Bazaar: Panjim During Christmas
Director: Madhusree Dutta; Cinematographer: Avijit Mukul Kishore
Duration: 00:20:42; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 10.492; Saturation: 0.053; Lightness: 0.438; Volume: 0.164; Cuts per Minute: 11.498; Words per Minute: 7.536
Summary: Indian bazaars are a much exposed phenomena. Sometimes it is associated with the oriental exotica, yet another time it is quoted as a symbol of the indomitable spirit of the Indian masses. We explore some well known and some not so well known characteristics of the bazaars to explore the regional and cultural specificities of each bazaar. The quest was part of documenting public spaces and public cultures. This bazaar was shot in Goa during Christmas season. Goa was colonized by the Portuguese till 1961. A large part of the population of Goa is Christians and some still speaks in Portuguese. Indian Christianity is as much a post colonial reality as it is an indigenous social and cultural form. Layered with various local and regional cultural forms Christianity exists in India in many forms and hues. Study of this market is only a slice of that plurality.
Shot by Avijit Mukul Kishore
Goa, the former Portuguese colony and the tip of India on the Arabian sea. The majority religion of Goa is Christianity, albeit of Indian variety. The Panjim (the capital of the tiny state) market on the last Sunday before Christmas. Camera follows a man carrying his merchandise on the head. A trayful of small colourful plastic flower pots. The trees are shaped after the evergreen trees and coloured in red and green! With the evergreen trees on his head the vendor sweats under the harsh sun of Goa.
Ambience sound of the bazaar and passing vehicles. Some people burgain
- how much is this?
- 20 rupees.
- Oh c'mon! will you give in 10 Rupees?
- 15 rupees.
-In 10?
- No
(Our sound recordist Vipin tries to be chatty)
- what is this boss?
- it is flower pot… to put on the table. People who come for Christmas take them.
- who makes them?
- we make them?
- with what material?
- with silk thread, wire… mix colour with it… this is plaster of paris… what is this YOU are doing? Shooting? What is the use of this… for you?
Panjim, Goa
celebration
christianity
christmas
colour
conversion
culture
decoration
display
evergreen tree
flower pot
goa
green
indigenous
local
red
religion
shooting
sun
vendor
Panjim, Goa
artisan
baby jesus
biblical
business
celebration
christianity
christmas
colour
craft
crib
crowd
decoration
display
festivity
figurine
goa
hut
jesus
local
mother mary
sun
terracotta
three wise men
Single vendors selling various decoration pieces for the Christmas trees. Where the body becomes the display window with the merchandise hanging from the neck and the extended hands. Wind blows through the display of glossy paper sequins and create hypnotizing patterns of shadow on the dusty road. Coloured marbles on a cane basket. People shop for small accessories in road side stalls. It is a Christmas of tropical kind.
balls
bazaar
busket
christmas tree
colour
customer
decoration
design
display
festivity
local
marbles
paper decoration
pattern
shadow
sunlight
tropical
vending
vendor
xxx
Tharmocol cribs with baby Jesus, clay figurines of Virgin Mary, wise men, sheeps. Some wise men in plastic cover hang in display – vaguely resembling some obscure version of superman / batman race.
artisan
baby jesus
bazaar
biblical
christianity
christmas
clay
colour
craft
culture
customer
display
figurine
jesus christ
local
plastic
sculpture
sell
sheeps
space man
street culture
superman
terracotta
three wise men
vendor
visual
A teenage boy sells figurines and cribs. He displays his meager merchandise simply by holding them down. It is Christmas time. Everybody gets some customer.
artisan
bazaar
christmas
clay
craft
crib
customer
display
festivity
figurine
hut
local
merchandise
plastic
ritual
sculpture
sell
straw
terracotta
tharmocol
A busier section of the market. More noise, more bargains, more merchandise, more vehicles, more sun. The nursery of baby Jesus with wise men, Joseph and Mary and the herd. Some green dinosaurs have also managed to squeeze into the display. Some customer contemplate over a tharmocol hut with as much concentration as he would have for a real house. Miniature baby Jesus-es in cribs. Celebration in all scales and sizes.
Ambience sound, some bargain.
C on shops display - huts, cribs figurines- sheeps, pigs, baby jesus, wise men , who is w pig,people checking huts & futuistics models of green plastic - dionosaurus
adaptation
baby jesus
biblical
christmas
clay
crib
cultural
decoration
dinosaurs
display
figurine
hut
layers
local
model
paper
pigs
plastic
post-colonial
scale
sculpture
sequins
streamer
terracotta
three wise men
toy
visual
A big stall with fancier merchandise. The owner and his teenage assistance eagerly demonstrate their goods. Red star, paper sequins, tall streamers hanging. Both of them are very amused with the attention of the camera. The boy gets dwarfed behind the tall installation of paper steamers – purple, blue, green, maroon, silver. The colours and the textures rotate to dizzying effect.
Bombay
Madras
Panjim
blue
boy
christmas
colour
craft
decoration
demonstration
festivity
glossy
green
hanging
-Here it is… these are Chrismas decoration from...
- They are not made here?
- No. they are all made in Madras, Bombay. Nothing is made here. During Diwali we make big big Kandeel (a kind of lamp), lighted Kandeel… Ya! Those you cant see in Bombay or anywhere else. Here only… in Panjim. I live in Panjim
- slowly, slowly… just rotate it….
hung
installation
maroon
paper
purple
red
scale
sell
sequins
stall
star
Long shot of the lane with roadside stalls. Colourful display, stray traffic, long wait for the customer. Slowly the former colony of Europe gears up to the local Christmas celebration.
artisan
business
christmas
clay
colour
craft
culture
display
festivity
figurine
flags
pace
paper
santa clause
sequins
shop
street
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