Shonibar'er Haat - Saturday Market - at Santiniketan

One of the things I was eagerly looking forward to on my recent visit to Santiniketan was the weekly haat or market where local craftsmen and now, traders from surrounding areas and even Kolkata, set up simple stalls to sell their wares. The haat happens in Sonajhuri, in the Khoai area of Bolpur.

Santiniketan has become a hub of NGOs and local craftmen's organisations that now work together to promote the innumerable local handicrafts ranging from pottery, batik, kantha embroidery, to woodwork, dokra crafts, and much, much more. The weekly haat is now spread over three grounds, each walkable distance from the others, and is definitely worth a visit if you are in Santiniketan. Plan your visit in such a way that you're there on a Saturday evening so you can visit the haat. Carry cash. And like me, carry a big shopping bag too! While you can bargain a little the vendors are not very flexible about the prices. But don't let that stop you from buying a host of beautiful hand crafted things at the haat.

The stalls are all simple sheets of cloth or jute spread on the ground with the wares laid out. There are a few food stalls too selling tea and typical Bengali snacks and sweets like pithe, pathi shapta, etc.

Loofahs, table mats, coasters, and other knicknacks made of grass.

Jewellery! So many colours and designs. And you can see piles of kantha embroidered sarees in the next stall. The work is simply stunning and if you're into sarees then it's a good idea to shop for a few here.

Dokra seller. Made using the cire perdu or lost wax technique, dokra metalware is a traditional craft in Bengal and Orissa. While you get dokra-ware in most fancy shops in the big cities buying it from the artisan himself is something else entirely. Don't miss the adorable owls!

These are some hair-pins I bought. Aren't they pretty?

Handmade wooden combs with pretty patterns. This was love at first sight for me.

More jewellery, musical instruments, and other bits and bobs

I'm a sucker for embroidery and picked up a pile of these potlis with kantha work on them. These will be perfect as gift bags for the foodie goodies I give my friends.

One of the big highlights of the haat - the baul singers. These minstrels wander the countryside singing about life, the universe and all its ironies. We heard them sing a tongue in cheek version of a very popular song and I was highly entertained! 

The fun thing about this haat is that there are different vendors every week. Some might be back the next week too, but you can be sure you will see a hoard of other sellers and products every Saturday along with a host of new faces.

A Haat in the Heart of the City- A Real Farmers' Market in Gurgaon

I was packing at the end of my holiday. Things were strewn all over the bed and my suitcase and rucksack were on the window-seat in my room. As I juggled clothes, packets of spices, a bunch of black carrots, and other miscellaneous bits of shopping, I happened to glance out of the window to the vast open ground across the busy road. I saw a temporary market coming up - tarps were being laid out, small pick up trucks and tempos were being unloaded, bright LED lights were being set up. I dug out the DSLR and zoomed in to have a look - the camera works very well as a binocular! It was a weekly bazaar - a haat. I couldn't wait to go check it out. If I could trudge across from Gurgaon to Khari Baoli in Old Delhi there was no way I wasn't going to hop across the road right here at home.

My cousin Atanu was happy to come along with me and we set off to take a look. I'd seen piles of cauliflower, carrots, onions, potatoes, and loads of fresh greens, and I was hoping to see some less familiar produce too.

The place was teeming with people - labourers, craftsmen, housemaids, rickshaw drivers, but no one from the many high rise towers that are just across the road. The sellers had set up their shops on the ground and there were piles of vegetables in front of them, just haphazardly placed. There was quite a cacophony of voices and we stood out like a pair of very sore thumbs! We went around 9pm and things were already dying down by then; the market started earlier in the evening around 6 o' clock. This is a weekly haat and seems to be quite a popular one because there were at least 30 to 40 vegetable sellers and a line up of snack sellers on one side catering to the crowd.

I ignored the snack stalls and jumped into the fray with the crowd, looking to see what vegetables were up for grabs. I was hoping I would find some more of those famous 'kaale gajar'. I'd bought a conservative 500gms at Khari Baoli and I yearned to buy more.Fingers crossed! At first glance it seemed like a sea of beautiful, juicy, red carrots, fresh white cauliflowers, and an array of glistening green leafy spinach, methi, mustard greens, etc.

As we wandered around among the vendors I saw huge beetroots, lotus stems, colocasia roots, little hillocks of green peas, and something called maati aloo which I have never seen before. I regret not buying any though I did take a photo.

There were huge flat 'papdi' beans, white turnips with a purple blush, mounds of garlic, onions, potatoes, cabbages, and many varieties of brinjal - one was big, round and purple, while another was like large green mottled eggs. And then my heart stopped - kaale gajar! There were just a few left - so I bought the lot.

