India is a shopper's paradise, a statement that has not been told without a reason. Be it handicrafts or herbs, paintings or antiques, traditional garments or modern fashion statements, India has everything to offer. The whole country is a shopping mall, with sellers offering some of the most exotic products one can find anywhere. The bustling bazaars of the country can make even the most unwilling person a prospective client.
DELHI
The amazing thing about Delhi is, it always seems full of markets-wholesale retail, specialist and utility markets-and yet, every year or two, a new market bursts upon the scene and everyone declares that it is the last word on the subject. Dilli Haat, with its village-like environment and artistically designed buildings, is the hottest place for the people looking for handicrafts, paintings, and ethnic food. As the items change every month. there is always the renewed interest in the place.
Talking of ready-mades-salwar kurtas, nighties, housecoats, gents', and kids' wear-Delhi has a whole hierarchy of stores selling these items at Lajpat Nagar, Khan Market, Shankar Market, Palika Bazaar, and others.
Santushti, opposite Hotel Ashoka, offers some highly original creations in women's wear, jewelry, ceramics, rugs, furniture, and knick-knacks. However, if it is the cream one wants, he/she should try South Extension or that peach of a shopping place, Connaught Place.
Connaught Place (or CP) is the place to shop in style. Even today, when the complex is but a pale shadow of its former self, it gives one's spirits a lift just to look at the sweep of white columns and the elegant façade of the shops. One can buy anything here-clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry, household linen, crockery, books, furnishing material, music, gift items in wood and metal, cloth and papier-mâché. The arcades of CP are alive with groups of Rajasthani women selling handcrafted items in appliqué and mirror work. Here one can pick up anything from cushion covers and bedspreads to wall hangings, shirts, and bags, worked in the most vivid colors. Paintings in the Pichhwai style are there for sale too.
Leading off CP is Janpath, the street of endless fascination, with its small but festive-looking shops that cater primarily to westernized tastes. Accordingly, these shops are full of ethnic stuff-handloom garments, Kolhapuri chappals, costumes, jewelry that has distinct tribal overtones, bags, hand-woven rugs, glassware, lamp shades in cloth, lace or rice paper, wall plaques…the list is endless. It stretches some more if one reaches the Tibetan market, at the far end, where each shop is a burst of bric-a-brac in copper and oxidized silver, prayer rugs alive with dragons and jewelry, which sometimes borders on the outlandish, but is always bold and eye catching. Precious and semi-precious stones are available too, notably turquoise, coral, lapis lazuli and the mysterious moonstone.
However, to see Indian handicrafts in all their traditional glory and diversity, a trip to the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, also on Janpath is a must. The emporium is representative of the best in traditional Indian craft. Antique pieces are also available here.
On Baba Kharak Singh Marg, there is a string of emporia that specialize in the crafts of individual states.
With a choice of things one has never dreamt of before, they present a feast for the eyes! Likewise, the state pavilions on Pragati Maidan stock are known for handcrafted items. Look out for rainbow-hued saris, shawls, and floor coverings in particular. Khan Market has a whole range of lamps and other light fittings.
It one wishes to shop for Indian things in an Indian ambience, Hauz Khas Village is the right place. The traditional is boldly in evidence, the modern, if any, is underplayed. Exquisite samples of bamboo and 'kantha' work, hand-woven tussar saris, gift items in mother of pearl and terracotta, antiques in metal and ceramic ware-these are some of the gems to look for at the Village.
With its tangled traffic and all those business establishments rising to overshadow the few residential flats, Paharganj doesn't seem the kind of place that would nurture anything aesthetic. Nevertheless, it does. A few shops here specialize in exquisitely carved wooden panels that can be affixed to sideboards and cabinets. Paharganj also boasts of some fine latticework in terra cotta. One end of Paharganj touches CP, the other end opens on the wholesale markets of Sadar Bazar and Khari Baoli. Here one can buy only in bulk; but the goods found here are quite cheap, be it consumer goods or perfumes, pickles, spices or dry fruit.
Meena Bazar (also known as Chor Bazar), near Jama Masjid, can have a vagrant antique simply waiting to be picked up. Not for a song maybe, but at an affordable price.
