New Bamboo Bazaar

Which Drain? What Nallah? Series.
Collecting Smiles In The City Market Gujli.

The Gujli or New Bamboo Bazaar (locally called as Bumboo Bazaar) sprouted and flourishes next to the drain that passes through the heart of the city. This drain lies downstream from the large tank that stood where the Sri KR Market or City Market now stands. 

It's pretty narrow here and goes on to become the wide grape-juice river that flows through Shantinagar, Mico, Adugodi and NGV. Luckily, the smell from the drain fails miserably in wiping off the smiles of the people (smile also works here when you want to bargain) who work over and around the drain. 

It's  a great place to collect what Incredible India biggest attraction - Our Billion Dollar Smiles. 


Full drain series here.

Oosman Khan Road

Safe hands.

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New Bamboo Bazaar

New Bamboo Bazaar.

Names can be deceptive. Like the New Bamboo Bazaar, next to City market. It sells more more metal and less bamboo (Bamboo is used for ladders and scaffolding). The New Bamboo Bazaar popularly known as the Gujli/Gujri, covers the area between S J Park and Kalasipalayam bisected by a stinking nullah. The bazaar is a collection of tens of little shops stocking scrap metal and second hand metallic parts. Like the humble shop shown above that sells everything you need to repair a tractor or build one from scratch.  Jai Kisan!

We are Indians. We have an army out there that helps us reuse most things we throw.  And if it is made from metal, it usually ends up here. Scrap is landed here by the truck loads in these narrow lanes littered with metal bits. They are sorted, broken down and sold for reuse.

The New Bamboo Bazaar or Gujli is home to of hundreds of small scrap dealers and hawkers. Each of them have their own niche and regular customers. Like this shop, brothers Ali and Hamid inherited from their father. They deal in springs and gears for lathe machines sourced from Mumbai. Their customers are small industries from the many industrial estates that dot Bruhat Benglur or Greater Bangalore.  

The price is usually settled through  old-fashioned bargaining. However, most metal is traded based on weight. The going rate for Mild Steel (MS) is about Rs. 45. You can get them in any size you wish. The customer can sift through the wares or state the required size and the shopkeeper will do it for you. You can also get a wide range of metal alloys  but no one will guarantee you the perfect mix. Here's a young man weighing scrap metal before making a sale. 

And finally here are some friendly faces from the Gujli. Meet Chottoo and Company. That's little Syed Noor with his friend Athalluah, standing shoulder to shoulder. 

 

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Chandni Chowk Road

It's not Delhi-6. This is Bangalore-51. It's not just a Chowk. This is the Chandni Chowk Road.

Only in Benglur would a Chowk's name be followed by Road. And our own Chandni Chowk Road is as interesting as the name. For example, the Russel Market end of Chandni Chowk Road is part of the Gujli. As the graveyard of old vehicles, electrical goods, lathe machines and anything recyclable and its second-hand market is called in the city. 

The Gujli is not as large as the one in City Market (New Bamboo Bazaar) but then Benglureans believe that there's nothing you cannot find at the Shivajinagar Gujli. Like the little shop shown above that sells all kinds of gears, nuts, bolts and fixtures for automobiles, lathe, milling and grinding machines.  And if you want your automobile fixed, you can seek the services of a roadside mechanic. Here's a humble establishment under the spotlight.

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