Bazaar: Sunday Flea Market in Delhi
Director: Madhusree Dutta; Cinematographer: Avijit Mukul Kishore
Duration: 00:41:26; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 11.939; Saturation: 0.104; Lightness: 0.313; Volume: 0.219; Cuts per Minute: 25.624; Words per Minute: 13.536
Summary: Sunday market of Delhi is a flea market. It takes place every Sunday behind Red Fort on Ring Road. It is a retail market for both old and new merchandises. Though there are some kiosks, most of the shopping takes place on the road where the goods are displayed either on a sheet of plastic or cloth or hung from the light poles. The market runs through the whole day into the night. The vendors take full advantage of the light traffic of the Sunday and encroach on the road with their wares. People come even from far away places to make their purchases at Sunday market. Second hand woolens, used shoes, army rejects as well as cheap Chinese made commodities are main attraction. By the time the camera crew reached the market it was late evening of December. A good part of the market was already closed. Though the street vendors were still going strong. Plastic toys, plastic flowers, real flowers, garments and street food were jostling for attention in the back drop of old city architecture and colourful street hoardings. A few stray customers and more onlookers were still hanging around. The presence of the camera raised a slight curiosity among the city dwellers. Quite unexpectedly the crew came across a wedding procession. As per the North Indian custom the groom, along with large number of friends and relatives, had set out for the bride's place on horse back. A local commercial music band played to the occasion.
The bazaar was shot as part of a study of Indian visual cultures in bazaar, streets, shrines and homes. Shot by Avijit Mukul Kishore.
Late evening on a Sunday during the winter season of December. The otherwise intimidating outer ring road looks sort of friendly with a few cycle rickshaws, vendors' carts, two wheelers and pedestrians. The tail end of the Sunday market. The hand held camera tracks through the motley crowd. Cycle rickshaws wait for their passengers, vendors with their wares laid in front of them shout for attention, naked high power bulbs create a celebratory mood, hand painted cinema hoardings evoke a kind of nostalgia, bright coloured plastic toys spring sky high and come down unceremoniously... the modern version of great Indian bazaar.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
bazaar
cycle rickshaw
display
evening
flea market
flying objects
goods
merchandise
old delhi
plastic toys
red fort
ring road
sunday market
traffic
two wheelers
vendors
winter
General noise.
- Will the police give us some benefit? Tell us...
- the complete set in Rs. 450...
Sunday market, Old Delhi
The camera strolls around the market, pass other stalls and come to a cluster of stalls selling plastic flowers. The open air stalls have temporary structure of bamboo and plastic sheet. The displays are arranged parts on the ground and parts hung from the bamboo rods. Flower pots with roses, bouquets of sunflower, green leaves complete with subtle dew drops, plants with lightly shaded green - the kitsch objects look adequately desirable. The camera restlessly shuttle between various sets of displays - much like an excited customer.
bazaar
bouquet
colourful
commodity
customer
display
evening
flea market
goods
imitation
kiosks
kitsch
light
petals
plastic flower
stall
sunday market
vendors
Interview of a young vendor - friendly and easy. He asserts that it is their family vocation. Could they be called urban artisan? Was there a market of plastic flowers during his grand father's time? Maybe he meant work on plastic goods and not specifically plastic flowers.
Q: Where is your workshop.
-Sahadra... other side of Jamuna (river).
Q: Have you set the stall for the Ramzaan? Or is it a permanent thing?
- It is a parament stall... every Sunday. It is a weekly market... festival.
Q: So it is your own workshop? You manufacture?
- Yes
Q: You must be exporting too?
- It is mostly retail sell. Sometimes we get wholesale offer.
Q: Do you supply to other shops too?
(off camera)- what mischief are you doing? Keep it down...
Q: How many craftsman work for you?
- Ours? Our people are all family members.
Q: You run it yourself?
- Yes... ourselves... it is a family, all the flower sellers in old Delhi are from one family. There is nobody else.
Q: Who started this?
- My grandfather... then father... now the brothers are running the legacy.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
artisan
bazaar
craftsman
family
imitation
import
kitsch
legacy
manufacture
petals
plastic flower
sunday market
urban
vendor
Like all cheap consumers' goods it seems the plastic flowers too get manufactured in China. Has China become synonymous for all sweatshop products?
