New Delhi, Wednesday, December 28, 2011
10 my city
htcity
A tailor sits outside the Tandon’s suit shop in the first courtyard of the market
hangout SHANKAR MARKET
Just an hour at Shankar Market can get you great food, a new wardrobe and books at discounted rates! PHOTOS: WASEEM GASHROO
Fashion, food and fiction... Chetna Dua
■ chetna.dua@hindustantimes.com
F
or the past 50 odd years, Shankar Market in Connaught Place (CP) has been one of the must visit places for buying fabric. Here, you will find rows of shops selling a range of fabrics, from cotton to spun, tussar, silk and georgettes in solid colours, and digital prints, all at pocket-friendly prices.
Stitch in time Sweet potato is available here for R10 - R20
What’s more, most shops have a tailor sitting outside, so you can get your measure-
ments taken and your fabric stitched on the spot. They’ll even courier your purchase to your home for an extra payment of R50 to R100. While a simple salwar kameez stitching will cost you R300, an anarkali could cost anything between R500 to R700. When here, do pay a visit to Hunar, which is a popular shop with socialites such as Nafisa Ali for its crisp cotton kurtas and churidars. “We get at least 100 orders a day, so you have to give the material at least a month in advance to us,” says Udham Singh, an assistant at the shop.
“Those of us who work in CP love Shankar Market because we can come here during our lunch hour and order clothes. It’s very convenient and the service is also quick,” says Mohini Rastogi, 28, who works in a travel office in CP.
Book it! The fourth courtyard of the market is a haven for book lovers. Here, you can find shops such as Sharma Book Depot, which sells a range of fiction and non-fiction books for R100 - R200. While romantics can pick up a Mills and Boons novel for R20, fashionistas can buy international
Where to go?
What: Shankar Market, opposite M block market, Connaught Place Best time to go: Between 2pm and 4pm, as the food stalls are up and running then NEAREST METRO STATION: Barakhamba on the Blue Line
The chaat wallah here sets up shop from 2pm to 9pm
editions of fashion magazines for R40 to R200.
Lunch hour traffic People from nearby offices come here to relish rajma chawal (R40) and kadi chawal (R40). “Peak hour for us is between 2pm to 4pm, and we get at least 100 people,” says Ashok Gupta of The Rajma Chawal Shop. There’s also a chaat shop which is set up around 2pm till 9pm, but the chaat, which costs R20 - R30, is usually sold out sooner. You can also get kulche chhole for R30. Despite the fact that there is no seating available, this is one of the most popular spots in CP at lunch hour.
The Piccadilly Book Stall here has an ongoing 10% discount