Chandni Chowk is something of a maze, but to the shopper-cum-explorer, it offers rich rewards. Built by order of Jahanara Begum, daughter of Shah Jahan, the original Chandni Chowk was an avenue of shade trees flanking a canal brimful of sparkling water, straight from the Yamuna. On moonlit nights, Chandni Chowk was a romantic dream come true. The romance has since fled before the onrush of business and the sheer numbers that now throng this tumultuous street. Chandni Chowk is an incredibly busy place. And there's much more to it than at first meets the eye. Narrow, dark alleys open on vast airy halls stacked to the roof with bales of cloth. Tumbledown stairways climb up to jeweler's establishments where millions worth of gold and diamonds lie locked in steel cupboards. With a bit of patience, one can find just the item one is looking for, at a much lower price than in South Delhi.
Dariba is the place to go to if someone is planning to buy anything in gold or silver. Maliwara stocks pearls and precious stones and strings them too. Kinari Bazar is togged up in tinsel. On display are caps and turbans and garlands shimmering with gold and silver thread, just waiting to adorn a wedding. And Parantha Wali Gali offers not only piping hot paranthas, but also a dazzling array of saris for milady's trousseaus.
If it is ready-mades that one wants, here is something that would interest him. Gandhinagar, Asia's largest wholesale garment market, is right here, on the banks of the river Yamuna, in East Delhi. Gandhinagar supplies garments to the whole of India and even to buyers from abroad, particularly Russians, who make a beeline for woolens. Business at the Gandhinagar market is simply terrific, amounting to something like Rs. 50 millions per day.
One could go on forever. But the shopping scene in Delhi just won't shrink to fit within our limited space. Like the city, it is simply too vast!
MUMBAI
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) offers great places for shopping-from plush-looking shops, foreign brand names like Pierre Cardin to roadside bazaars and pavement hawkers. You can charge everything to American Express, or you can haggle for all you're worth.
Very close to the Gateway of India, there is the main government emporium, Cottage Industries, which is reasonably well stocked with a cross-section of handicrafts and locally made toys and clothes. In the streets immediately opposite Cottage, there are several handicraft and silver shops, and a couple of good, but pricey, antique shops.
For more off-beat souvenirs, go to Chor Bazaar, Mumbai's flea market. Situated in the older section of Mumbai, close to the Jama Masjid, is a connecting market, one specializing in only plastic goods, another in electrical goods, another in cables, and yet another in fishing nets of all colors and meshes. Chor Bazaar has everything, from the genuine bargain to downright mass-produced junk. One can find brassware and copper galore, a profusion of pots, jugs, boxes, kettles, vases, and cups; old wooden blocks used for fabric printing that make good paperweights; beautiful old glass lamps; cast-iron café-style tables and chairs, perfect for a terrace or garden; superbly carved Gujarati dowry chests; round, wooden millstone bases, easily converted into coffee tables, and delightfully scented camphor chests.
In the northern suburbs of Mumbai is another huge market for furniture and antiques. Known as Jogeshwari, most of the shops here are long, and narrow, and impossibly cramped, with packed godowns at the back.
For silver, the best place to go is Zaveri Bazaar. There are stacks of lovely things to be found in Zaveri Bazaar: old, heavy jewelry as well as newer, lighter styles; pretty little coasters; statues of animals; old coins; napkin rings; ornately worked picture frames, and boxes galore.
For shirts, tee-shirts and wonderful cotton clothes for children, all at rock-bottom prices, visit Fashion Street, a street market opposite one of Mumbai's smartest clubs, the Bombay Gymkhana, but known to everyone as the Bombay Gym. Fashion Street stacks export rejects, and export 'over runs', often at knockdown prices. A short walk away from Fashion Street is the Mangaldas Market, a covered cloth market, which is a must for cheerfully priced salwar-kameez sets and children's clothing.
Maharishi Karve Road, very close to Churchgate Station, is lined with rows of sari and fabric shops offering a huge range of saris from all over India. All types of saris-from summer cottons to ornate wedding saris-are available here.
Mumbai has several excellent bookshops, and around the Flora Fountain, there are street stalls selling paperbacks and magazines.
One of the busiest shopping areas in south Mumbai is Colaba Causeway, home to everyone, from backpackers seeking nirvana, briskly efficient Far Eastern airline crews out to get the best bargains, to price-conscious housewives who know it is a good place to find shoes, cotton clothes, caftans, and children's clothes. There are shoe shops galore all along Colaba Causeway: should one want authentic Maharashtrian Kolhapuri chappals, there are any number of stalls selling them in the little streets off Colaba Causeway, opposite Cusrow Bagh Parsi Colony.
If the Colaba Causeway seems busy, then head off to Linking Road in the pleasant suburb of Bandra, where the shops are bigger, better, and more chic than in south Mumbai.