Q: Come again... what is your name?
- Omprakash.
Q: ... father name?
Father's name is Omprakash
Q: How do make these flowers?
they come from China... loose. We do the setting.
Q: But they look like from our soil...
- No, they are imported. Chinese.
Q: But these flowers? Do they grow in China too?
- Break and pass me a Sunflower...
- The mould is made in Delhi and the get made in China...
Q: Means the leaves will come separately and the rest...
- Yes all come separately and we make the combination.
Q: What does the red one called?
- Anthorium.
Q: the other one?
- Anthorium... same.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
anthorium
bazaar
china
chinese
colourful
commodity
display
factory
goods
import
kiosk
manufacture
plastic flower
stall
sunday market
sweatshop
vendor
Interview with another plastic flower vendor. The young vendor cannot hide his excitement as well as nervousness for being interviewed in public.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
bazaar
business
-... careful...
- Don't worry, I have my shop at the back...
- See, you may get called to Supreme Court.
- Never mind. I shall go.
-... this is Sunflower, mini Sunflower.
Q: What! Since when the Sunflower has become pink.
- These days everything goes...
- How come?
- Why not? People like all sorts of colour these days.
- See the yellow roses...
Q: Are all of you really part of one family?
Correct.
Q: What is your name?
- My name is Kailash, father's name Shridayal and grandfather Ramjeet.
Q: Their grandfather too is called Ramjeet?
- Yes.
Q: Their father and your father are brothers?... what is this flower called?
- It is called Anthorium.
- This is also Anthorium. Where does it grow?
- These days they grow all over the place... it comes up near gutters.
- Ok... why do they have a an English name... since they grow in gutters?
-
color
display
family
imitation
interview
kitsch
pink
plastic flower
popular culture
roses
seller
sunday market
sunflower
vendor
vocation
yellow
Plastic toy shop. A vendor plays to the camera with a siren blowing fire arm. Fire arms and other war goods are favourite toys for children of all class and regions. Starting from computer games to plastic toys the desire on sell is to kill. Plastic toys and female under garments hung overhead co-exist in amazing ease. The sexual puritanism of Indian culture has been much talked about. Wonder this display falls under which category? Crass commercialization? Regressive titillation? Or pedestrian maturity? Under the female undergarments the planes and the guns are on demonstration mode - making a cacophony of war noise mixed with the traffic noise of the real world.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
aeroplanes
bazaar
bra
demonstrate
display
firearms
morality
noise
overhead
plastic
play
public place
siren
sunday market
toys
undergarment
vendor
From the plastic flowers the camera comes to the real flower market - which definitely appears less flamboyant compared to the former. But that could also because it is the closing time of the market and the flowers in the shop are actually the left over of the day. The plastic flowers have no such worry of being fresh or stale. While the plastic flowers are part of fancy and decoration, the real flowers are used for daily rituals - such as prayer, wedding, felicitation etc. the real flower shops are not temporary structures on the pavement. They are small permanent kiosks. Most probably these shops are open during the week too.
A middle aged woman and her daughter purchase a fat garland from a shop. These kind of garlands are generally used for the bride and the groom during the wedding or to put on a photo of the deceased. The buyers though are not looking like a part of larger than usual event. There is a kind of everydayness in their attitude. Whatever it is the garland is likely to be used on the next day. Why are they buying it on the previous night with the risk of it getting dried up?
Sunday market, Old Delhi
Vendor off screen: It is a Jumka of Berilley (a reference to a famous film song - Jumka gira re / berilley ke bazaar mein...)... on sale... rs. 50/-... reduction sale... the whole world has got it... you also take one piece... 50 Rs.... Wholesale...
bazaar
fake
festival
flower
garland
gendha
imitation
petal
puja
rajnigandha
real
ritual
roses
stall
sunday market
wedding
wholesale market
Q: Your trade goes on till so late?
- Yes, it runs for 24 hours.
Q: So why are they buying it now? For tomorrow's wedding? Who sell through the night?
- Yes, 24 hours.
Q: Most of the flowers go for what purpose? Wedding? Puja?
- For everything...
