Right from an expensive phone to a charger to the latest accessories for mobile phones, every person who visits Delhi for the first time knows the name of one market- Gaffar Market. located in Central Delhi, the market is named after Afghan leader Ghaffar Khan, a political and religious leader came to Delhi in the late 20th century.
It was only in 1920 that the Pashtun leader in agreement with the local traders came up with the idea of establishing a bazaar.
“By 1965, we had established the Market Association. By early 1950s, shops selling wares had started sprouting up in the market. At present, there are 400 registered shops under the Market Assocciation,” said Sanjeev Khurana, vice-president of the Ghaffar Market Association.
“Ghaffar is not only anonymous with being a mobile hub. Here, you can get first and second copies of branded clothes, bags and perfumes at an affordable rate,” he added.
Over the past decade, Ghaffar Market has allowed small shops to operate beside the established shops, in the confines of narrow lanes.
Surinder Mehta, owner of lahore store, who has been running a garments shop for the past two decades told The Pioneer, “It is not the middle class who come here to buy innerwear. All classes of people come to buy the wares we sell.”
A lane away from the famous lahore store, is a lane consisting of shops selling first copies of Michael Kors, Charles and Keith, Gucci and louis Vuitton bags.
“Elsewhere, these cost Rs 50,000. Here, you can buy the first and second copies in Rs 1,500,” a shopkeeper said.
Women flock to the bylanes of the Ghaffar Market to get fancy mobile phone covers, tempered glass. “The market also consists of apparel shops selling clothes,” said Deepak Tuteja, a shop owner.
To feed the visitors taste buds, shops selling chaats, gol gappas too run at the back side of the market.
In the aftermath of the 2008 blasts, which rocked the national Capital, including the Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh, sesurity has been enhanced in the market. At least, 7 people passed away and at least hundreds suffered injuries.
Talking about the measures taken to strengthen the secuirty at market, Khurana said, “Every shop has installed CCTV cameras. Ample security measures have been taken.”
Nikhil Verma, owner of a shop which sells Iphones told The Pioneer, “The market caters to large number of people. people who intend to buy Iphones first ask about the price at Ghaffar.”
A mobile phone hub, Gaffar Market, set up in the early 1920s, feeds not just the families of 400 shop keepers, it fulfils the thirst of hundreds of thousands of tech nerds, mobile phone freaks who flock to the Asia’s largest market.
Over the past one decade, the market has open up to women clothing, bags. Often known as the jugaad market, Ghaffar Market stands strong despite being hit by a blast in 2008.