“Oh no! No more street shopping” — this was the invariable answer from any young girl, who heard that the street hawkers in Pondy bazaar have been shifted to the Corporation complex.
Though the change might have made the place bare and spacious, easing the traffic, it has definitely put an end to the culture of ‘street shopping’ especially among the young girls, for whom the place was bottomless treasure trove. When CE quizzed a few regarding the recent move, all one could get was a gloomy disheartened response as they reminisced the joy of walking down the colourful street and the fun of street shopping.
“The whole stretch of Pondy Bazaar, especially the street shopping, has very much been a part of my life, as I spend most of my time during weekends there. Even as a kid, we use to go there often. It used to be for those bubbles they sold outside Naidu Hall, then the stickers and cartoon embossed watches during schooling and now for the accessories and clothes. I am surely going to miss the colourful chaos of Pondy Bazaar. Though they have moved them into a complex, it can’t replace the fun of walking down the pavement and watching the colourful displays of the wares,” said Janani, a college student.
The ‘shopping hub’ has always been in the checklist of most of the city girls, who just love to wander the street, hanging out with friends and family.
“The glamour of Pondy Bazaar is lost. Ever since my childhood I have been there enjoying shopping for everything from the wares that lure us to buy them, even when you don’t intend shopping. That’s the beauty of Pondy Bazaar. I never returned empty handed when I hit that stretch. Even now, when I pass by the street, one glance at the colourful kurtis displayed, makes me halt and buy one,” said Nithya, a young IT professional.
It is not just the loss for youngsters from the city, but also for the city-based students, who are currently studying abroad and travel once or twice to their home in Chennai.
“Though I am abroad and I might get better quality accessories and products here, Chennai’s Pondy Bazaar is something integral in my shopping itinerary. Every time I visit Chennai, that is one stop I make invariably. After all I was born and raised there. I love street shopping and more than that it is the joy of bargaining that matters. I remember my college days there, when my friends and I used to hang out at the place every now and then. Though we wouldn’t buy a thing, it was so refreshing to have a glimpse of the vibrant street. We are so going to miss that experience,” said Shalini, a Chennai -based student, currently pursuing her MS in the USA.