Tome And Plume: Whispers Of Old Stories Mingle With Pulse Of Vibrant Present Of New Market

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Happiness is not in money, but in shopping – Marilyn Monroe.

New Market’s chequered past is not so well known. But before the railways reached Bhopal, street-selling culture burgeoned at the place where today’s New Market has come up.

The Begums of Bhopal, who ruled the city for more than a century, promoted the sale of local products. During all festivals, like Holi, Diwali, Dussehra, and Eid, many people from the villages adjacent to the state capital set up makeshift shops on roads to sell their products.

That way, the area where the city’s heartthrob, New Market, stands today, may have once been abuzz with activities. A true Bhopali proudly says, “All roads in the city lead to New Market.”

An outsider may laugh off his remark as any other Bhopali bluster, because many such commercial places as New Market have come up in the city. Yet, none is like New Market. So, it is true that all roads in the city lead to this place.

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In the Nawabi era too, the place witnessed many commercial and other activities and used to be a place of social gathering.

Local artisans would sell their goods like zardozi and Batua (special Bhopali wallets) at the present New Market. Ergo, the area, now called New Market, played an important role in the daily life of Nawabi Bhopal.

Yet, during the Nawabi rule, the main shopping centre was the Chowk market in the old city. Anyway, there is a veil of mystery around the history of the present New Market. The capital of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal, was always known as the City of Lakes but never as a commercial city.

The main market was in the TT Nagar area, now part of New Market, and it continued to be so until the 1970s. As there was no modern commercial hub, the government decided to develop a place where commercial activities may take place to cater to the daily needs of the residents.

The development of New Market is associated with the town planner MN Buch, who was awarded Padma Bhushan. The work for setting up New Market began in 1975 when a small industrial unit was built in TT Nagar.

From 1975 to 1991, several small industrial units came up in the place because of its connectivity with the other areas in the city.

Before the modern New Market came up, TT Nagar Sports Complex (TT Nagar Stadium) was built in 1962, but it was renovated and turned into a major sports complex in 2013.

Now, the sports complex is part of New Market. The offices of many government and private firms came up around this place.

At the entrance of the market, there is a big temple of Lord Hanuman where people offer prayers before shopping.

From outside, the market looks like a small commercial area, but inside, it is like a rabbit’s warren. A newcomer may lose his way. During festivals, the alleys inside the market are overcrowded. A buyer may get everything at this place.

Still, amid the cacophony of a market, one may sometimes hear the fine tunes of flutes that the local artisans sell.

Although New Market delineates the modern concept of shopping and marketing, it still holds the spirit of India, where having a cup of tea or Dal Tarka (dal fry) with a few hot chapatis at a roadside food outlet is still considered a matter of pride. So, if a Bhopali says, “New Market has everything in its kitty,” he will not be wrong, because it is in New Market where the whispers of old stories blend with the vibrant pulse of the present.

 Arup Chakraborty