The Sarafa Bazar in Indore is the market for street food and a Bazar that never sleeps. I had the opportunity to vist here on 9th March, 2019. We were told that one should reach here only after ten at night to get an experience of the market and we reached here at about ten thirty. The minus point was that we could not stay hungry for so long and hence had our dinner in the hotel before reaching here. This market is located behind the dilapidated Palace, the Rajwada Palace of the Holkars, the Maratha Kings. The Sarafa market is a market for Jewellery during day time. At night there are various street vendors that open their shop here. This market is supposed to be hundred years old and the jewelry shop owners provided space to the food vendors so that during night time when they closed their shops and went home, in all the hustle, bustle and noise their jewelry would be safe. It is a very narrow street which stretches miles together and as one enters it is the rich aroma of different varieties of food that hits one's nostrils. There are nearly three to four thousand people that visit here on Saturday Sundays and only a lille lesser crowd than this on other days. There were fallodas, Kulfis, chaats, dosas, ragadas, paans and a large number of other dishes mostly vegetarian. The place was very crowded and yet very neat and clean. We drank Coconut crush a coconut drink being sold and it was heavenly. They fold a paan and light it with a fire and put it into your mouth. Yam is cut into small pieces and fried and mixed with herbs sold as Gerdu. They also sell some thing like Bhuttu kesari made with maize. We had falooda, kulfi and other foods that are not part of an Urban landscape in other parts of India. Bottled water was being sold and every one was buying this. We walked and walked and finally being dead tired returned back at about twelve leaving the market and the crowds to carry out it routine with out us. An amazing experience and it speaks so much about the people of Indore and their love for food. I am amazed at India's Globalisation. We have enough resources, variety and History to resist the Globalisation and uniformity of food. Where will Mc Donald's, the Kentucky fried chicken, the Subway and Domino's stand in front of all this.