Another major shopping area is around Dadar, and if one goes there in the evening, the place is packed. Good cotton clothes, saris, children's clothes are in abundance-so is a general atmosphere of fun shopping. Given the space constraints in Mumbai, the further away one goes from the over-crowded southern tip, the bigger and better the shops become.
CHENNAI
For many, the south is exotic Chennai (formerly Madras), the city, and capital of Tamil Nadu, and undoubtedly one of the finest shopping bargains of the world. The South Indian cottons and silks from Chennai and nearby Kanchipuram are some of the finest in India. Not for nothing has the phrase 'Madras checks' become a synonym for the best in Indian cotton fabric, though it is an irony that the fabric the world labels Madras checks should come not from this city, but from Coimbatore in the Nilgiri Hills. Of course, in Chennai the right place to pick up a wide range of this fabric is from the shops and emporiums on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, quite literally the headquarters of South Indian handloom products.
Chennai is a place for any kind of tourist. For the typical shopping freaks among us, this place is a treasure house of all things southern, be it thick and expensive silk, classic sculptures in bronze, rosewood inlay work with ivory or Thanjavur paintings. Chennai is full of large shops and shopping centers where all these things can be bought at authentic prices. A great majority of shoppers are found on Mount Road where a concentration of shops is clustered.
On the road to Mahabalipuram, one can pick up some real bargains in soapstone and black granite sculptures. These are beautiful carvings of Hindu gods, animals, and temples. There are numerous such shops and one can really pick and choose; in fact, it is often difficult to make a choice.
However, the real charm of shopping in Chennai lies in wading through reams and reams of rich Kanjivaram silk. With the fabric now being made available in the form of dress materials, its global appeal has stepped up considerably. The variety of color and contrasts, the designs and weaves, grow year after year, in keeping with the latest in the fashion world.
Poompuhar has cane mats, wood elephants, and woodcarvings-the perennial favourite being Ganesh and bronze figurines. Most of these figurines are copies of Chola originals that represent a high point in the cultural traditions of the state's history. Bronzes can prove expensive, but since each is an individual work of art, its price expensive, is bound to escalate, which makes them a good buy.
With the major boost in leather exports, Chennai has become a flourishing center for leather garments and footwear. Since Chennai supplies most of its produce to western countries, the shops stock the latest trends in the West at a fraction of the price at which they retail in premier international showrooms. Jackets, suede coats, bags, and shoes are available at emporia all over the city.
JAIPUR
The founder of the city of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh, dispatched emissaries all over the country inviting artisans to come and settle in his new capital. Special areas were designated for their places of work and residence and the incentives were an attempt to ensure they came with their families; for only then would they settle for good in Jaipur. This farsightedness has made Jaipur the crafts capital of the country. Indeed, the city's lifeblood seems to be derived from the industry of gems and jewelry and the cottage-scale industries dealing in the arts and crafts.
Jaipur's bazaars are a source of endless fascination. What has changed is patronage. The average Indian and foreign tourist are equal partners in the new boom in the business. Today's bazaars accept folk art and jewelry, and have been successful in helping bridge the gap between traditional art and contemporary usage.
The traditional art of tie-and-dye textiles by dexterously knotting the material and dipping it in color to form delicate bandhej patterns is found all over the state. Jaipur's Jauhari Bazaar has rows of shops dealing in tie-and-dye fabrics and saris. Also available are the fine self-check-weave cotton saris from Kota.
Sanganer and Bagru, two little villages near Jaipur, are famous for their delicate floral sprigs and linear and zigzag stripes in earth colors respectively. Sanganer is also famous for producing handmade paper and blue pottery.
Another Rajasthani specialty is quilting. No shopping expedition to Jaipur is complete without a feather-soft Jaipuri razai. Available in beautiful colors with Sanganeri prints, bright tie-dyed materials, marble prints on cotton or in brightly hued velvet, these quilts weigh very little, yet are comfortingly warm.
Jaipur's Jauhari Bazaar or jeweler's mart has row upon row of shops selling handcrafted jewelry, loose precious and semi-precious stones, and crafting it all into an excellent range of the country's most dramatic settings in gold. Jaipur is the world's largest gem-cutting center and, therefore, the best place to pick up strings of garnets, amethysts, or quartz.
One cannot go far in Jaipur without wanting to possess a pair of the handcrafted slip-on shoes called jutis. All the markets in Jaipur are full of this special piece of craft.
