Bhopal: A clear Sunday morning with good weather is what would delight shoppers and vendors and if the fervor for Eid is added then what we get is an exceptional tale that the walled city’s market especially Chowk Bazar and subsidiaries market like Lakherapura, Ibrahimpura, Marwari Road.
Motivating shoppers with their calls the vendors voices competed with each other throughout the day the market remained abuzz with: “sau rupaya me bachho ke do pants le lo…”… “fancy duptta aur bachhiyo ke liye fancies frocks le lo madam…”.
The aroma of food items filled the narrow lanes and the street food vendors, road side eateries provided much wanted relief to shoppers hunger. People waited in queues for pani-puri on road side. It looked as if the entire market has been transformed into a huge sea of shops and stalls that offer wide range of street food items that suits every budget.
With heavy rush the Police security was tightened and main chowk Bazar was made a no-vehicle zone. The bikers in their efforts to wade through the heavy rush exchanged comments like “are miya jara rook jao, beech me kyo gush rahe ho” and “ jara bachho ko to sambhal lo” … in lighter vein. At times it was just too much of a task for bikers to negotiate traffic at times they took to moving on foot through the market with their families trailing them.
But thanks to the jawans, deployed at every nook and cranny, sanity and order prevailed. The vendors, mostly those running makeshift shops and hawkers remained occupied in selling colourful dresses congested lanes of Chowk Bazar, Ibrahimpura, Lakherapura.
Anil Jain, a shopkeeper said, “We are aspiring to sell the whole stock during Ramzan- before Eid. It is business time. People are purchasing dress for their children as we providing quality at throw away price.” Suresh Agrwal a food vendor said, “People prefer chat, aloo-tikki, samosa, pakoda and pani-puri. People throng our outlet as we ensure that everything that we offer is hygienic.”
Ahmad, a cloth trader, in Marwari Road, said, “We received huge response from the people of all walks of life. They were pouring into market for purchasing ahead of Eid. People like to prepare during Ramzan itself so for Eid we have got special stock of fabric for sale.”
It seemed like the market has never been more crowded or abuzz with a constant euphoric chatter. With only few days to go for Eid, the air in the market wad full of excitement and divine ardency. Eid marks the end of a month-long fast and marks the inception of a new journey of believers who have reinvented themselves with month long fast and prayers.
