Delhiwale: Let there be light, and let it be chic

From the fustian Azzaro Illuminati to the modest Mr Light, there are over 150 lamp shops at Lok Nayak Bhawan

Golden Lights. Chanchal Lights. Lafayette Lights. Zenith Lights. Bohemia Lights. Eco Lights. Galaxy Lights. United Lights. Baba Lights.

A string of shops sell lights in Lok Nayak Bhawan market. (Mayank Austen Soofi / HT Photo)

These are the names of shops in Lok Nayak Bhawan market, where they have a lampshade to suit every passing fancy. No less than 150 lamp shops stun gawkers with their glitter.

Some of the lamps are whimsical. We chance upon a shade shaped like a bird cage, while another resembles a lamp post you might find in Lodhi Gardens.

A few shops even stock giant chandeliers.

Many of these thriving little enterprises have been around for a while. “We moved from Old Delhi’s Bhagirathi Palace in 1984 when the tower was opened,” says Madan Budhiraja at Azzaro Illuminati (a rare shop without ‘light’ in its name). He’s referring to the building in central Delhi where the Lok Nayak Market and its lamp stalls take up the entire ground floor.

The biggest wholesale market for lampshades, however, is still at Bhagirathi Palace, but Lok Nayak is far more accessible — its lamp-lined arcades more atmospheric. Leisurely paced for browsers like us, it feels as if we have walked into a gaudy wedding set. One shopkeeper tells us that most lampshades come from China. (It has to be a coincidence but tucked amid these stores we spotted a salon named Chinese Beauty Parlour.)

And while looking for Ankur Lights, said to be the oldest here, we stumble upon a shop with the simplest of all the names — Mr Light.