Customised and sasta products make Noida’s PG tenants head towards haats

NOIDA: If you are a working girl and live in a PG accommodation that doesn’t provide food, cooking for yourself can be tedious. After all, who wants to come home after a tiring day in office and spend the evening chopping veggies? But if you live in Noida, there are sector-specific haats that come to your rescue. You can stroll around the market, buy chopped vegetables from the friendly sabziwala who doesn’t frown if you ask him to give you one capsicum and two chillies, and pick a cute-looking one-litre pressure cooker which is easy to clean too.These makeshift markets come up once in a week on a fixed day, where you can get all household items – from a bucket to a towel to a doormat – on reasonable prices. But more than the cost-effectiveness, these haats have become popular for keeping things that suit the requirement of single and oh-so-busy tenants. Noida’s vendors say that they have started selling chopped veggies, fancy mugs, small-size utensils, furry cushions, etc, knowing very well they will be picked by girls and guys who are living by themselves. Here’s a dekko at Noida’s PG-friendly haats.
Smallest of saucepans for single guys and gals. A huge variety of kitchenware, plastic furniture, wall-hangings, and other decorative pieces are available at these markets. Aarif, a kitchenware trader, says, “Over the years, we have figured out the requirements of single PG tenants. Girls come to us asking for 2-3 spoons rather than buying a set of six or 12. They ask for the smallest pan and pressure cooker available. Ab jaisi maang waisi dukaan. We also started keeping kitchenware items according to their demands.”
Another vendor, Subhash tells us that he had to order small-size utensils like frying pan, cooker, and glasses for PG girls.
“What is the use of a five-litre cooker or a big frying pan for a girl who lives alone? So, I keep both kinds of utensils – big ones for families and small ones for singles,” Subhash adds.
Not just utensils, you’ll also get fancy mugs with graphics or quotes on them for just 20-30 bucks! Says Raju, who sells mugs at these haats, “Girls usually pick designer mugs – those that have interesting images or messages written on them. So, more than the plain glassware, we keep these fancy mugs. Ab humein bhi pata hai ladkiyon ki choice, toh hum ussi hisaab se apna samaan laate hain.”
Bhaiya, give me three potatoes and two tomatoes
If you go to a regular sabziwala asking for two potatoes, chances are you’ll get a disgusted glare in return. But at these haats, the vendors are more than willing to give you veggies in the quantity you ask for. Says Mukesh Sharma, a vegetable vendor, “Akele rehne wale ab paanch kilo aloo toh nahin lenge. Most of the girls come to my shop and say, ‘Saat aloo dena, paanch tamatar, teen gaajar, aur do Shimla mirch dena’. Some girls even say `20 ka aloo-pyaaz mila kar de do. Normally, all the vegetables are weighed in kilos and grams, but for tenants who just have to cook for themselves, we make an exception. Now, I have also started keeping packets of different veggies for these singles.”
Daulat Singh, a vegetable vendor who sells chopped vegetables, adds, “The young crowd can be seen thronging to stalls that sell mushrooms, baby corn and broccoli. I remember a girl telling me that they don’t buy veggies like spinach or pumpkin because they don’t know how to chop them. Then I bought a small cutting machine, and now we cut these veggies that are mostly bought by young girls and boys.”
Heart-shaped cushions for girls
If you are staying in a PG, you wouldn’t want to buy expensive items that might get stolen by that mean girl in the next room. So, probably, losing a heart-shaped cushion you picked up for `50 from Monday Market wouldn’t hurt that much. Balinder, a vendor, says, “These heart-shaped cushions are a hit with girls who mostly buy the smaller ones. I have often heard them saying, ‘Kitna cute hai yeh’. Now, I also keep teddy bears and other soft toys for girls.”
Devendra Kumar, who has a stall of plastic items, takes pride i the ‘smallest dustbin’ available at his stall. “Itna chhota dustbin aapko poore market mein kahin nahin milega. Ladkiyan sabse zyada yahi le jati hain meri dukaan se. Unhe chhote chhote bartan aur baaki samaan zyada pasand aate hain.”
All things Sasta and tikaau
With everything from safety-pins and hair-bands to nail-polish and butterfly-clips available, the accessories stalls are one of the most crowded. Yamini Singh, a web designer who lives in Sector 56, says, “When I come to the weekly haats, I check out the accessories stalls. The prices are nominal and you get good stuff from the entire collection if you search properly.”
If Yamini picks sasta earrings, social media analyst Shruti Singh prefers to buy dupattas in bulk. She says, “I buy dupattas and other clothes from the haat because those are extremely cheap. These days, I am buying woolens also... but not without bargaining!”
Grace Gupta, a pre-school teacher who stays in Sector 22, says, “I get peanuts for salary, and the weekly haat of Sector 22 is a saviour for me after the 15th of every month. If I go to the sellers of my area’s market and ask for vegetables in small quantities, they make faces. But these sellers at the haats are very cooperative and understanding.”