Q: Isn't this a season for wedding? Is this a wholesale market?
- There are wholesale market even in Fatehpuri, in Mandi...
Sunday market, Old Delhi
Various parts of the flower market. The kiosks are buzzing with activities. This is the wedding season. The North Indian weddings are elaborate affairs. The vendors claim that the market remains open 24 hours to meet the demand. They did not appear interested in talking to the camera crew, though they were not hostile either.
bazaar
cane basket
flower market
packaging
season
stall
storage
sunday market
vendors
wedding
Sunday market, Old Delhi
The camera moves from the pedestrians to the overhead hand painted hoardings to a garment stall. Colourful frocks for small girls are being sold on the street. On a piece of cloth on the pavement are displayed a bunch of frocks in bright color and shiny synthetic material. The frocks are identical in size and design. This aspect of mechanical production stands out in this market which is sort of indigenous and improvised. It could a consignment rejected due to some defects which the vendor has picked up at cheap rate. The price of Rs.35/- is an extremely good bargain and the frocks are getting sold like hot cakes. Small children with their parents crowd around the shop. The buyers range from poor to lower middle class people. The shiny colours of the frocks on the ground create a rainbow of desire for the small girls.
- Sale sale ... Rs. 35/- ... Rs. 35/-... move on... don't crowd here... Rs.35/-
bazaar
colourful
consignment
design
display
flea market
frock
garment
girl child
identical
informal
sale
sell
shiny material
sunday market
vendor
Sunday market, Old Delhi
The real owner of the stall appears - a tall old man with impressive long white beard. He aggressively pushes up the sell. He seems to be slightly annoyed with the camera and the curious and idle bystanders that it is bringing to his stall...
bazaar
buyer
bystander
customer
display
- Rs. 35... Rs. 35... yes, tell me ... which one... move on if you don't want any... Rs. 35... the one for 45 is in for 35... 35...
- this is for which age?
- something around... 4/5...
- 35... 35... don't talk unnecessarily... check it out of you want... 35... 35... move on...
sell
stall
sunday market
vendor
vendor's call
A wide shot of the market. The permanent shops are shut for the Sunday. Against their closed shutters run the Sunday market. Above some closed shutters hung some hoardings. Hand painted hoardings which have gone extinct due to the invention of flex and digital painting could still be seen in this area in 2001. Old buildings with balconies and tall windows looks almost like a painted backdrop to the animated market. A loudspeaker is perched on a lamppost - most probably used for the azaan - the call for the Namaaz prayer. Colourful winter jackets are being sold. Delhi winter can become very severe in the month of January. The preparation for that is on in the flea market. Another vendor sells large plastic sheets with colourful patterns. The vendor unfolds various designs for the camera. Hanging overhead are plastic table mats, table cloths, curtains etc. As he displays his goods the sound of a live music band attracts the attention of everybody present.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
advertisement
azaan
bazaar
colourful
curtain
design
display
evening
flea market
hand painted
hoarding
islam
loudspeaker
namaaz
pattern
plastic sheet
stall
sunday market
table cloth
table mat
vendor
warm clothes
winter
Off the main road is a narrow lane with closed shutters of the shops on both sides. In that confined space has gathered a jovial crowd and a band. A wedding procession is about to start. Men are dressed in western style suits and women in heavy silk sarees and elaborate jewelleries. The men dance to the drum of the band. The young groom perched on top a horse with a small boy for company (it is a custom to make an young boy companion of the groom) looks forlorn as the revelers completely ignore him. The procession slowly progresses towards the main road.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
crowd
dance
decked up
friends
groom
horse
jewelery
jovial
music band
procession
relatives
revelers
revelry
ride
wedding
On the main road against the backdrop of a building with signboard announcing - State Bank of India - plays a local music band. Dressed in fake colonial style costume in red and white they play bugles, horns, trumpets, drums, rattles and Indian dholak & dafli. They lead the procession followed by the children and the men. Then comes the decorated horse with the groom and his sleepy companion. Heavily decked up women come after that. The traffic and the pedestrians dutifully step aside to make space for the procession. Quarter kilometer long procession proceed in leisurely pace. Along the procession lay a series of tube lights carried by small boys.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
bazaar
building
child labour
decked up
decorated
horse
light
main road
music band
old city
pedestrian
procession
small boy
statebank of india
traffic
wedding
Row of young boys aged around ten carry metal boxes which contain four tube lights each. The boxes are wired together to a generator van which follows the procession at a distance. The faces of the boys get blurred with the lights they carry. Their blurred faces cross the nameplates of the economic institutions of Republic of India - Life Insurance corporation, State Bank of India...
