BANGALORE: Ever heard of a bazaar that remains open only for an hour? ‘Maya Bazaar’ truly lives up to its name as this mini-market functions from 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm on all working days. If you visit the place before or after this time, you will not even find a trace of any goods being sold here. There are a variety of items ranging from clothes, to electronic gadgets being sold at this temporary place and the market comes alive like the proverbial fairy world — only in the afternoon.
The street adjoining the Income Tax Office close to the seat of power, the Vidhana Soudha, is where all the action takes place. One can see people selling their goods sitting on both sides of the small street. Maya Bazaar is targeted towards one set of buyers as it is close to many government offices. More than 10 offices exist on this lane and the employees working here are the reason behind the very existence of this market. Manjunath who sells clothes says “ Employees of the surrounding offices have a lunch break between 1.30 to 2.30 p.m. So, we sell our items only during this time of the day.”
As a matter of fact, the general public is mostly unaware of its existence. But the fact is that this market has existed for around 15 years. Kumar who has been selling condiments for the last 11 years says” We sell items only on working days. Government holidays are holidays even for us. We cannot make this our permanent business. I supply my goods to other shops as well” he adds.
Mutturayappa who has been selling vegetables in the market for the last two years comes from his village Gollahalli everyday. He says that though he has tried very hard, he has not been able to stop from coming here everyday. A buyer says “ The price is quite reasonable and nonetheless, all items are available. Whenever there is a necessity, we come during lunch and buy whatever we want.”
Mallesh a security officer in a nearby office told City Express, “People come for purchases at Maya Bazaar to save time. Since people have a little bit of time during lunch break, they buy their necessities. It helps them save time as they don’t have to spend time for shopping.” He adds that he too has been buying here for a long time and the sellers stock clothes according to the season and climate. Goods available in the market include garments jewellery, electronic items, vegetables, snacks and condiments bedspreads and so on. Over the years, Maya Bazaar has grown and definitely accepted by the people as a unique concept.