CALCUTTA
Calcutta can be described as a shopping paradise for them who really want to get value for their money. Every market, which has a crowded and dusty look, has its own history and specializes in something exotic and unique to others.
New Market, Calcutta's oldest and most renowned municipal market, offers one of the widest ranges of goods. Recently, a new complex has been added on Bertram Street to house the partially burnt-out section of the market. The market offers leather goods, plastic toys, fancy silverware, jewelry, garments, fabric, confectionery, clothing, dry fruits, poultry products, fish, meat, flowers, etc.
Air-conditioned market at Shakespeare Sarani specializes in clothes, novelties, artificial plants, jewelry, electronic household gadgets, watches, etc. For plastic toys, stationary, firecrackers, diaries, electrical goods and appliances, and glassware, one can visit Bagri Market. Bowbazar, at B. B. Ganguly Street, can be searched for wooden furniture and musical instruments. The best place to go for second-hand products is Chandni Market. China Bazaar is famous for its paper buntings, streamers, and other domestic goods. College Street is the best place to bargain for books. For imported goods, one can check out Five Star and Fancy Market. Dakshinapan Market houses most of the government emporia. The place is known for its handlooms, textiles, handicrafts, cosmetic jewelry, fancy goods, object d'art, etc. For flowers, one can visit the Lake Market at Rash Behari Avenue.
GOA
Goan country fairs and markets are extensions of the native's joie de vivre. They also prove the best hunting grounds for a pick of colonial history and contemporary memorabilia. The golden Anjuna Beach, for one, is reputed for its mid-week flea market. A bargain seeker's delight, the undulating sand becomes a colorful tableaux of natives and hippies airing their assorted wares for sale. Choice is eclectic here: on a fortuitous day, one can get anything from a Minolta camera, a Yezdi bike, an imported two-in-one, swimwear, apparel, to ethnic handicrafts from Kerala to Kashmir at ridiculously low prices.
Another highlight on the shopper's map is the Friday Market at commercial hub, Mapusa. In true, decades-old tradition, peoplefrom all walks of life gather here for their weekly shopping of goodly fare from suckling pig, liquor brews like feni and urak, Goan sausages, cashews, meat and farm produce, to native jute, leather, and ceramic ware. Both foodophiles and casual collectors come away satisfied.
For the untutored visitor, shopping in the umpteen Government of Goa Emporia presents an adventure and a dilemma. A plethora of items is made in Goa under the aegis of the Goa Rural Handicrafts and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation, and are available at the Handicrafts Emporium in Panjim and other souvenir hubs. However, even in the Government of Goa Emporia, it is difficult to sift the Real Goan McKoy from the handicrafts and souvenirs of other Indian states. The products that can be purchased from this emporium are terra-cotta items like earthenware jars, miniatures, and wall hangings; lacquer items like wooden articles; and Goan brassware items such as brass oil lamps called samai, brass lamp trees, and storks.
Those with a yen for fine, handmade needlework can visit the umpteen Goan souvenir and gift shops. Homemade, they are products of months of loving toil. Crochet items range from fragile doilies to heavy single bedspreads made from quality thread, available in a popular 6´4 size. Also noteworthy are the hand-embroidered bed sheets, patchwork-quilted cushion covers, and batik bedspreads and cushion covers.
The people of the Sattari, Pernem, and Valpoi areas are famous for their woven wall-to-wall floor mats. Since earthen floors have given way to cement tiles in Goa, the bamboo mat weavers have adapted their art in a novel manner. They now produce novelties like flying fish, lampshades, hanging baskets, and even flowerpots. Porcelain collectors, who fancy a cheaper version of the expensive, dainty Dresden china shepherdess or Regency buck, can opt for a close second. Plaster of Paris carving is another skill of the land, and these figurines have a porcelain look, with period European costume.
Finally, Goa is a spiritual country, and its religious bent of mind is reflected in its shopping basket. Decorative wax candles are a prime example, with their creative options of decorated, frosted, and molded candles for festive and religious occasions.
The pride of Goa is her carved rosewood furniture, which is often showcased in elite homes all over the country. An intrepid shopper in Goa may discover that all this is just the tip of the iceberg. Snapshots of the past and the present are just waiting to be discovered, and a happy bargain is at hand with a little bit of ingenuity and footwork.
INFORMATION BITES
Before purchasing anything, look out for the worthiness of the product. Bargain if the market conditions require that. For that, first go through the emporiums and then search for those items in the market. One can know exactly how much an item should cost. Beware of touts. They can empty one's pocket faster than anything. Consult the respective agencies about the items you want to take away, if they are legally allowed or not, and what quantity can be taken out.
