Bazaar: Mohd. Ali Road
Director: Madhusree Dutta; Cinematographer: Avijit Mukul Kishore
Duration: 00:34:29; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 25.018; Saturation: 0.448; Lightness: 0.274; Volume: 0.163; Cuts per Minute: 18.440
Summary: Mohd. Ali Road is one of the artery roads of the island city of Bombay. The densely populated area houses many wholesale and retail markets – Bhendi (ladies finger) Bazaar, Null (plumbing) Bazaar, Bora Bazaar, Chor (thieves) Bazaar etc.) throughout its stretch. The population of the area is mainly Muslim and significant part of them are traders. Though always a busy road it gets particularly overwhelming during Ramzaan. The ritual of Ramzaan which ends on Eid-ul-fitr on the day of the new moon, is widely practiced by all Muslims. During the month long Ramazan or Ramadan, the believers in Islam fast throughout the day and eat only after the sunset. The evenings are marked by prayers, family and social get-togethers and communal eating. Eid means happiness or festivity, and ul-fitr literally means breaking of fast. This busy streetscape takes us through the busiest time of the evening of Ramazan along Mohammed Ali road, where some roads are closed off and vendors put up food stalls and tables on the side of the road itself. People, including large number of non-Muslims, come even from fartherest part of the city to Mohd. Ali Road to take part in this social activity. Particularly the food in Bohri Mohalla (neighbourhood of Bohras) and around Minara Masjid is known to be connoisseur ’s delights. Ramzan at Mohd Ali road is an important landmark in Bombay’s social calendar. Garment shops, food stalls, cap stores, sweet marts, street vendors sell their wares; people rally for the evening prayers and the city gather to socialize - on the street. These shots were taken just the day before Eid. Shot by Avijit Mukul Kishore.
Bombay
Garment shops line the streets below JJ flyover near null bazaar. The shops display colourful garments in preparation for impending Eid. The evening is just setting in, so the customers are yet to arrive after the evening prayer and breaking of roja – the fast. The home bound traffic flows on the outside road.
JJ Flyover
null bazaar
Garments
celebration
customer
display
eid
evening
fast
ramzan
roja
shop
traffic
Mohd Ali Road
Mohd. Ali Road, Bombay
More garment shops, colourful women's clothes – rich fabric in silk and brocade - embroidery, beads work…
brocade
burqa
celebration
colour
display
eid
embroidery
fabric
garment
hang
light
shop
showcase
silk
Mohd. Ali Road, Bombay
More of garment shop display. The camera walks through the lane with garments display on both sides. Bright colour, rich fabric – garments, Jainamaz (prayer mat). Gay yet quiet. Waiting for the moon to rise, the Eid to start. Brightly lit shops, stalls and buildings shine on the opposite side of the road. The one month ritual of fasting and breaking fast is to end in a burst of energy and happiness with the rise of the moon… the atmosphere of waiting…
brocade
colour
display
fabric
fast
garment
jainamaaz
lane
light
moon
pattern
prayer mat
quiet
roja
shop
showcase
silk
Mohd. Ali Road, Minara Masjid, Bomaby
The roadside stalls near Minara masjid, the celebrated open air food mall. It is an annual ritual for many Bombayites to visit the area in the evenings during Ramzaan. Light decoration, street food, hawkers' call, delighted customers….
carts
celebration
colour
customer
decoration
fast
food mall
hawkers
light
minara masjid
ramzaan
roja
shopping
street food
vendors
The famed Suleiman Mithaiwala below the Minara masjid sells his famous sweets malpoa and phirni. It is a street culture installation by itself. The bright wrapping papers, yellow fried sweetmeat in the hot oil - layerd with reflection of the light… the street culture at its full glory. Customers gather at the break of Roja – the day long fast.
Mohd. Ali Road, Minara Masjid, Bombay
art installation
celebration
community
customer
fast
food mall
fry
hot oil
malpoa
phirni
ramzan
reflection
roja
street culture
suleiman mithaiwala
sweetmeat shop
wrapping papers
Carts selling sandals and shoes are doing brisk business. Everybody is preparing for the Eid appearance.
Mohd. Ali Road
attire
business
cart
celebration
customer
eid
festivity
hawker
ramzan
sandal
season
shoes
shopping
vendor
A low angle hand held track shot through the crowd thronging in the lane. The decorative lights as a ceiling and on both sides the architecture of old buildings create a perfect niche for the crowd. In some sense it is a scene specific to Bombay and in some other sense it is an anonymous neighbourhood in anywhere in Asia.
