A gypsy’s wonderland: Main Bazar in Delhi’s Paharganj is a delight for shoppers

With its kitsch-meets-boho charm, Main Bazar nestled in the bustling Paharganj is a smorgasbord of surprises for budget shoppers.

If you have the soul of a gypsy that loves all things bright and beautiful, a trip to Paharganj will always turn around a bad day for you. The fashionably chintzy lanes of Paharganj’s Main Bazar are full of surprises. The market is dotted with shops and kiosks selling everything from kaleidoscopic junk jewellery to kitschy patch work bags and chappals with fun pom poms. You often meet intriguing fellow shoppers: the lonely artist with dreadlocks, the wandering musician with platinum hair and a guitar tucked under his arm, the gypsy girl whose body is the landscape for tattoos that abridge the world into a colourful tapestry. This is where retro Bollywood numbers graciously blend into Bob Marley’s music in quaint cafes stuck in time warp. As you take in the smell of incense sticks wafting from shops selling potpourri, you bump into occasional cows and buffalos gleefully stealing bananas from fruit carts. Holding that ripped tie-dye top undecidedly in your hand, you notice Che Guevara smiling at you from one of the posters on the wall, telling you that true fashion never surrenders to set rules. Here’s what you must buy from this gypsy wonderland.

Main Bazar in Paharganj is a great place to shop for cotton wear. (Photo credit: Shara Ashraf)

Compilation & Styling: Prerna Gauba
Models: Richa Dave, Pallavi Singh and Rose Alisha
Photos: Shara Ashraf
Model coordinator: Purple Thoughts
Hair & Makeup: Ishika Taneja & Aashmeen Munjaal

Paper star lamps and lanterns (Rs 35- Rs 150) from Galaxy Handicrafts, 5134/2 &3, Main Bazar

Wraparound pants (Rs 450), appliqué top (Rs 450) and cap (Rs 350) from A One Collections, 1181, Main Bazar.

Alcohol free handmade sandalwood ittar (Rs 200) from Aroma Shop India, 9075, Main Bazar.

With its gigantic entrance, rugged iron doors and windows, a dried up well, and mysterious go-downs, Vishkarma Mill, a building made in 1908, became the perfect backdrop for our shoot. Known as daal mill by locals, it processed a variety of pulses in its early days. The tumbledown structure, where the owner’s great grand children live now stubbornly clings to its once glorious past.

(L-R) Wraparound skirt (Rs 450) and tie-dye T-shirt (Rs 350) from A One Handicrafts & Bag shop, 1584, Main Bazar. Asymmetric printed cotton dress (Rs 450) from A One Collections.

Stone-studded bag (Rs 300) from Sri Krsna Exports, 1607, Main Bazar

Lace up chappals with pom poms, stone-studded flats and embellished jutis (Price: Rs 250- Rs 1,500) from Vishal Foot Wear, 5082-83, Main Bazar.

Goddess print ganjis and T-shirts (Rs 300) from Arora Sons, 5063, Main Bazar.

Ripped T-shirt (Rs 350) from A One Handicrafts & Bag Shop, 1584, Main Bazar

Owl and turtle shaped locks (Rs 350-Rs 500 ) from Prime Cargo Exports, 1574, Main Bazar