We also came home with a bag full of tender finger-like red carrots, some arbi, a cauliflower, and some big fat gorgeously green papdi or 'seem' as we Bengalis call them.

There was too much frantic activity around so I couldn't ask much about the market but I can tell you it's in the field opposite Jalvayu Towers in Sector 56, Gurgaon. If you know the Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity Park, it's just behind. Follow the perimeter of the park and you will see the lights of the haat in the evening. The haat is on every Thursday in the evenings all through the year.

Ditch the air-conditoned aisles at Spencer's and come get your veggies from here next week. You'll find more at the haat. This is what a real farmers' market is, not those ones that are held on 5 star hotel grounds.

Monday Morning Treasure Hunt

The husband came home last night with a tantalising proposition - I'm going to take you to this shop. It's full of stuff you will love. Of course there was a caveat. I couldn't ask any questions about the shop or what it sold.

Now while it was music to my ears it qas also torture not having any clue about this wonderful shop! I asked if we could go the very next morning and the much amused hubby agreed. I  tried wheedling information out of him but had very little luck - all he said was " it's not ingredients". I had no choice but to wait. Sigh!

I booked us a cab for 7am and we set out for South Mumbai. We picked up our car from our Mazgaon workshop and headed towards Grant road. It was early morning and there were knots of school children all dressed up for Republic Day parades. Loud speakers blared patriotic songs from Hindi movies. I was totally charged up waiting excitedly to reach this mystery shop.

And suddenly we were there! A raddi shop! People come and dispose of household junk, old newspapers, plastic ware, etc, in return for a small cash payment. The shop had crates of old china, glassware, wooden bits and pieces, a couple of ugly marble sculptures ans many other odds and ends.

 

And among all this were a few brass things that were out of someone's kitchen. My eyes popped! A brass tiffin carrier! A footed grater with a coconut scraper, and a tea strainer caught my eye. It was love at first sight! A short sharp session of quick bargaining and I was the proud owner of all three beauties!

The hubby had seen this shop yesterday as he drove past. He noticed the grater hanging in the shop and knew this shop would have treasures for me.

I HAVE married really well, haven't I?!

Marathon Bloggers

A Couple of Markets and a 50mm Lens

I love markets. I simply love the seas of produce, the little shops, the big shops, the same old things and the sudden treasures, the shop keepers, the hustle and bustle, the energy of shoppers and sellers, the mess, the crowds, the cats, the crows... everything! The one thing I miss in Kharghar is a good market. Sure, we get most things in the various supermarkets and now, online, but I yearn for a market to wander around in.

As a kid I used to go to the market practically every weekend with my parents. Khar market was where we went and I still have many memories of our weekly visits, especially the singara and jilipi from Brijwasi :)

In Pune Shivaji Market and Tulshi Baag were my favourite haunts. After getting married and moving to VT in Mumbai there was Bora Bajaar just a few minutes from our house and there was the mother lode - Crawford Market, just a short cab ride away. I have spent many happy hours wandering through these markets, discovering lanes selling everything from umbrellas to buttons, snacks to utensils, and brooms to brinjals. Those were wonderful days indeed.

Kolkata still has many big markets in spite of the Spencers and Big Bazaars that have mushroomed all over. A visit to Gariahat market has now become a must do, and this time I also had a wander around Lake Market. The markets are a great place for any photography enthusiast and I took my camera along. I'm still getting used to the 50mm lens and what better way to practice than take tons of pictures in the markets?!

So here are some photos from my sojourns into Gariahat and Lake markets.    

A giant Rohu in Gariahat Market

The same rohu cut and set up for sale. This fish was massive and the cheeky fishmonger was shouting "horin'er mangsho! horin'er mangsho!" (venison! venison!)

More regular sized rohu in the market

The fish stalls are all decorated with buntings and have shrines with fresh flowers, adding so much colour to the general ambience.

At present it's full on Hilsa season and the markets are full of this prized fish.

Fresh water prawns.. each is about 6 to 8 inches long

The massive 'ansh-bonti' that is used to cut up the bigger fish.

Hilsa and some really large prawns at the Lake Market

More prawns and Hilsa at Lake Market

There is a shop in Lake market that sells on bori. He had boris made of different daals and he also had posto bori, which I didn't even know existed! Of course I bought some :)

Gariahat market has many shops selling Puja related paraphernalia. You also get the required things for weddings and other rituals and ceremonies.

Alta, Sindur, Dhoop and Jabakusum tel

Chaand malas - used to decorate the shrine in the house.

Wooden plates known as barkosh, straw mats, chaki for rolling rotis and puris, and a bucket of belans, spoons, etc.

Small stone glasses, mini plates, and bowls, mainly used in the puja rituals. A food blogger's heaven for props!

Marathon Bloggers Project 52