The amazing thing about Delhi is, it always seems full of markets-wholesale retail, specialist and utility markets-and yet, every year or two, a new market bursts upon the scene and everyone declares that it is the last word on the subject. Dilli Haat, with its village-like environment and artistically designed buildings, is the hottest place for the people looking for handicrafts, paintings, and ethnic food. As the items change every month. there is always the renewed interest in the place.
Talking of ready-mades-salwar kurtas, nighties, housecoats, gents', and kids' wear-Delhi has a whole hierarchy of stores selling these items at Lajpat Nagar, Khan Market, Shankar Market, Palika Bazaar, and others.
Santushti, opposite Hotel Ashoka, offers some highly original creations in women's wear, jewelry, ceramics, rugs, furniture, and knick-knacks. However, if it is the cream one wants, he/she should try South Extension or that peach of a shopping place, Connaught Place.
Connaught Place (or CP) is the place to shop in style. Even today, when the complex is but a pale shadow of its former self, it gives one's spirits a lift just to look at the sweep of white columns and the elegant façade of the shops. One can buy anything here-clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry, household linen, crockery, books, furnishing material, music, gift items in wood and metal, cloth and papier-mâché. The arcades of CP are alive with groups of Rajasthani women selling handcrafted items in appliqué and mirror work. Here one can pick up anything from cushion covers and bedspreads to wall hangings, shirts, and bags, worked in the most vivid colors. Paintings in the Pichhwai style are there for sale too.
Leading off CP is Janpath, the street of endless fascination, with its small but festive-looking shops that cater primarily to westernized tastes. Accordingly, these shops are full of ethnic stuff-handloom garments, Kolhapuri chappals, costumes, jewelry that has distinct tribal overtones, bags, hand-woven rugs, glassware, lamp shades in cloth, lace or rice paper, wall plaques…the list is endless. It stretches some more if one reaches the Tibetan market, at the far end, where each shop is a burst of bric-a-brac in copper and oxidized silver, prayer rugs alive with dragons and jewelry, which sometimes borders on the outlandish, but is always bold and eye catching. Precious and semi-precious stones are available too, notably turquoise, coral, lapis lazuli and the mysterious moonstone.
However, to see Indian handicrafts in all their traditional glory and diversity, a trip to the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, also on Janpath is a must. The emporium is representative of the best in traditional Indian craft. Antique pieces are also available here.
On Baba Kharak Singh Marg, there is a string of emporia that specialize in the crafts of individual states.
With a choice of things one has never dreamt of before, they present a feast for the eyes! Likewise, the state pavilions on Pragati Maidan stock are known for handcrafted items. Look out for rainbow-hued saris, shawls, and floor coverings in particular. Khan Market has a whole range of lamps and other light fittings.
It one wishes to shop for Indian things in an Indian ambience, Hauz Khas Village is the right place. The traditional is boldly in evidence, the modern, if any, is underplayed. Exquisite samples of bamboo and 'kantha' work, hand-woven tussar saris, gift items in mother of pearl and terracotta, antiques in metal and ceramic ware-these are some of the gems to look for at the Village.
With its tangled traffic and all those business establishments rising to overshadow the few residential flats, Paharganj doesn't seem the kind of place that would nurture anything aesthetic. Nevertheless, it does. A few shops here specialize in exquisitely carved wooden panels that can be affixed to sideboards and cabinets. Paharganj also boasts of some fine latticework in terra cotta. One end of Paharganj touches CP, the other end opens on the wholesale markets of Sadar Bazar and Khari Baoli. Here one can buy only in bulk; but the goods found here are quite cheap, be it consumer goods or perfumes, pickles, spices or dry fruit.
Meena Bazar (also known as Chor Bazar), near Jama Masjid, can have a vagrant antique simply waiting to be picked up. Not for a song maybe, but at an affordable price.
Chandni Chowk is something of a maze, but to the shopper-cum-explorer, it offers rich rewards. Built by order of Jahanara Begum, daughter of Shah Jahan, the original Chandni Chowk was an avenue of shade trees flanking a canal brimful of sparkling water, straight from the Yamuna. On moonlit nights, Chandni Chowk was a romantic dream come true. The romance has since fled before the onrush of business and the sheer numbers that now throng this tumultuous street. Chandni Chowk is an incredibly busy place. And there's much more to it than at first meets the eye. Narrow, dark alleys open on vast airy halls stacked to the roof with bales of cloth. Tumbledown stairways climb up to jeweler's establishments where millions worth of gold and diamonds lie locked in steel cupboards. With a bit of patience, one can find just the item one is looking for, at a much lower price than in South Delhi.
