Hunt for bargains at Chor bazaar

(The Brunch magazine last week published some fascinating articles about - 10 things you can do on summer morning in Delhi. I've posted these articles at Motley Delhi for the people who do not read the Brunch magazine.) Stay connected for more.

Visit Chor Bazaar opposite the Red Fort on Sunday mornings, 5 am onwards.

Closest metro station: Chandni Chowk

If you’re squeamish about using previously owned items and think you’ll be greeted by shining, new things here, then go right back to sleep. Chor Bazaar is exactly what the name suggests. Emphatically scrubbed clean second-hand clothes and shoes; local factory-made electronic items, MP3 players, leather accessories, gym equipment, recycled bottle lamps and mugs – these are just some of the things you’ll find here.

The bazaar shifted from behind Red Fort to the road from Darya Ganj to Meena Bazaar in the early 2000s. You won’t get the best of spoils (LPs, old gramophones, even hardware and kitchen equipment) that early in the morning. But as the sun rises, so do the number of people and they are not afraid to push you out of the way. So be all arms and elbows once you reach there.
And if you are a woman like me, be prepared to be gawked at, no matter what you wear. A busybody asked me to “dress better” or sahi se kapde pehno, when I was clad in tattered pajamas and T-shirt.

Most hawkers have been dealing there for at least a decade, so stick to your guns when haggling for a lower price. And they will relent. Don’t be put off if you can’t find anything worth buying. Be patient and look closer, there will be decent jeans with just the right shade of fade and quirky lamps that can up your home’s kitsch quotient a few notches. And who knows, you might even get what you came looking for.

Where else will you find perfectly worn-out leather boots for Rs. 200 or less (depending on your bargaining talent)?
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