Imran looked as if he had swallowed a bee when his friend, Rasheed, clinched the deal. He picked up three Nokia mobile phones after parting with just Rs.200. But Rasheed was none-too-pleased and felt he could have got them for Rs.50 apiece.
It is almost a steal, sure. But that’s the way things are up for grabs in the old city’s Sunday bazaar. It is open to the sky and vies with the best of malls. Stretching from Gulzar Houz to Patherghatti in the heart of old city, the Sunday bazaar is a popular shopping destination.
Any other day mornings dawn on a dull note around the historic monument. But Sundays are different, they are busier than a beehive. The proverbial early-bird-catches-the-worm doesn’t work here. The bazaar is open throughout the day right from 8 in the morning. All you need to be armed with is an eye for detail and bargaining skills.
CDs, calculators, mobiles, chargers, trinkets, bric-a-bracs – almost everything under the sun is available here. Ramesh makes it a point to come here Sunday after Sunday to look for something out of the ordinary. And he gets it. “Today I picked up a decorative marble figurine with antique look”, he says. The twinkle in his eye tells that he got it for a song.
Afsar Khan has a yen for hand tools like clamps, chisels, hammers, screwdrivers. He makes a beeline to Patherghatti all the way from Secunderabad.
Sajida Banu of Yakutpura is all smiles on fulfilling her long pending wish of acquiring a four-burner gas stove. “I got it for just Rs. 2,000 when a new one costs Rs. 5,000”, she says. Many come here to pick up lucky stones and old currency notes. Some like M.A. Qaiyum comes looking for books on a variety of topics. Those who know defer their shopping till Sunday. And they are seldom disappointed. From household articles to clothes and fancy objects one can get everything here – and at jaw dropping prices. For hawkers too it is a win-win situation. They earn quite a bit since the business is always brisk.
With old melodies wafting from a gramophone and nimbu-paani to slake the thirst, roadside shopping is not such a bad deal. So, how about picking up ‘raste-ka-maal-saste-mein’?
–Agencies