Dariba is the place to go to if someone is planning to buy anything in gold or silver. Maliwara stocks pearls and precious stones and strings them too. Kinari Bazar is togged up in tinsel. On display are caps and turbans and garlands shimmering with gold and silver thread, just waiting to adorn a wedding. And Parantha Wali Gali offers not only piping hot paranthas, but also a dazzling array of saris for milady's trousseaus.
If it is ready-mades that one wants, here is something that would interest him. Gandhinagar, Asia's largest wholesale garment market, is right here, on the banks of the river Yamuna, in East Delhi. Gandhinagar supplies garments to the whole of India and even to buyers from abroad, particularly Russians, who make a beeline for woolens. Business at the Gandhinagar market is simply terrific, amounting to something like Rs. 50 millions per day.
One could go on forever. But the shopping scene in Delhi just won't shrink to fit within our limited space. Like the city, it is simply too vast!
MUMBAI
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) offers great places for shopping-from plush-looking shops, foreign brand names like Pierre Cardin to roadside bazaars and pavement hawkers. You can charge everything to American Express, or you can haggle for all you're worth.
Very close to the Gateway of India, there is the main government emporium, Cottage Industries, which is reasonably well stocked with a cross-section of handicrafts and locally made toys and clothes. In the streets immediately opposite Cottage, there are several handicraft and silver shops, and a couple of good, but pricey, antique shops.
For more off-beat souvenirs, go to Chor Bazaar, Mumbai's flea market. Situated in the older section of Mumbai, close to the Jama Masjid, is a connecting market, one specializing in only plastic goods, another in electrical goods, another in cables, and yet another in fishing nets of all colors and meshes. Chor Bazaar has everything, from the genuine bargain to downright mass-produced junk. One can find brassware and copper galore, a profusion of pots, jugs, boxes, kettles, vases, and cups; old wooden blocks used for fabric printing that make good paperweights; beautiful old glass lamps; cast-iron café-style tables and chairs, perfect for a terrace or garden; superbly carved Gujarati dowry chests; round, wooden millstone bases, easily converted into coffee tables, and delightfully scented camphor chests.
In the northern suburbs of Mumbai is another huge market for furniture and antiques. Known as Jogeshwari, most of the shops here are long, and narrow, and impossibly cramped, with packed godowns at the back.
For silver, the best place to go is Zaveri Bazaar. There are stacks of lovely things to be found in Zaveri Bazaar: old, heavy jewelry as well as newer, lighter styles; pretty little coasters; statues of animals; old coins; napkin rings; ornately worked picture frames, and boxes galore.
For shirts, tee-shirts and wonderful cotton clothes for children, all at rock-bottom prices, visit Fashion Street, a street market opposite one of Mumbai's smartest clubs, the Bombay Gymkhana, but known to everyone as the Bombay Gym. Fashion Street stacks export rejects, and export 'over runs', often at knockdown prices. A short walk away from Fashion Street is the Mangaldas Market, a covered cloth market, which is a must for cheerfully priced salwar-kameez sets and children's clothing.
Maharishi Karve Road, very close to Churchgate Station, is lined with rows of sari and fabric shops offering a huge range of saris from all over India. All types of saris-from summer cottons to ornate wedding saris-are available here.
Mumbai has several excellent bookshops, and around the Flora Fountain, there are street stalls selling paperbacks and magazines.
One of the busiest shopping areas in south Mumbai is Colaba Causeway, home to everyone, from backpackers seeking nirvana, briskly efficient Far Eastern airline crews out to get the best bargains, to price-conscious housewives who know it is a good place to find shoes, cotton clothes, caftans, and children's clothes. There are shoe shops galore all along Colaba Causeway: should one want authentic Maharashtrian Kolhapuri chappals, there are any number of stalls selling them in the little streets off Colaba Causeway, opposite Cusrow Bagh Parsi Colony.
If the Colaba Causeway seems busy, then head off to Linking Road in the pleasant suburb of Bandra, where the shops are bigger, better, and more chic than in south Mumbai.
