Friday, March 1, 2013

Shopping in the capital


I was still lingering at the thought when he said “ Madam jach rahe ho aap ” meaning the outsfit I have tried suits me well. It was my first day of shopping in Delhi & it turned out to be a colourful, vast, elaborate and an enriching experience. Shopping in Delhi has the ability to meet the needs of almost each traveller who wants to shop be it diversified. From the old Lajpat Nagar market to the plush Dilli Haat... will leave you fascinated though with empty pockets!!!

Normally we would visit the malls or known markets and would not explore the local markets easily but when I did it I was awestruck with the cosmic variety they offered. When in other cities, most people wonder if they could choose a good place to shop, get what they like and most importantly do not get rigged into the malice of price versus quality. I share some that could be of good interests.

Lajpat Nagar market also known as the Central Market: For Indian clothing, ready- made salwaar suits or to be stitched materials. It houses the best of variety and price range that fits your need. You have various local shops selling read to stitch suit materials ranging between 400-1500 (need bargaining by 5-10%) with varied quality of cotton, jamavers, georgette, shiffons etc. If you are the creative kind and love to mix match your stuff then a shop named Vastra sell varied materials as per meter requirement. In addition, they have several dupattas to be matched with & sell everything with fixed/marked.

 Down the lane are these 2 shops called Sabhayata and Sanskruti for well designed readymade Kurtis in all sizes. A one stop destination to buy Kurtis, salwaars, chudidars, Indian designed skirts etc. They have fixed prices making it easier for shoppers.

 The by lanes in the market also offer other things like long Kurta pyjamas for men, ranging from 450-500 rs, mojris for both men and women ranging between 350 – 650, not woollen but these fancy shawls for rs 150 – 350, bed covers and sheets with fixed prices and handicrafts like colourful stone studded mirrors, diaries etc which should be bargained to a price range of 50 – 150 rupees and can be bought as souvenirs for friends and family back home. Right outside the markets are various street vendors selling steamed momos and fresh lime sodas which can surely freshen you up for another quick round of shopping plus there is 3C mall in the area which has good food outlets.

Saket, Janpath: Street shopping export reject clothes or surplus & funky cloth bags. They hike the prices before selling and hence need persuading and extreme bargaining skills to purchase the items. Do not shy to bargain hard. Janpath is highly preferred by hippie kind of travellers for the Indian motive designed kurtas, bandans etc.

Greater Kailash Part I & II M-Block markets: Considered to be one of the most popular markets in Delhi. It has a wide range of products, luxury brands and few street shopping of clothes (again export rejects/ surplus) & shoes that attracts most of Delhi youngsters. There is this famous Price pan which sells numerous variety of tasty pans, papdi chats etc to mingle with your taste buds!!! 2-3 shops in GK part I sell beautiful variety of silver items like earrings, nose studs, anklets, bracelets etc. What's more...they do body piercing using safe and hygienic means. A must stop for silver jewellery lovers.

Shopping malls like City Walk in Saket and Emporio in Vasant Vihar (both in South Delhi) are excellent options for high end international label outlets.

Dilli Haat: If you are looking for rich handicrafts from around the country then is the place to be. It is located at Pitampura and houses stalls selling these. They have various food stalls as well selling delicacies of various states/ parts of the country. This place is an upgraded version of the intrinsic bazaars popular in India & is promoted by Delhi tourism. More information can be found on www.delhitourism.com.

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