noodles | Eat Live Merry

It seems the circle has come around and I found myself one Wednesday evening at the Santha once again. Having the trusty Canon for company always wonderful leaves me with wonderful memories to look back on. And so it was, that having bought my weeks quota of vegetables and fruit, I left my purchases with my old vege-seller lady Lakshmi and headed out to capture some new images, some new impressions.

The first thing you notice as you approach the Santha is that it is located in the Hindustan Shipyard Colony at Scindia Junction. The HSL Colony as it is called is a throw back to the era when companies provided housing for their employees in a more socialistically inclined time. Since then the houses have aged considerably and the approach to the market is like a trip into another era.

There are cows and bullock carts, old tile roofed houses that hark back to the sixties or seventies and earlier, huge wells, bore well pumps, ancient trees and quaint tea stalls. On non market days its great fun to roam around here and just take in the sedate atmosphere and interesting folk art on the doors and walls. But that’s for another post.

The above picture is of an old mill that is quite dilapidated and abandoned. Walking around here always reminds me of the village sets of old movies like Karan Arjun or Sholay.

And as you walk through all this quite and peace, you start noticing a change. A charge in the air, a purpose to the stride in the people about you. Heavens! you begin to notice people and lots of them!!!

And so you reach the Santha…that hubbub of humanity that keeps you coming back.

The Samosa seller, an old acquaintance, though happy to see me was not willing to be photographed. And so I captured his yummy samosas all ready to be dunked in piping hot oil to be browned and crisped till the spice potato stuffing is steaming and ready to burn your tongue.

And the yummy road style noodle guy was there with his charming wife. Indian road side noodles are unlike anything you will eat anywhere, especially in China, the birth place of their namesake. Spicy (read garam masala) and greasy, with very few vegetables but abounding in flavor, they are a once-in-a-while treat I never fail to indulge in.

The noodle sellers wife.

My favourite vege lady, Lakshmi. She was really happy to see me back!!! And her veges are as fresh as ever.

Lakshmi, her family and her stall. I am their loyal customer.

Garlic, ginger and tamarind sold in huge mounds.

There is always time for a chai break.

Some vendors come and sell just one fruit or vegetable. Like the boy selling bananas or the old man selling tindli.

Tomatoes are a delight…and so abundant. Here are some ladies trying to choose the best of the lot.

The cows are always a part of an Indian market landscape. The vendors tolerate them as long as they don’t mooch off their produce. Totally fearless, the cows amble around the market shoving people out of the way. This cow is walking on the wall alongside the fruit market that is located on the far end of the Santha.

No matter how many other vegetables you buy, the onion and the potato has to be on the list. This was at a time when the price of onions were quite high. The onion seller was surely feeling the strain.

The lime seller has such a simple yet pretty stall along the fruit lane. Lime is expensive this time of the year. I got 4 for Rs. 10/-

Even the most energetic market has pockets of quite and silence and frankly sadness.

The flower seller. The gloves are a new addition. I wonder why. He is selling marigold (banthipoo) and chrysanthemums (chamanthi)

This lady was selling papaya and clay piggy banks. Odd combination, but I love the colourful piggy banks and their fruit shapes. They cost about 30 to 40 rupees.