In a street that always busy generating money, we set out to spend few bucks. let’s find out what all things we can get in 100 rupees across Charnminar vicinity?
It’s an amazing experience on the streets of charminar with limited amount of money and heartful of joy, we started from the epitome of heritage The Charminar on the busy streets around. Primary attraction were the shops and hawkers on road towards Pista House outlet we started with a cup of strong and refreshing Irani Chai and disbursed in 4 diffderent directions to find out the best things to buy in 100 bucks.
Its a place for some good old budget shopping. This time we have brought in reinforcements: a serial shopper friend who knows how to get a good bargain. Together, we decide to test how many accessories we can buy for under 100.
If you close your eyes and walk through the Streets adjecent to Nimrah hotel, two things are bound to happen. One, you will get run over by a vehicle. But before that — and this is the second thing — you will notice a shift in the smell of the region every few metres, depending on what is being sold.
We make our first buy: the lane is lined with attar shops, with a few pharmacies nestled in between.
What can you get street shopping in Charminar for under 100?
We enter Mohammad Yaseen’s attar shop, replete with glass bottles of different shapes and sizes. There are also bowls of surma that you can buy for 50. For the past 10 years, Yaseen has been coming to this shop every day from Secunderabad, where both his house and his factory are.
One by one, Yaseen runs the glass knob of each bottles on our forearms for us to test the scents: permutations and combinations like rose, jasmine, sandalwood, and musk. We point to the bigger bottles on the side, and he dismisses us with a wave of his hand, “You won’t like it, it’s for the guys.” We try them out anyway, and find he’s right. They smell like what teenage boys douse themselves to avoid taking a shower. My personal favourite is the tiny bottle of woody oudh that smells like a forest, and costs just 30 rupees.
Glass houses
We head back to Lad Bazar to hunt for some famous bangles. The glint of bangles catches our eye and we enter the shop to a burst of kaleidoscopic colour. Rows and rows of bangles take up every inch of the walls, from the ceiling to the floor. “Out of every five boxes of glass bangles, we lose two due to breakage,” says Abdul Razzak, the owner of shop. “My brother, Abdul Waseem, set up the shop 20 years ago,” he informs us as he shows us the stack of wedding bangles with intricate stonework on them.
What can you get street shopping in Charminar for under 100 rupees?
Most of the bangles, made of brass, plastic, and glass, are sourced from Jaipur and Mumbai. Amidst all the colour is one row of off white fibre chudas that traditionally adorn the wrists of Marwari women. “For the past five years, these have remained untouched. Nobody here buys them. Now, if anyone were to ask, I would give them away for free,” he says.
The cheapest bangles there are made of glass, cost around 25 rupees, and are so camp, you can only wear them ironically. For 5 rupees more, you can buy basic steel bangles.
Roadside dreams
Out 55 rupees, our next goal is to find earrings in under 45 rupees, a challenge as none of the stalls sell anything less than 80 rupees. Unless you settle for steel hoops for 20 rupees — which we don’t since it’s not 2009 trend anymore. We need something classic: oxidised, black metal that screams ‘jhola-carrying journalist’.
After covering almost two kilometres, we have almost given up hope when we chance upon roadside stall. The 41-year-old from Suryapet in Telangana, started this business right outside the shop his family has been renting for the past four years. he buys the ‘fashion jewellery’ wholesale and keeps a meagre profit margin; the jhumkas we like cost 60 rupees.
Despite being as stringent as we could, not only did we exceed our budget of 100 rupees, we also go back home dreaming of things we could have bought if we sprang more cash. But it’s okay; you can always drown your regrets in the panipuris at near Afzalgunj. What’s 30 more?
In this story, we explore the city to unearth its most interesting facets for both tourists and locals. There is just one catch. How much can you do with Rs.99? #KhabarLive
