A few days ago, I mustered the courage [it was a Sunday evening] to step into the main bazaar area in Mulund after a long time. Blame it on scars from the past [read: the inability to do the balancing act with heavy bags across the desi version of an obstacle course] but I decided to head straight to the melee and take things head-on.

It had been a while since the main building, the heart of the buzzing area that housed the Jalaram Bappa Mandai (Marathi: market), had undergone a complete revamp. The old asbestos-roofed structure with brick and stone partitions for fruit, veggies, a few small retail vendors that sold kitschy beauty products, and hosiery [a rarity on signboards these days] had been replaced by a monstrosity of a structure. I missed the rickety, earlier avatar that was always my local reference point for Crawford Market. And, unlike the new one, it was well planned, with suitable ventilation and sufficient exit points on both sides of the V-shaped structure that lined two important roads. Character amidst the chaos. Despite the hustle and bustle, vendors like for example, the kandawala, always found the time for pleasantries, etc. But I am digressing.