Understanding Chandni Chowk. Part I

"When you're not sure an answer exists, finding it can be hard. When you know there are many answers, finding one or two is easy"

                                                                                    -Jack Foster

Balloon seller outside the Bhagirath Place.

Every place is different from the other in many ways. These ways too are based on the nature of the place.

Chandni Chowk for example is a very vast part of Old Delhi; hence, the kind of people that live and go there are different from those who go to Citywalk, the items sold there and their prices are also very different.

On my third visit to Chandni Chowk, I was to explore the Bhagirath Palace in depth. I had to carefully observe the kind of people that walked in those lanes, the ambience of that place, all the different products that were sold there, the way the cash flow happened and so on and so forth.

An old man sitting at his shop

As I walked between the narrow lanes, a small throbbing crept up in my head; it was because of the mixed smells of paan, urine and cigarettes. As I looked around to see if the foul smell bothered anyone, else I was surprised to be unable to spot a single disturbed face. Men moved around in that area unnerved by their filthy surroundings. The place was flooded with people, all pushing past one anther.

There were wires hanging dangerously low in places, several manholes left open and packaging wastes thrown everywhere. There was a constant ruckus of people talking, bargaining, arguing and laughing being added to the atmosphere.There were way too many people in a lane meant for only 10 to move, in the same direction! Men, both young and old could be seen sitting at their shops or waking around to their neighbors to catch up on cricket updates. The age group of the people that were in majority were between 35-50 years. Yet the 50 year old man looked just as competitive as his younger counterpart.

I also noticed that there were many parts to the place, and that not only electrical stuff was sold there, but also ayurvedic medicines and survivals. The shops in the electrical market were flooded with different kinds of fancy lights and LED panels, while the surgical shops had physiotherapy machines and acupuncture instruments. Although these shops sold different products they all for perfectly well together in that market.

Low hanging wires

The kind of cash flow and billing processes that went about there was something not many wanted to share with us. Most of the shopkeepers were wholesalers and dealt with bulk material transactions.

Last, but not the least, I asked them about their products and who buys them for what. Most of the items that the shopkeepers sell to their customers are used by them for other commercial purposes. Also the products sold there are imported from China and stored in godowns; the shopkeepers prefer to buy things seasonally and not let anything be left behind.

In conclusion, I noticed that Bhagirath Palace, although with several flaws, is nonetheless a very well set up establishment.

Ended the visit at Jama Masjid