Sunday, September 27, 2009

Chor bazar ki Galli..


If you don’t have an eye for art and tang for the rust do not wander in the alleys of Chor bazaar.
Friday is the day when all the shops drag their shutters down and a mass of people spread there sheets to display and sell the stuff they have got in there bag. You name anything and you will get it. From boxing gloves to skates, furniture to clothes.

As the name Chor bazaar sounds it’s a huge flea market where the things sold are usually stolen. I never went to this place before coz I was very rigid about view on this place as my elders always spoke ill of this place. But indeed it’s a paradise for and artist and antiquarians. I spotted some real weird things even spotted an antique car which was used as a sleeping base for a dog and back rest for some comfort while selling.

You have to be street smart and make a good deal out of your purchase.
My clicks would tell you what a wide range of things are sold in this paradise. After going through a few lanes of junks I had already sketched my dream house where am sure all my furniture was surely gonna be picked from chor bazaar. The wooden chairs, bar tables magical mirror and unusual types of liquor bottles. One bottle that wedged my eye was a bottle fashioned like a khanjar with some lil green tinge. When you walk around you see white caps and black bhurkas, yes this place is dominated and run by the Muslims. That’s why you can smell a lot of mutton in the air and a huge range of food items on every corner and hefty goats walking around.
If you know how to carry your self smartly no one will come your way. If your body language is weak you indeed will be taken for a ride. Do not dare dress up well and go there coz Chor Bazari’s have an eye and can read people real easily and on that basis they would charge a bomb and not bargain. Dress up as shabby as you can and look unclean and smell bad coz if you smell good you are telling the flickers out loud that you have and expensive perfume in your bag. I was expecting to face a lot of odds and ugly remarks but I was surprised with the warm smiles prolly it was the press tag and my clixy which hung arnd my neck and as I said carry a very smart body lingo.
You have people of all range of umar buying stuff from this street. And the set up is really very fascinating you cleanly don’t know what’s gonna be next. If you looking at a story book suddenly you have a neat pair of skates next to it.
It was indeed very exciting to spot Amitab bachchan in Chor bazar
As this was my first time I was just trying to observe people around and not talk too much but couldn't resist on asking one of the chacha’s “chacha aapka margin kitna hota hain. He smiled and he added like he was my yaar for years “full margin hamare hi hai Didi, chori ka toh maal hai” wow that’s what I call business. It was surprising that though they sell chori ka maal they do study what they selling so that they can add a few heavy words while convincing a customer. Like on one of the sheets I saw an amazing range of lenses like and 50 mm 70 mm and a telephoto, the moment he saw clixy in my hand he picked a bag and removed canon 3000 and attached the tele lens and explained a few things and showed how the flash works and also explained the other lenses weren’t for a Digital SLR. I was amazed at the words he used and how confidently he blurted them.
I have been to a lot of flea markets this indeed was the best, better than goa.
The experience was awesome and my notion was cleared about this place.

And a little of green to end with.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Manisha and Anita

Immaterial gifts are something which make a mark on your mind like permanent marker on a cloth. Being a Photog and a writer traveling comes as a package; on my travel I do come across out of the ordinary people who grant me reminiscences which last forever and get my eyes wet. Its shocker for me how few people in just a meet can change the way you look at things.
Had hit off for a shoot in kokan where I spend some real good time with the villagers in Karde gaav (Dapoli) with their finger licking fish and Slurppy Solkadi. On the way back took the route via Tamini Ghat.Visited the Ghatjai temple. Being an atheists and a more of an artist most of my time is spend in looking at how artistically the temples are made and what’s interesting to click around.While I was strolling I caught the attention of the sound of A B C D and took notice of two little girls practicing there studies. I was really touched for the way they practiced. With the help of a small wooden stick they carved the letters on the ground. As I observed them for some time one of them told the other girl a word and she tried writing that.


I took the opportunity and got talking to them and told them to write my name, they were both excited about the little favor I asked them to do and they wrote my name well on the ground. While they wrote my name I asked them there names, very neatly both of them spelled their names one after the other. They were crowned as Anita and Manisha and studied in a municipality school across the village where they barely had benches and were devoid of the simple comfort called Books and pencils and that’s the reason why they practiced there “Spellings” on the ground. I spoke to them and gave them pack of biscuit, books and pens.


After receiving this Manisha uttered very timidly “you gave me these things I don’t have anything to give you.” On that I told her that the best gift would be that you remember me when I come next. She immediately said she would carve my name on one of the barks so that she would never forget my name.
Our life is poles apart to these people. We meet so many people and with a type and click save their names on our cell phone, scribble the name on the back of our diary or pass on a visiting card but till date no one has ever taken down my contact in such a pretty way. I wish to write this story after I meet those girls again when I go there next.