Bazaar on Konkan coast

In Maharashtra, the coastline belongs to the Kolis or Fishermen. The men go out to sea to catch the fish. The women sell the fish at the local bazaar. Koli women focus on the quality of the product. That is all that matters. And, if you don't trust them when they say the price is good and the fish fresh, you can go take a walk!!




There are no "circulation paths" in the Maasali bazaar or Fish market at Murud Janjira, which has today become a weekend getaway for Bombayites and where the Janjira fort stands in the waters of the Arabian sea. You "circulate" without a plan. You "circulate" without a thought. You "circulate" as if you are in the waters of the ocean. With every wave, you change where you are and what you do.




There is an indoor market and an outdoor market. Inside, there is tranquillity. Outside, chaos reigns. The market structure has little openings in the walls and some places in the roof, that bring in the sunlight beautifully. The vendors here have time to chat with you as you stroll around the few lanes within.

There is the countrywood jali which generates good cross-ventilation within the bazaar building. The walls are white. The sunlight is a serene spotlight from above that sometimes puts the women on centrestage and sometimes the fish.






Other posts on Fish Bazaar:
Fish market at Sassoon Docks

Miracle boutique

In India, we have always, always been fascinated with miracles. There was a time when they actually happened, with the tapasya of the Rishis. Later, we lived with the epic tales told at home by our grandmothers and the miracles were almost a part of us. Then, and also before, came the movies, that depicted these tales of hanuman flying in the air, of krishna and arjuna. There were television serials soon after, that brought the miracles to every home, in every town.

When we walk into the Forum mall and see the "Ponds Miracle boutique", it gives us a "good feeling". Then, there are the showrooms that offer all that you need for the gym evenings. Today, lifestyles and malls are about "LOok good, FEel good"

Forum Mall at Bangalore

One walks into Forum mall wanting not so much to "buy" or to even "windowshop" but to find out why everyone in Bangalore recommends 'Forum mall' as THE mall to go to. So, you go in there, and tell yourself, "this must be good, because its the Forum" Quite like when we went into the Louvre in Paris, with little time on hand before the museum closed for the day, we headed straight for the 'Monalisa'. Stood before it and stood before it... and like everybody else does, told ourselves, this is a very good piece of art, because its THE Monalisa, it is Da Vinci's most famous work.

We had been told that Garuda mall was good to visit as well, and that there were many malls in Bangalore, that Bangalore was a "city of malls" . Its always good to first check out the best. So, we enter into the Forum, the backlit floor plans attract attention.

Its the corner spaces in the mall that are designed very well. In one of the corners, is the Cafe Coffee day. Its not so much how the spaces within the coffee shop are, but what the lively corners do for those who stroll in the mall. The coffee shop would pull you in, even if you were not at that moment considering a cup of hot or cold coffee! In the Irani cafes of old-time Bombay, it was this cornerness that was the most remarkable feature. The corners of streets were always taken up by an Irani shop. Its charm did come from its mirrored walls, its marble-top tables and round-seated wooden chairs. The black of the chairs, the mirrors, the bun-maska and the man behind counter were what made the place what it used to be!

Read about:
The Mall: where is it going?
Designing an Indian mall
a Mall for Home Interiors
Spencer's Plaza: the mall in Chennai

Decongesting the Jagadamba Junction

Our objectives
To decongest the area to allow it to function efficiently as a transition zone, linking different parts of the city centre
To provide better environment for shoppers and cinema goers
Reduce pollution in an area frequented by large sections of the public
Improve accessibility to Poorna market

Possible Causes of Congestion

Increase in shopping activity at Jagadamba Junction – esp. Chandana Bros. & Bommana shops
Location of a Cinema hall (Jagadamba theatre) at the Junction and four other cinema halls in the by-lanes behind the junction.
Lack of adequate parking facilities for shoppers and cinema goers
Implementation of parking regulations not strict enough

Experiments to determine the extent of change required

Pedestrianise the area for one-day by stopping traffic into the centre
Seal access to Chandana and Bommana shops from the Main road
Strict enforcement of parking regulations in lots available currently
Survey staff to be positioned at traffic junctions, parking lots and strategic points on the footpaths to observe the movements of vehicle owners, pedestrians, shoppers, and public using the area as transition zone.
Plugging of access to different combination of roads to be tried out.
Conduct a meeting of Shopowners, Petrol bunk owners and Users of the area to know their views on pedestrianisation and day-to-day problems that they think the government can help solve.
Seek comments and suggestions from the citizens of Vizag, through market survey, which may be conducted by the management students of GITAM college.
Conduct an exhibition of the Pedestrianisation draft proposal, which would be open to the public. Invite their views in a visitors’ book or in a follow-up workshop to be attended by organisations and old residents of Vizag.
Conduct a meeting for the Press & invite them to open a debate to allow citizens to send letters to be published in the daily newspapers during the public consultation period.