Chandni Chowk?with vehicles, cycle-rickshaws, hand-pulled carts and pedestrians, all jostling for space?may be a shocking contrast to the wide, orderly roads of Lutyens? Delhi, but when it comes to street shopping, only a select few in Asia can probably match the vibrancy of one of the oldest and busiest markets in India.
This has been corroborated by TripAdvisor?s latest survey on Asia?s leading street market destinations based on reviews and opinions of its users. The Old Delhi market, along with another cultural landmark of the city?Dilli Haat?and Arpora in north Goa, has featured in the ?top 20? list prepared by the global travel website recently.
While Dilli Haat topped the Indian list at the 13th slot, Arpora Night Market stood second with rank 15, followed by Chandni Chowk at 17. The top Asian street market, as per the survey, is Sunday Night Market Walking Street in Thailand. While Thailand tops the overall list with the largest number of diverse street markets, it is followed by India and Vietnam with three markets each. Other Asian countries represented on the list included Japan, with two markets, and Taiwan, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia and China, with one market each.
Asia, the world?s largest and most populous continent, is also home to diverse ethnic groups, cultures, traditions, environment and history. As offerings and cultures differ from country to country, so do the styles and formats of promoting creations. One can find street markets ranging from night to street; and from weekend to unusual ones such as floating and railway markets. However, each of these has a USP of its own, which differs from the others in terms of items, colours, vibrancy and customers.
So what makes these Indian markets stand out in the crowd? ?The best part about Chandni Chowk is its reach and variety. Be it clothes, electrical items, books, shoes or food, every shopping outlet or corner has its own charm here,? says Vinod Sharma, general secretary, Delhi Hindustani Mercantile Association, Chandni Chowk.
Built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan and designed by his daughter Jahan Ara, Chandni Chowk?s speciality is the variety of its markets and their ?Indian-ness??from authentic Indian food, delicacies and sweets of more than 1,000 kinds, to sarees with chikan and zari work. The narrow, winding lanes are a testimony to some of the most diverse set of books, clothing, shoes and leather goods, apart from electronics and consumer goods that are available in the market.
Start from Digambara Jain temple and go towards Dariba Kalan, and you?ll see that the area is full of silver jewellery shops. At the end of the lane, you will find some of the best attar shops in Delhi. To the left is Kinari Bazaar, just behind Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. The market specialises in threads, bead embellishments and wedding paraphernalia. At Paranthe Wali Gali, one can grab near-perfect paranthas, which vary from gobi to cheese paranthas, complimented with a glass of chilled lassi.
With a footfall of over five lakh and a turnover of a few hundred crores of rupees every day, Chandni Chowk has over 25,000 shops. The crowds and chaos can be a hassle, but if you?re willing to accept less-than-ideal conditions, this can be a one-stop shopping destination for you. Salwars, kurtis and lehengas are some of the most sold products in the market.
Chandni Chowk is also a historical place and that adds to its appeal. With the Red Fort on one side, Jama Masjid on the other, the Baptist Church in one corner and a gurdwara in another, the place also attracts a lot of tourists. ?People come here to shop as well as visit these historical places. There is hardly any market in the world which has so many religious places and renowned monuments at one place,? says Dharam Nath, an official from the Chandni Chowk market association.
To usher in the ?in-generation?, the area now boasts an official website, http://www.chandnichowknowonline.in, which has brought over 2,500 businesses on the Web. Launched by Google India in December last year, it provides a directory of all businesses from the market for easy access to users worldwide.
Dilli Haat, on the other side of the spectrum, woos crowds through authentic and traditional wares, apart from cuisines from all over the country. Located in south Delhi, the huge market has been deliberately created like a traditional weekly village market, called a ?haat?, with small, thatched roof cottages. The market offers an exciting blend of handicrafts from all over India, food stalls, and cultural and music performances.
However, the selection of Dilli Haat in one of the top 20 shopping destinations in Asia hasn?t come as a surprise for the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) that manages the market?s daily functioning. ?Though it?s a good thing, we are not very surprised. Dilli Haat was considered one of the top street markets in the world last year, published in the final edition of the Newsweek magazine. Such distinctions have become a regular feature,? says a senior official of the DTTDC.
While the ?village haat? is a mobile, flexible arrangement, Dilli Haat boasts craft stalls selling native, utilitarian and ethnic products from all over the country. An ambitious project set up jointly by Delhi Tourism, NDMC, ministry of textiles and ministry of tourism, it aims at providing encouragement to needy artistes from all over the country in order to sustain and preserve the rich heritage of India. While allowing free interaction between buyers and sellers, the organisers favour a check on prices to keep them moderate.
Why shoppers tend to visit Dilli Haat in hordes is the availability of a variety of local cuisines like momos from Sikkim, smoked pork from Nagaland, kahwa and kebabs from Jammu, fish curry from West Bengal and dhokla from Gujarat. The USP of the market is, however, its handloom and organic products. With the festive season in full swing, kantha sarees are in high demand and are being sold at the West Bengal outlet. The area witnesses a daily footfall of about 5,000 to 6,000 on weekdays and above 8,000 on weekends.
In the idyllic state of Goa, the Saturday Night Market in Arpora has been claiming its rightful place under the sun by becoming a shoppers? mecca. Open only during the tourist season and from 6 pm to 11 pm, it?s a colourful market selling anything from spices and teas to Kashmiri carpets and silver jewellery. Be it the musical mouth harps or mouthwatering food, you can find it all here.
?We always visit the night market when we stay in the north. The atmosphere is really buzzing with music, lots of people and amazing food; the shopping is almost a byproduct. It?s an eclectic mix of not only people, but also food?you can eat anything from pizza to curry and cakes, and everything in between,? says a TripAdvisor traveller from the UK.