Mohd. Ali Road
architecture
ceiling
celebration
crowd
culture
decoration
eid
ethos
festivity
food mall
islam
lane
lights
muslim
neighbourhood
niche
old buildings
ramzan
settlement
street market
Mohd. Ali Road, Minara Mashid, Bombay
Wider shot of the lane and the crowd. More merchandise are in the frame – greeting cards, balloon, eating joints….
balloon
carts
colour
crowd
customer
eating joints
greeting cards
hawker
merchandise
sell
shops
stalls
vendor
Detail of a cap shop on a cart. Intricately knitted white lace, embroidered cotton cap, golden of zari pattern on black cap. Cap is part of the prayer attire. But this is more to do with the festivity of Eid. Hence some caps are traditional prayer cap and yet some are more flamboyant.
Mohd. Ali Road, Bombay
attire
cap
cart
colour
design
eid
embroidery
festivity
flamboyant
islam
knitted lace
muslim
prayer
sell
traditional
zari
A tour of the lane from a visitor's point of view. Camera walks through the lane with stalls on both sides, sometimes pausing to glance, sometimes contemplating - close up of firni (traditional sweetmeat), plastic red roses, tableful of revelers at eating joints, hanging display of kebabs and chicken breasts. Some women in burqa and some men in caps and beards, some avoids the camera and some flirts with it. In some places the customers clearly appear as 'outsiders' – the gentry from other parts of the city. It is festive time, but it is also peak of business season. Everybody is busy, but also quite accommodative.
Mohd. Ali Road
burqa
business
cart
chicken breasts
colour
customer
display
eid
festivity
food mall
gentry
hawker
keba
lane
local
outsider
phirni
plastic
ramzan
red roses
revelr
salesman
season
shop
stall
street bazaar
street food
sweetmeat
texture
tourist
vendor
Mohd. Ali Road, Bombay
We come back to the cart selling caps. The whole family of the owners are present there adoring beautiful caps – modeling for their own shop. It is business, but it is also bonhomie, brotherhood. Socialising, religion, festivity and business rolled into one. Even the infant in the family is part of the activity.
adorn
attire
bonhomie
brotherhood
business
cap
cart
display
eid
fabric
family
festivity
infant
islam
model
muslim
religion
shop
social
texture
Mohd. Ali Road, Bombay
More shots through the crowd. There are a few women but over all the milieu is heavily tilted towards the male presence. Women are making quick purchase or having dinner with the family. But many men are loitering around, generally socializing or window shopping. It is only a reflection of public place culture of India. Though the Ramzan spirit could break the hierarchy of class or community to some extent, it failed to do much in terms of gender segregation.
class
community
crowd
dinner
eid
festivity
food stall
gender
gender privilege
hierarchy
lane
male
merchandise
milieu
presence
public place
purchase
ramzan
segregation
shopping
social
socializing
spirit
street culture
street food
visual
window shopping
women
Camera is outside the famous Minara masjid entrance. People are slowly gathering for the 9pm prayer. The outside pillar of the Masjid is plastered with hand bills and posters – a strategic display box which is bound to be noticed.
Mohd. Ali Road, Minara Masjid, Bombay
devotees
entrance
hand bills
islam
minara masjid
namaz
posters
prayer
ramzan
street
Camera follows a vendor selling firkis (a kind of windmill toy). The bright colour toys displayed on a bamboo pole stand tall above the crowd. The vendor moves around and the hand held camera follows it – capturing the bright colour and the windmill motion against the backdrops of the crowd, giant sized old buildings, red colour bus, multi-coloured lights, underbelly of the flyover,
Mohd. Ali Road, J J flyover, Bombay
bamboo pole
best bus
bright
colour
construction
crowd
display
festivity
firkis
hawker
jj flyover
motion
multi-coloured
old building
street culture
toys
traffic
vendor
windmill toy
Camera infront of the Minara Masjid entrance. The Namaz is on. The pedestrians cross the camera frame to block and reveal the praying devotees again and again. It is a strange dichotomy between public space and segregated space. The devotees, sitting so close to the busy road continue to pray. And the pedestrian busily pass by without even glancing at the devotees.
Mohd. Ali road, Minara masjid, Bombay
community
devotees
entrance
islam
minara masjid
muslim
namaz
pedestrian
prayer
public place
ramzan
religion
religious place
road
space politics
street culture
visibility
Longer shot of the Masjid entrance. The devotees are coming out after the prayer. Contrary to the popular belief that Islam is against image reproduction and all Muslim devotees are sticky about these doctrines – no devotee pays any attention to the camera standing on their way.
camera
doctrine
entrance
image reproduction
islam
minara masjid
muslim
namaz
popular belief
prayer
shooting
street
Mohd. Ali road, Minara masjid, Bombay
Tilt down shot from the board of Minara Masjid, through the intricate stone curvings on the wall to the devotees.
crowd
light
minara masjid
signboard
stone curving
street
wall
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