Bengali Market

A km from Connaught Place is the Bengali market. It was built in the 1930 by Bengali Mal Lohia. I simply adore shopping here. The place reminds me of Bangalore. Some 30 shops gaze into a spacious quaint circle that lies at the meeting place of 4 roads. The market is neat and welcoming. The shopkeepers are courteous and shoppers who frequent the place are soft spoken and well mannered. One peculiarity I notice. There is two of everything here!


Flower corners, vegetable and fruit shops, bakeries, snack corners, stationery and booksellers, drycleaners, gift shops and high quality photo studios…… two shops of each kind!

We frequent the Bengali sweet house. You get non-Bengali stuff here too! We relish their rosogullas and sometimes indulge in a yummy chocolate pastry called rum ball in the air-conditioned comfort of their bakery section. The larger seating area is more popular where families huddle under fans and lipsmack pao-bhajis and golgappas and fruit shake …. Place for Delhi street food.

The narrow vegetable shop has super fresh veggies and fruits, common and exotic, all stacked efficiently in wall mounted shelves. The owner occupies most of the entrance and I squeeze past him into the store. I find stylish-packed dry berries (that my mom never allowed me to eat) and strange looking fruits that I mistake for small potatoes! Chotu helps me load veggies and fruits into a plastic tray and then he weighs them. With neither calculator nor computing machines the owner efficiently calculates for amounts I have chosen to load…..250g, 300g or even 850g. Chotu parcels them into suitable bags and carries them to the car for me……oooh! What luxury.

He waits patiently as the car crawls into a space in front of us. He plonks the bags into the empty front seat. Namaste he says as he withdraws his head and hand. Have a good day he says. He shuts the door and walks away.
Thank you I say and smile at him nicely. What a good boy.
The car revs into the main road.
I hit my head in dismay……..I should have tipped him. Aaah! How could I be so gross??