Sadar main street, way back when we were growing up in Nagpur, was the city’s ‘Oxford street’.
Even back then, it was shabby, run-down, and chaotic! But it was the best we had for shopping, And it throbbed with life and activity.
Here on this small stretch, One got everything one needed (If not all one wanted!).
What made the place lovely were the small family-run shops and institutions,
They were merchants as well as friends. They knew all their customers by name. If you forgot your wallet, it was always OK to pay later.
There was a sense of community, mutual trust, and loyalty which has simply disappeared.
No ‘Big Bazzar’ supermarket can ever replace the beautiful old ‘Bombay Stores’. It had floor-to-ceiling wooden cabinets stacked with provisions, and big glass jars full of goodies. One could buy Lemon drops that were packed into small brown paper bags.
Opposite was the ‘Asha Stores’, they sold everything! Toys, Amul butter, Cosmetics… You had to just ask and they would dig around and fish it out.
‘Sangam Stores’, was next door, run by a kindly Sardarji who stocked all school supplies and treats. We would pick up last-minute things from there on the way to SFS school.
The famous ‘Western Book Depot’ is still the same today as it was back then, the quintessential bookshop, stuffed with books and with a knowledgable owner (Then the father, now the son) always around to help.
Right next door was ‘Deepak Paint Mart’. Uncle was always at the counter, they stocked any hardware you could possibly need. Uncle was like a supercomputer, where everything was kept and the price of everything, was always all in his head.
There was ‘Nanking’ the only Chinese restaurant in town, Tiny and brilliant, it always had either Abba or Boney M music playing. Even today Old Nagpurians judge other Chinese restaurants worldwide by the ‘NGS’ (Nanking Gold Standard).
Next door the family also ran a shoe shop. As a teenager, I once got a pair of boots made to order. It took three visits which included measurements, fitting, etc. The new shoes were tight and uncomfortable, but the old Chinese uncle told me they were fine! They would open up and stop hurting. He was right, they did.
There were some great rivalries… ‘Standard Dry Cleaners’ and ‘Grand Dry Cleaners’ were bang opposite each other. Nagpur was evenly divided on which was better.
‘Carona’ and ‘Bata’ shoes were close to each other. We got our school shoes from Bata and fancy ‘Hunter’ hiking shoes from Carona.
‘Laxmi Stores’ run by the surly but efficient Mr. Mehta was another great establishment, It stocked ham, bacon sausages, and some Parsi achars and masalas. Later he opened the ‘Mehta Wine Shop’ in the same premises.
Next door to him was his jovial ever-smiling brother-in-law Mr. Mistry, who ran a glassware and crockery rental business called ‘Sethi Glassware’, He was a small man who buzzed around his shop helping you and chatting incessantly. Always enquiring affectionately about the family!
There was the ‘Pardesi Pan Shop’, the best in town! It is still around, although it has moved location and changed hands.
Two doctors had their clinics here, Dr. Ahuja had a compounder who gave you bright-colored syrups concocted right there.
And Dr. Pramanik, legendary for hardly ever touching his patients, He would diagnose them from a healthy distance.
There was ‘Kishore Radios’ that sold Philip’s and other transistors.
‘HMV House’ was our only source of English LPs /Vinyls, albeit years after they were released abroad.
The street had two sports shops on either end, ‘Empire Sports’ and ‘Laxmi Sports’.
They were exciting places to visit.
Full of cricket bats, badminton and tennis racquets.
But the ‘Queen of the hill’ was the old ‘Mahdibagh shop’, A huge store in a gorgeous old heritage building that stocked everything. One could even go in there to buy fishing tackle.
Now most of these shops have gone, replaced by impersonal National and International brands, But some still survive, gallantly hold on, still providing old-world service to their customers.
As I walked out of a ‘Westside’ yesterday, A security guard at the exit gate checked my bag and bill to confirm if I had paid.
Mr. Mistry of ‘Sethi Glassware’ of the old Sadar, would instead have been at the door, smiling, waving ‘goodbye’ and saying…”Mummy, Papa ne love aapje”.
@bits_of_beauty_everywhere
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