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A visit to T Nagar is incomplete without strolling and buying in the shoppers paradise Pondy Bazaar which is an old commercial and shoppers hub of T Nagar. It encompasses a large area on the fringes of Usman Road on the on one end and bordering Anna Salai near Teynampet, on the other.
It is a place that never sleeps as buyers from all walks of life rely on this lively area to buy everything under the sun. You name it, you get it. It has a wide range of shops from clothes, accessories, provisions and articles required for daily needs.
There are many pavement shops on both sides of the road and they run the full length of the street. Apart from this there are also hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and many more. Many big names in textiles like Naidu Hall, Nalli, Globus, and stores for home appliances and home needs Rathna Stores Firm, and many others lure clients with their exquisite stuff.
There are shops which sell massive suitcases tempting people going abroad. We were especially attracted by the stuffed dolls sold on the pavement.
The transport facilities are excellent. Just by taking a share auto for Rs 5 per person from T Nagar bus stop, we can reach Pondy Bazaar.
The main attraction of this area are the pavement shops which have lots and lots of collections such as cotton garments, footwear, leather bags, bangles, costume jewellery, toys, plastic goods, ornaments, crockery and the most eye-catching things are bouquets and garlands.
Flowers also play a vital role in attracting the shopping public. Myriad hues and varieties of flowers assume a big role in drawing the public. A florist said he had set up the shop in Pondy Bazaar four years ago and the flowers for making the bouquets are imported from Banglore and Ooty. Flowers like gerbera, champangi, asters and roses are chiefly used to make bouquets. The escalation in the price of flowers has affected his business to an extent, yet, “there is some profit” and he is able to sustain his livelihood. He gets many orders and people like to buy bouquets these days.
More than that, he said selling bouquets and garlands gives him immense pleasure. That was some statement coming from a man as it is usually women who are supposed to be fond of flowers.
On the other side were bangles with brilliant colours which enticed us. When we asked the shopkeeper about the varieties and the kind of bangles people like to buy, he said there are many types of bangles from Bombay, Kolkata, Faridabad and Jaipur. Stone bangle, crown, antique, Suraj, Katrina, chik, superkala, fiveline and threeline are some of the varieties. He also declared that women like to buy glass bangles which are conventional but college girls like to buy bracelets, fiveline and chik models. He said not only Chennaiites but also people from Malaysia and Singapore buy bangles.
Narayana Pearls, the costume jewellery shop, which is very popular amongst girls and women, had a wonderful display of stringed pearls, corals, and semi precious gems .We were awestruck at the designs and patterns.
As we pottered around busy Pondy Bazaar, we felt hungry and barged into one of the famous hotels and dug into in hot puris and dosas.
We came across many people simply window shopping to while away their time. “What is not here,” wondered an old lady aloud, though she visits this place at least once a week.
R Monica
K A Hemalatha
K Manju Parkavi
Somiyo Raigam
M Maragata Meena
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