The groom on the horse back is wearing a garland of currency notes. A common practice among the traders and other rich communities to demonstrate their wealth and happiness. The custom of riding a horse to the marriage venue is also associated with abduction and elopement. Though our groom looks too misfit for such grand iconisation. A young couple dance in abundance with the man holding a currency note in his mouth.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
abduction
abundance
battery
blur
boy
child
child labour
community
currency note
custom
dance
decoration
groom
horse
iconisation
image
institutions
life insurance corporation
marriage
public
ride
state bank of india
trader
tube light
wealth
wedding procession
wire
Detail of a light container. The small boy holds the heavy container with two hands and his stomach. The containers carry large batteries, thick cables and stands for the lights. The child's face get obscured with the paraphernalia. It is an example of nasty exploitation of child labour. But it could also be the only source of income for the entire family. The issue of child labour is a complex one in a country like in India. The surface level campaign against child labour has also rendered many families more vulnerable. Many children also earn the expense of their education by working in such sectors.
Top angle shot of the band playing in full glory. They stand in full strength along the road and play a song from the popular flick Gadar - main aya gaddi le ke... It is a North India story (featuring a Sikh strongman as hero played by Sunny Deol) of valor and machismo. The conductor in old brown blazer plays the saxophone and entertains the camera. The name of the band - Azad (independant) band is displayed. The name makes it almost certain that the band is owned by some Muslim. A basic survey will disclose the Muslim owned establishment often have names such as Azad (freedom), Rajdhani (capital) National etc. whereas the same kind of establishment which are owned by the Hindus may have names such as Om masala store or Shri Ram tailors. This is part of the script of Indian citizenship where the Muslim citizens need to establish their secular/national credential time and again. It is a stray observation, but worth contemplating.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
azad band
batteries
campaign
child labour
citizenship
colonial
conductor
coolie
costume
credential
education
enterprise
establishment
family
film music
gadar
hindu
income
independent
machismo
minority
mulim
music band
nationalism
obscure
observation
patriotism
procession
saxophone
secular
small boy
starving
tube light
valor
wedding
Shot of the wedding procession from the other side of the road. The road barricade separates the procession and the Sunday market. The market, specially the street food stalls are still going strong. Slow traffic flows in. the wedding procession and its paraphernalia is such a common sight on Indian street that no body pays any attention to it. Except one Arab sheikh riding a cycle rickshaw seems reasonably curious. Even the vehicles on the road tries their best to accommodate the procession.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
accommodative
bazaar
curious
cycle rickshaw
main road
market
pedestrian
procession
public place
street culture
traffic
wedding
Another shot of the band. For a brief period the band appears autonomous and plays for the fun of it while their customers linger behind. The conductor, an old man, pushes his pupils around to acquire a clear access to the camera and then play with lot of exhibitionism till the groom on the horseback catches up with them.
Sunday market, Old Delhi
camera
conductor
drum
exhibitionism
flute
groom
horseback
music band
music instrument
procession
saxophone
wedding
Sunday market, Old Delhi
The groom's family catch with the band and start instructing them. Their moment of autonomy gets over. A cameraman with the proud possession of a Panasonic camera appears with a big grin. He obviously is a wedding videographer - a phenomena as essential as the horse in North Indian weddings. So with the loud and generic music of the Azad band, the wedding procession inches forward -crossing the stalls and carts of the flea market, marked by mysterious white lights carried by invisible children and accommodated and ignored by the pedestrians. The horse drags its rickety legs hidden beneath the decorated garment. The male revelers dance and throw currency note... they must be happy!
azad band
bazaar
camera
carts
currency note
dance
decked up
family
flea market
groom
horse
marriage video
music band
procession
public place
revelers
rickety
ride
road
stalls
street
videographer
wedding
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