Which Main? What Cross?: New Bamboo Bazaar Road

June 8, 2009

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.

April 1, 2009

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.