Wednesday, November 2, 2011

State Emporia

One of the shopping areas in Delhi that we've always enjoyed is on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, one of the radial roads out of Connaught Place. There is a different shop for each state in India, far too many to go to all of them in one day. I hadn't been there for some time, and one of the changes is that, although each one has its specialty items, more and more crafts are similar. I presume that is because with modern transportation and communication, there is a spreading of information across the country.

The first one as we headed out from the center of the city was Delhi (a city-state, the capital area similar to Washington, DC).

Many of the shops had a Ganesh (elephant god) statue near the entry. Ganesh is often used as a symbol of beginnings, or welcoming.


The salesman in the jewelry section was happy to see Dan, who has been a former customer. Unfortunately for him, we came away from there empty-handed this time.


In the Assam shop, we enjoyed these red and white cloths. The weaving was on a simple lightweight cotton and they came in many sizes.


Many of the shops had piles of colorful clothes.


Kashmir is famous for its carved walnut objects, as well as papier-maché. This desk caught my eye because it is taller than usual.


Imagine my surprise when the salesman lifted the top and opened the sides to reveal a complicated set of cubbyholes. Perhaps a bit of overkill, even for someone who likes to be very organized!


The Rajasthan Emporium welcomed us with a display of brightly colored statues.


To read about our lunch and see pictures, go to my new blog here.

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