In the bazaars of....Sowcarpet
I wanted to get my salwar suit done, my cousin Deepa suggested that we go to Sowcarpet. Every time I have been there, the place takes me by awe and leaves me with images and moments to recollect. Such kaleidoscopic spectacle, every visit is an experience. So, Sowcarpet is a locality in North Chennai, very next to Parrys. This is an area bustling with activities day in and day out, all days of the week. It is a highly commercial area, and it takes one by surprise with the millions of business transactions that can place in day unnoticed in the innumerable shops, most of them which are not more 10 square feet of area.
An evening of shopping experience in Sowcarpet certainly spells a psychedelic marvel and a lot of fun. Most streets in Sowcarpet are very narrow, with houses built very close to each other, it literally looks like they are stuck to each other, and most houses house a shop in the ground floor and residence above.
Majority of people living in this areas are Jains from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who also run their business around the same area, and not to forget the Kommuti Chettiars who have been living there for many generations.
The commercial activities around are whole-sale and retailing. And there is hardly a thing in this world that you can buy from in and around Sowcarpet, is the feel one gets. There is a good amount of Hindi spoken in this area, to an extent that for a moment you get a good doubt that you are in Chennai, or for that matter any where in Tamil Nadu. Even the name boards of shops are only in Hindi or even in Gujarathi.
The area is characterized by Chaos and rush, people throng the streets, pedestrians, some on cycle, motor bikes, rickshaws, crowding the already narrow streets. But there is so much of beauty in the chaos, I think. So many people make their livelihood out of the chaos, and it is the same chaos which has produced many fabulous entrepreneurs. Million of deals are struck as millions of rupees flow freely in the same space where people cannot move easily. As the night falls the shops are beautifully lit and the jari on the sarees on display sparkles with glee in the shop lining the streets, inviting the people passing by to buy one.
And one could notice that different streets in Sowcarpet sell different things, like for clothes you might have to throng the Mint street, and for electrical good may be Audiappa Naicken Street, and in Nainiappa Naicken Street one would find a row of country medical shops selling herbs. Also notice a lot of street vendors selling food items, sugarcane juices, or even clothes and other accessories. It is a classical bazaar experience of the eastern world.
Not to forget all the lovely Jain and Hindu temples which decorate the area, temples like Kandaswamy Temple and a Swetambar Jain Temple in the Mint street are quiet famous.
However from experience I know that shopping here in the monsoon could be a very messy affair. But shopping else where in Chennai in the monsoon could be equally messy too. Nevertheless, you name it and you can buy it in Sowcarpet and more even it is so well connected to all parts of the city through buses, and it is just a few kilo meters away from Chennai's Central Railway Station. So I have been there (Sowcarpet) and done it, its time for any one who has not to indulge in a visit. Get lost in the chaos and enjoy the discomforts.
An evening of shopping experience in Sowcarpet certainly spells a psychedelic marvel and a lot of fun. Most streets in Sowcarpet are very narrow, with houses built very close to each other, it literally looks like they are stuck to each other, and most houses house a shop in the ground floor and residence above.
Majority of people living in this areas are Jains from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who also run their business around the same area, and not to forget the Kommuti Chettiars who have been living there for many generations.
The commercial activities around are whole-sale and retailing. And there is hardly a thing in this world that you can buy from in and around Sowcarpet, is the feel one gets. There is a good amount of Hindi spoken in this area, to an extent that for a moment you get a good doubt that you are in Chennai, or for that matter any where in Tamil Nadu. Even the name boards of shops are only in Hindi or even in Gujarathi.
The area is characterized by Chaos and rush, people throng the streets, pedestrians, some on cycle, motor bikes, rickshaws, crowding the already narrow streets. But there is so much of beauty in the chaos, I think. So many people make their livelihood out of the chaos, and it is the same chaos which has produced many fabulous entrepreneurs. Million of deals are struck as millions of rupees flow freely in the same space where people cannot move easily. As the night falls the shops are beautifully lit and the jari on the sarees on display sparkles with glee in the shop lining the streets, inviting the people passing by to buy one.
And one could notice that different streets in Sowcarpet sell different things, like for clothes you might have to throng the Mint street, and for electrical good may be Audiappa Naicken Street, and in Nainiappa Naicken Street one would find a row of country medical shops selling herbs. Also notice a lot of street vendors selling food items, sugarcane juices, or even clothes and other accessories. It is a classical bazaar experience of the eastern world.
Not to forget all the lovely Jain and Hindu temples which decorate the area, temples like Kandaswamy Temple and a Swetambar Jain Temple in the Mint street are quiet famous.
However from experience I know that shopping here in the monsoon could be a very messy affair. But shopping else where in Chennai in the monsoon could be equally messy too. Nevertheless, you name it and you can buy it in Sowcarpet and more even it is so well connected to all parts of the city through buses, and it is just a few kilo meters away from Chennai's Central Railway Station. So I have been there (Sowcarpet) and done it, its time for any one who has not to indulge in a visit. Get lost in the chaos and enjoy the discomforts.
On a finishing note, I would love to share this most beautiful poem by Sarojini Naidu called "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad" which would vividly elucidate a Sowcarpet experience.
What do you sell, O ye merchants ?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirror with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirror with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.
What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna, and spice.
What do you call , O ye pedlars?
Chessman and ivory dice.
What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlets and ankles and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons
Frail as a dragonfly's wing,
Girdles of gold for dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.
What do you cry, O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
What do you play, O ye magicians?
Spells for aeons to come.
What do you weave, O ye flowergirls
With tassels of azure and red?
Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom,
Chaplets to garland his bed,
Sheets of white blossoms new-garnered
To perfume the sleep of the dead.
-Sarojini Naidu
Comments
-sandhy