Sunday, June 19, 2011

Chill makes working classes flock Lunda Bazaar


Sajid Bashir
Thursday, November 25, 2010

LAHORE

Middle class people and the poor, both from here and other far-off cities and towns, thronged the Lunda Bazaar in the Naulakha area.

The bazaar is famous for trading generally used articles especially clothes. People come here from all over Punjab and other places to purchase used clothes and things for their personal use as well as in large quantities for their retail outlets. Surrounded by some historical places like Sarae Mian Sultan, Masjid Gunj Shaheed, famed Presbyterian Church, Don Bosco High School, Delhi Gate, Government Poly Technical college for boys, Aslam Khan Road, Railway Station, Railway headquarters, Do Morria Pull, Looha Bazaar and Naulakha Bazaar. Haji camp is also close by. In a way, the market offers more fun to visitors than a mere buying and selling point especially for those interested in exploring Lahore’s history.

Despite considerable increase in the prices of items of daily use, this scribe found people mostly buying second-hand sweaters, jackets, cardigans and other clothes to brave the winters. Majority of females were seen buying woollies for their children to protect them against cold, when temperatures goes down considerably and may lead to various ailments among children.

Most of the visitors are of the view that the purchasing power of people has been shrunk by price-hike. As they have been already groaning under the weight of heavy taxes, people prefer used clothes as they are cheaper compared to new ones.

A local shopkeeper said that as winters approached fast in the coming weeks, more and more people belonging to the middle and lower middle classes would visit the bazaar. He said that most of the people visiting the bazaar belonged to the middle class as they preferred to buy used clothes as these were much cheaper than the new ones.

A shopper, Ahmad Shah Gilani, said that it was impossible for a common man to buy a new jacket or a sweater in the current circumstances. Daily income of a worker is around Rs 200 while the price of a jacket is in thousands, he added. A woman complained that prices of even used jackets and sweaters are skyrocketing and are out of the reach of the common man. Interestingly, elite class also visits the Landa Bazaar but not openly. People especially women from this class park their vehicles away from the bazaar so that nobody could identify them. A shopkeeper pointed out that women from the elite class mostly flock Landa Bazaar on Mayo Hospital Road.

The members of this class take real advantage of this bazaar as second-hand clothes being used by them are never questioned or objected to. He dispelled the impression that only people belonging to the low and middle classes visited the Landa Bazaar.

Youth especially students usually visit both the Landa Bazaars, one in Naulakha and the other one on Mayo Hospital Road. Stylish and trendy, low-priced jackets, sweaters and jeans mostly attract them.

A college student, Abdul Mannan, said that sweaters and jackets at the Landa Bazaar were still cheap as compared to the new woollies at local markets. “I bought a jacket from the Landa Bazaar for Rs only 375 and it is still in the same condition. Take some time to search and you can find wonderful stuff for all ages and especially for children,” she said smilingly.

A young lady said that visiting Landa Bazaar was like on a hunt for treasure, which was ranging from the clothes shipped to Pakistan to men’s shirts still stiff with starch.

On the other hand, most of the shoppers said that new woollies were expensive and they could not afford to buy such high-priced items. So they are left with no option but to buy used clothes from the Landa Bazaars.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=17154&Cat=5&dt=11/25/2010

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