Another major shopping area is around Dadar, and if one goes there in the evening, the place is packed. Good cotton clothes, saris, children's clothes are in abundance-so is a general atmosphere of fun shopping. Given the space constraints in Mumbai, the further away one goes from the over-crowded southern tip, the bigger and better the shops become.
CHENNAI
For many, the south is exotic Chennai (formerly Madras), the city, and capital of Tamil Nadu, and undoubtedly one of the finest shopping bargains of the world. The South Indian cottons and silks from Chennai and nearby Kanchipuram are some of the finest in India. Not for nothing has the phrase 'Madras checks' become a synonym for the best in Indian cotton fabric, though it is an irony that the fabric the world labels Madras checks should come not from this city, but from Coimbatore in the Nilgiri Hills. Of course, in Chennai the right place to pick up a wide range of this fabric is from the shops and emporiums on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, quite literally the headquarters of South Indian handloom products.
Chennai is a place for any kind of tourist. For the typical shopping freaks among us, this place is a treasure house of all things southern, be it thick and expensive silk, classic sculptures in bronze, rosewood inlay work with ivory or Thanjavur paintings. Chennai is full of large shops and shopping centers where all these things can be bought at authentic prices. A great majority of shoppers are found on Mount Road where a concentration of shops is clustered.
On the road to Mahabalipuram, one can pick up some real bargains in soapstone and black granite sculptures. These are beautiful carvings of Hindu gods, animals, and temples. There are numerous such shops and one can really pick and choose; in fact, it is often difficult to make a choice.
However, the real charm of shopping in Chennai lies in wading through reams and reams of rich Kanjivaram silk. With the fabric now being made available in the form of dress materials, its global appeal has stepped up considerably. The variety of color and contrasts, the designs and weaves, grow year after year, in keeping with the latest in the fashion world.
Poompuhar has cane mats, wood elephants, and woodcarvings-the perennial favourite being Ganesh and bronze figurines. Most of these figurines are copies of Chola originals that represent a high point in the cultural traditions of the state's history. Bronzes can prove expensive, but since each is an individual work of art, its price expensive, is bound to escalate, which makes them a good buy.
With the major boost in leather exports, Chennai has become a flourishing center for leather garments and footwear. Since Chennai supplies most of its produce to western countries, the shops stock the latest trends in the West at a fraction of the price at which they retail in premier international showrooms. Jackets, suede coats, bags, and shoes are available at emporia all over the city.
JAIPUR
The founder of the city of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh, dispatched emissaries all over the country inviting artisans to come and settle in his new capital. Special areas were designated for their places of work and residence and the incentives were an attempt to ensure they came with their families; for only then would they settle for good in Jaipur. This farsightedness has made Jaipur the crafts capital of the country. Indeed, the city's lifeblood seems to be derived from the industry of gems and jewelry and the cottage-scale industries dealing in the arts and crafts.
Jaipur's bazaars are a source of endless fascination. What has changed is patronage. The average Indian and foreign tourist are equal partners in the new boom in the business. Today's bazaars accept folk art and jewelry, and have been successful in helping bridge the gap between traditional art and contemporary usage.
The traditional art of tie-and-dye textiles by dexterously knotting the material and dipping it in color to form delicate bandhej patterns is found all over the state. Jaipur's Jauhari Bazaar has rows of shops dealing in tie-and-dye fabrics and saris. Also available are the fine self-check-weave cotton saris from Kota.
Sanganer and Bagru, two little villages near Jaipur, are famous for their delicate floral sprigs and linear and zigzag stripes in earth colors respectively. Sanganer is also famous for producing handmade paper and blue pottery.
Another Rajasthani specialty is quilting. No shopping expedition to Jaipur is complete without a feather-soft Jaipuri razai. Available in beautiful colors with Sanganeri prints, bright tie-dyed materials, marble prints on cotton or in brightly hued velvet, these quilts weigh very little, yet are comfortingly warm.
Jaipur's Jauhari Bazaar or jeweler's mart has row upon row of shops selling handcrafted jewelry, loose precious and semi-precious stones, and crafting it all into an excellent range of the country's most dramatic settings in gold. Jaipur is the world's largest gem-cutting center and, therefore, the best place to pick up strings of garnets, amethysts, or quartz.
One cannot go far in Jaipur without wanting to possess a pair of the handcrafted slip-on shoes called jutis. All the markets in Jaipur are full of this special piece of craft.
CALCUTTA
Calcutta can be described as a shopping paradise for them who really want to get value for their money. Every market, which has a crowded and dusty look, has its own history and specializes in something exotic and unique to others.
