A Visit To Sadar Bazaar

Whenever we go out for shopping, we always tend to go to the places and markets which are known to us or are more well known and affordable to our budgets. Like the place where I live has one of the biggest and posh market places in all of South Delhi which is the Malviya Nagar market and it is also very close to us. But if you want to go for variety shopping which are both affordable and suitable to your particular taste, then I think you should visit Delhi's old bazaars.There are quite a few of them like Meena Bazaar, Chor Bazaar, Balli Maran Market, Chawri Bazaar, Chandni Chowk market etc. Most of them are situated in and around the historic Red Fort.

One thing which is unique among them is that all of them are pretty old; some of them going back to the Mughal period, like the Meena Bazaar & Chawri Bazaar and others are even older than them, that is existing as far as back as the 12th century !.

Another thing which makes this particular stretch of place of Old Delhi attractive and unique is that all of them have the same last two postal code digits of 06!, which was immortalised in the iconic movie Delhi -6. Also when you enter in the narrow alleys and by lanes of this area, you will find there are still buildings remaining of the colonial era, though they are crumbling now but reminiscent of bygone ages and also buildings which were built post independence that have not seen a single reconstruction in the light in the past 70 years, also there are some buildings and houses which are older than these two. That these buildings are still standing in the 21st century with an amalgamation of new constructions is a wonderful sight for the eyes.

Anyways, as I am always on the prowl for something unique and out of the way, so when I heard about this market which is centuries old and quite affordable, I decided to give it a try one Wednesday morning.

As I am little bit averse to travelling in Metros, so I took an auto instead and though it was expensive but still I could breathe in the fresh air; which is impossible in a metro. The Auto-Rickshaw driver from the initial moment said that he will drop me near the market as it is impossible to go there because of traffic jams and heavy congestion. So as we neared the place he dropped me at a junction and from there I took a cycle -rickshaw for rest of the journey. This is another unique thing about Old Delhi that you will find that majority of public conveyance is cycle rickshaws.

The thing is markets of this kind are always busy and congested by throngs of shoppers everyday, therefore the roads are always bound by traffic jams and people milling about, and the same thing happened with me again as the cycle rickshaw driver also had to take an alternate route through the narrow alleys and by-lanes of Darya Ganj to reach our destination.

Once we entered those narrow alleys the first sight which accosted me was that the environment, the roads, and the people seemed to live in the same old traditional days of the Mughal era and later on also during the British colonial times. I mean the air you breathe takes you back down the memory lanes of those epic times when people were simple minded, helpful, happy and ever ready to rescue you in times of trouble.

The alley were so narrow that if two cycle rickshaws were coming from opposite directions; then one had to stop to let the other pass. The shops on opposing sides of the alley were so close to each other that one shopkeeper can literally touch the other and vice versa. One most important thing I discovered that in these alleys majority of the shops were either meat shops or spice shops. I could smell the fresh meat and literally could also taste the various spices in these shops. At last it was time when we reached Sadar/Chawri bazaar and the first visual was that of an old market albeit with a new look; where you cannot stand in one place without being jostled and pushed from behind by thousands of people thronging the streets. Every where I looked, all I saw was a mass of bodies moving about from shop to shop, no moment to stop and talk and people all busy trying to entice potential new customers to their shops. The best part of this market is that you can get anything from a hairpin to electronic gadgets, clothes, stationery items, toys, gift items, jewelry, trinkets, cards for all seasons and for all reasons!, and many more at affordable and whole sale rates. Every where you can lay your gaze on, you will find shops of all kinds, even on the dividers people have set up their shops to sell their wares.!

I was astounded by such a sight where you only could see masses of human heads bobbing on every side and still there was a sense of excitement and anticipation in the atmosphere.

I had gone there to buy some toys for someone I knew and after roaming around for some time I finally found the requisite shop. The shopkeeper was an old man sitting idly swatting away flies and his assistant was watching something on his mobile. The moment I entered their shop, the environment seemed to change drastically and both the shopkeeper and his assistant were quick to give a warm welcoming smile and were too eager to show me around and also started trying their best to impress me. Finally I got what I wanted and to be honest, it is indeed so affordable that if I had bought the same toys from another place, it would have cost me a fortune!. The shopkeeper was so nice and in a gesture of welcome he also offered me tea and snacks which I politely declined.

So finally after making my purchases, I exited the shop and roamed around the market place reveling in the sun and gazing at the crowd , watching them shopping from one shop to another, or gathering near some snack join to grab a quick bite, and also the hawking of the street sellers attracting new customers. The best part of this part of the journey was that it is right behind one of the oldest mosques of Delhi, which is Jama Masjid. Although I could not visit it unfortunately because of paucity of time but one thing which marks this magnificent structure is its grandeur and its amazing architecture which anyone can even see from outside!.

Anyways, it was time for me to say goodbye to such a lovely place as it was getting late. Though I would like to visit this bazaar again as it is a sight to see where one finds the amazing mixture of old and the new, where you can still see bullock carts being used to carry loads of goods along with tempos and rickshaws. Where people ride both bikes and cycles and drive with relative ease on the narrow streets. Where you find people busy in their own work but ready to help you at the drop off a hat.

All in all I would say that it was a remarkable visit and one which put an indelible impression on me.

I really hope that you would like this account .

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