Mumbai Mart

Chor bazaar

Behind the Raudat Tahera Mosque is a beautiful old Saifi mosque. Next to it is Gujjar Street where a heap of knick knack and artifacts lie for anyone's bargaining. This is Chor Bazaar, where you can haggle and get a Gucci lookalike at an Indian price. Smuggled goods abound. No one is clear as to how this market got its name except that once a Queen called Victoria came to Bombay in her very own steamer. Her luggage was carted down and the lady discovered, much to her dismay, that her precious violin was missing... Raudat Tahera Moque A thorough search was launched and the instrument was finally found -- at one of the stalls in Mutton Street (one of the lanes next to Chor Bazaar) So the area came to be known as the Market of Thieves or Chor Bazaar. The genesis of this dwelling can possibly be traced to the days post the World War when poverty stricken families had to hawk their priceless heirlooms for money. Mutton Street houses unremarkable wares from old English tea sets to antiques to crystal chandeliers. On Fridays owing to the Muslim Sabbath, the stalls shut down but the pavement vendors still abound. You can easily while away an hour or two browsing through these wares, though you need a practised eye to distinguish between the genuine and the spurious. Be very careful if you are planning to buy something from here. If you take your car you will probably end up buying your own tyres back. Another favourite trick here is to show you an expensive item, haggle with you till you feel you\'ve got a bargain and then take it inside to \'pack it\'. When you get the goods in the packet it definitely WILL NOT be what you think you purchased.

 

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