New Market, Calcutta's oldest and most renowned municipal market, offers one of the widest ranges of goods. Recently, a new complex has been added on Bertram Street to house the partially burnt-out section of the market. The market offers leather goods, plastic toys, fancy silverware, jewelry, garments, fabric, confectionery, clothing, dry fruits, poultry products, fish, meat, flowers, etc.
Air-conditioned market at Shakespeare Sarani specializes in clothes, novelties, artificial plants, jewelry, electronic household gadgets, watches, etc. For plastic toys, stationary, firecrackers, diaries, electrical goods and appliances, and glassware, one can visit Bagri Market. Bowbazar, at B. B. Ganguly Street, can be searched for wooden furniture and musical instruments. The best place to go for second-hand products is Chandni Market. China Bazaar is famous for its paper buntings, streamers, and other domestic goods. College Street is the best place to bargain for books. For imported goods, one can check out Five Star and Fancy Market. Dakshinapan Market houses most of the government emporia. The place is known for its handlooms, textiles, handicrafts, cosmetic jewelry, fancy goods, object d'art, etc. For flowers, one can visit the Lake Market at Rash Behari Avenue.
GOA
Goan country fairs and markets are extensions of the native's joie de vivre. They also prove the best hunting grounds for a pick of colonial history and contemporary memorabilia. The golden Anjuna Beach, for one, is reputed for its mid-week flea market. A bargain seeker's delight, the undulating sand becomes a colorful tableaux of natives and hippies airing their assorted wares for sale. Choice is eclectic here: on a fortuitous day, one can get anything from a Minolta camera, a Yezdi bike, an imported two-in-one, swimwear, apparel, to ethnic handicrafts from Kerala to Kashmir at ridiculously low prices.
Another highlight on the shopper's map is the Friday Market at commercial hub, Mapusa. In true, decades-old tradition, peoplefrom all walks of life gather here for their weekly shopping of goodly fare from suckling pig, liquor brews like feni and urak, Goan sausages, cashews, meat and farm produce, to native jute, leather, and ceramic ware. Both foodophiles and casual collectors come away satisfied.
For the untutored visitor, shopping in the umpteen Government of Goa Emporia presents an adventure and a dilemma. A plethora of items is made in Goa under the aegis of the Goa Rural Handicrafts and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation, and are available at the Handicrafts Emporium in Panjim and other souvenir hubs. However, even in the Government of Goa Emporia, it is difficult to sift the Real Goan McKoy from the handicrafts and souvenirs of other Indian states. The products that can be purchased from this emporium are terra-cotta items like earthenware jars, miniatures, and wall hangings; lacquer items like wooden articles; and Goan brassware items such as brass oil lamps called samai, brass lamp trees, and storks.
Those with a yen for fine, handmade needlework can visit the umpteen Goan souvenir and gift shops. Homemade, they are products of months of loving toil. Crochet items range from fragile doilies to heavy single bedspreads made from quality thread, available in a popular 6´4 size. Also noteworthy are the hand-embroidered bed sheets, patchwork-quilted cushion covers, and batik bedspreads and cushion covers.
The people of the Sattari, Pernem, and Valpoi areas are famous for their woven wall-to-wall floor mats. Since earthen floors have given way to cement tiles in Goa, the bamboo mat weavers have adapted their art in a novel manner. They now produce novelties like flying fish, lampshades, hanging baskets, and even flowerpots. Porcelain collectors, who fancy a cheaper version of the expensive, dainty Dresden china shepherdess or Regency buck, can opt for a close second. Plaster of Paris carving is another skill of the land, and these figurines have a porcelain look, with period European costume.
Finally, Goa is a spiritual country, and its religious bent of mind is reflected in its shopping basket. Decorative wax candles are a prime example, with their creative options of decorated, frosted, and molded candles for festive and religious occasions.
The pride of Goa is her carved rosewood furniture, which is often showcased in elite homes all over the country. An intrepid shopper in Goa may discover that all this is just the tip of the iceberg. Snapshots of the past and the present are just waiting to be discovered, and a happy bargain is at hand with a little bit of ingenuity and footwork.
INFORMATION BITES
Before purchasing anything, look out for the worthiness of the product. Bargain if the market conditions require that. For that, first go through the emporiums and then search for those items in the market. One can know exactly how much an item should cost. Beware of touts. They can empty one's pocket faster than anything. Consult the respective agencies about the items you want to take away, if they are legally allowed or not, and what quantity can be taken out.
