals were not a chore to be done by rote but one which he explained, helped us along and made it seem all so relevant.

The place for the rituals, a tiny home in village Bindapur. Bindapur is the place chosen by DDA to present its expandable housing scheme. Meaning yes, the ever expansive construction is actually legal. This flat though small was to be our Benares or Gaya during the 4 days of the ceremony. Can such a little space give the same mental satisfaction? Travelling the first day I must have cursed everyone for putting us through it. But somehow it did. But moving from ceremony to ceremony each day revealed a growing satisfaction. The ceremonies seemed as our way of finishing off all the unfinished business we had with her. Conversations left unfinished, trips planned but never undertaken, work to be done together, re-doing the house, shopping expeditions….. It suddenly was our Karma.

Why do I write about this in visitors2delhi? Yes, the ritualistic traditions shunned in a modernistic world exists peacefully in its full fledged earlier avatar. Priests, rites, offerings……………well it is another world, lesser known which does exist in Delhi.
(More about Ram Ghat in the next one)