A KALEIDOSCOPE FOR SOARING BIRDS

The bazaars of the Walled City are not merely a source of livelihood but are interwoven with the everyday life, culture, and an utter sense of community. Women conveniently place their orders for chapattis (flatbreads) from their rooftops or windows. The shop-owners convene on an extension of their shop, with their friends, fellow shop-owners, and neighbors, playing board games while overlooking the neighborhood’s children playing cricket. On one corner of the bazaar, street-charmers engross the entranced young and old alike through their tamasha (performances) while the talented artisans are preoccupied in their workshops creating crafts. The birds that glide over one of the traditional bazaars of the Walled City witness a mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic web of tangled ferry lights, pennants, billboards, and vibrant kites. Underneath this mesh, women adorning floral patterns in primary colors, the golden hues from the jeweler’s store, playful trinkets and the deep colors of herbs and spices, collide.