My India: Delhi

Day Three: Wednesday 2 November 2011

Our third day in Delhi was spent at three markets. I love markets because they offer 'a chance to immerse in the authentic reality of a region', a reflection of the culture of the place/country - what the people eat or wear, their handicrafts, what they use in their homes, etc. We ventured to the Sarojini Nagar Market and this shopping haven had many wholesale outlets. At the Meera Sari Shop, we all bought quite a few pieces of sari and shalwar kameez material, even shawls including pashminas. In India, you must bargain, bargain, bargain. But... you will still find things cheaper than what you had paid for, somewhere else! Never mind, because when you buy, you do always get a cup of masala chai/tea from the proprietors.

The shops in Sarojini Nagar Market spill out onto the pavements
(CNB 2011)

A pretty fruit arrangement, vendor nowhere in sight (CNB 2011)

Indian Gods galore! at the Sarojini Nagar Market (CNB 2011)

A very colourful stall at the Sarojini Nagar Market
(CNB 2011)

Our salesman at the Meera Sari Shop posing in a wedding
 sari! How very elegant! The sari, I mean (CNB 2011)

We practised our bargaining powers at the Meera Sari Shop (2011)

Sari materials from all over India are sold here (CNB 2011)

Lunch was at a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant, Saravana Bhavan, in Janpath. Two of us had thali - the rice, bread, and all its side dishes, one had dosa and another, a type of naan. It was a change from the biryanis/North Indian food that we had before.

Our thali (metal plate) lunch at the Saravana Bhavan (CNB 2011)

Me and my thali lunch at SB (RMN 2011)

Just outside the SB was this paan-wallah and his offer of sweet betel quid
(betel leaf, areca nut, slaked lime paste + candied fruit), as palate cleanser,
breath freshener, or digestive. But chew at a risk of mouth cancer because
areca nut is carcinogenic! (CNB 2011)

After lunch it was just a hop and skip away to the Janpath Market: shops and along pathways. The small shops sell everything, but the Janpath Lane open market area is more interesting and colourful. The salespeople, mainly women, call out to you to come 'buy cheap'. Indeed they are (cheap, comparatively), but you must still bargain! The attractive houseware they exhibited included table cloths, runners, cushion covers, bedspreads, etc., etc., mostly from Gujarat and Rajasthan. There are clothes and bags as well. And as DNA said, "Rugi kalau tak beli" (You miss out if you don't buy!). So we all bought something(s), and needless to say, we returned to this market twice again during our stay in Delhi!

The Janpath Lane open market (CNB 2011)

Pretty embroidered table runners, cushion covers, etc. (DFH 2011)

In the evening, we went to another market, Dilli Haat. There is entrance fee to pay (20 rupees each) to get into this market. It is a showcase of the handicrafts and food of the various states in India, and they had a theme each month. There was so much to see and appreciate, and the array of handicrafts, etc. are dazzling. The Kashmiri stalls sold the most beautiful shawls and pashminas, and the selection was just mind boggling. India, me thinks, is a shopaholic's heaven. So be prepared to pay for excess baggage at the airport when you are going home. (You have been warned!)

Stalls at Dilli Haat selling clothes and trinkets (CNB 2011)

A stall at Dilli Haat selling indigenous decorative items (CNB 2011)

Sri Devi sells Hyderabad pearls at this stall in Dilli Haat (CNB 2011)