For the sake of lofty elegance

As the festive season sets in, people are often tempted to rekindle their romance with home décor. Be it upgrading door knobs or wardrobe handles or refurnishing kitchens etc, the desire for brilliant furnished interiors is unanimous.

Whether you’re looking for beautiful knobs, handles, fancy hardware fittings or sanitary goods, Purani Dilli’s Chawri Bazaar has got it all for you. 

Home to over a hundred hardware stores and stalls of all odds and evens in the sector, Chawri Bazaar overflows with men before Diwali for high demands in hardware components.

The pre-Diwali hustle bustle around town is a harbinger of happiness. Renovating our houses to make them glow like newlywed brides is amongst the common hobbies for all living in the north India. Diwali is not just  celebrated as the festival of lights, but it brings with itself numerous opportunities to rediscover our creative streaks through decoration and planning.

We all know how important the Old Delhi markets are for the residents of India when it comes to purchasing chemicals and food, now it is time to sneak a peek into the bustling market of Chawri Bazaar- the market that deals with hardware, bathroom fittings, kitchen fittings and the likes of 

home décor.

Old Delhi’s hardware market caters to the whole of India and also to the export market of the Indian subcontinent. Even though the wholesale market is hot throughout the year, retail marketing grows during the festive season. People maintain their homes during the Navratri and before Diwali so that they can have a bright new setup on Diwali.

“Modi’s government had brought about a lot of problem for our businesses, and the market is down now because of the increase in VAT from 5 per cent to 12.5 per cent. We cater to the builders of multi-storey buildings.

I deal with hardware, sanitary ware and kitchen ware and do business mainly with builders who are involved with multi-storey buildings and hotels. I buy products from importers which are made in Italy, Germany and China. We keep the high range quality products from China.

We also have Indian products for a section of our buyers,” said Dinesh Gupta, owner of Sohan Lal Gupta & Co.

“The recent ban on ‘Made in China’ products can create a further downfall in the market. The lighting, and fireworks market is already running at a loss due to the ban now. 

We have not been hit hard yet due, but the main thing is this that our products cannot be made by Indians. People are not honest in India, therefore the quality of the products are not good enough. 

Even when a famous company like Hettich has set up a manufacturing unit in Baroda, the prices of the goods would not be reduced since they have to maintain the quality of the product. As soon as the product quality is meddled with, the prices can be reduced, but then the expectation from a good product would die,” added Gupta.

The businessmen dealing in the heart of the city believe that the GST will actually increase expenses while it is a common conviction that the concept of ‘Makein India’ will take another few decades to be implemented and contribute to the country’s economy. 

These stores in the noisy and busy Chawri Bazaar are centuries old as the businesses have been owned and run for generations. Even though they survive the competition among the thousands of stores in the area throughout the year, they face a tough competition in the export market.