Jewelry stall draws crowds
Women and jewelry are synonymous. In the ongoing handicraft exhibition at All Saints Hall a particular jewelry stall attracted womenfolk like flies to a honey pot much. to the chagrin of other stall owners which could not keep up with the competition.
This jewelry stall is doing brisk business in comparison with the other stalls – some of which run empty throughout the day prompting their proprietors to enjoy the winter sunshine.
The jewelry stall sells bracelets, chains and other imitation items which are very popular among the women. They were seen bargaining with the stall owners for a good price.
And as is wont to happen, a crowded stall always attracts more people because all are inquisitive about why people rush there.
The women wore their favorite bracelets, chains around their neck to check out how they looked.
And such is the demand for these jewelry items that the moment one customer discards a particular item another one picks it up pronto. Jewelry have their own sets of admirers no matter whether they are fake or real
PB’s favourite fast food joints
When someone spoke about evicting hawkers from Khyndailad, sometime ago many fast food lovers spurned the idea saying that Government should find a place for these hawkers of alu-muri, alu-chaat, gol-gappa and other mouth-watering food so that they are not deprived of this fare.
In the evening Khyndailad normally shortened to PB turns into an open air fast food space with makeshift stalls selling the above plus noodles too.
These stalls are great equalizers as people, young and old, from every community and walks of life throng around them. There are now over a dozen such stalls serving hot items.
One of the favorite items among these cosmopolitan customers is the kachori chaat served with chana, black pepper and other ingredients. The hakka chow for instance is cooked before your very eyes and served piping hot although it tastes nothing like a real Chinese dish.
It is a concocted version but it sells all the same. But one thing is guaranteed. Each of the items are not just piping hot but also chilly hot.
And as the evening develops there is a long queue before each of the stalls as people await their turn to have their favorite stuff. There is also a lot of competition among these stall owners.
Each one tries his best develop his own loyal clientele.
You will not see these hawkers in the pedestrianised mall area of Gangtok which is what Shillong is trying to ape. And though the hawkers sell good stuff they also create a lot of garbage which they don’t pick up.
And no one in Gangtok would spit the blood red sputum that betel nut chewers do on the Khyndailad tiles.