Reigning supreme in the ‘material’ world

Poised behind the counter of his corner shop in the teeming Mapusa market, septuagenarian Gurudas H Dhekne reminisces about the bazaar of the yester years. He has a certain fondness for the erstwhile trade hub that was spread around the popular Alankar theatre. Business began at 7.30am and ceased 12 hours later, movement of traffic and shoppers was disciplined and each of the five essential items - fish, meat, flowers, bananas and clay items, and coconuts - were allotted dedicated areas, he recalls.
Yet, while Mapusa market has transformed drastically ever since it was moved to its current location in 1961, H A Dhekne & Sons has not. Business, for instance, has never slumped, customer loyalty hasn’t waned and product quality has never been compromised upon. The only thing that has changed is the size of the shop.
“In the old market, which was just a quarter of the size of the present one, we had a tiny shop that was a mere 3x4m in area. This one,” Gurudas says, gesturing to the family’s current outlet in the cloth merchants’ line at the Mapusa bazaar, “comprises a ground and mezzanine floor”.
Space, however, has always been a constraint for the Dheknes, given the myriad varieties of textiles they stock and the ever swelling number of customers they attract. Patrons attest to the popularity of the shop, too. An old-timer says one had to virtually jostle one’s way to the counter if a purchase had to be made at all. That’s not surprising, given that people from even Margao and Panaji make a beeline to H A Dhekne & Sons to buy that perfect lace and satin combo, or great suiting and shirting material, or even a gorgeous saree.
Gurudas, who took charge of the family business upon the demise of his father, Hari, has 51 years of experience in the trade and claims that H A Dhekne & Sons is close to 95 years old. Today, with the able assistance of his son, Santosh, the establishment has only grown from strength to strength and, unlike most other business ventures, has never encountered a rough patch since its inception.
“That’s probably because we do business through good and faithful methods. Our trade is also based on the choice and means of our customers. For instance, if we know most of our clients won’t be able to afford a textile that costs over 1,000 per metre, we won’t stock it,” Gurudas says, matter-of-factly.
The business has never been advertised, either. Word of mouth is what keeps it going. Gurudas explains that even most foreign tourists who shop at H A Dhekne & Sons recommend it to their kith and kin back home via email and even forward pictures of the store.
Undoubtedly then, the future seems very bright for the Dheknes. The father and son agree. “One must run to stand firm,” the former says, providing enough indication that the trade will survive several more generations.
The only niggle the duo has is the state of the current market at Mapusa. “From Mumbai to Mangaluru, there is no shopping hub like Mapusa. This is actually a bazarpeth, i.e. a place where one can buy anything, from salt to gold. Sadly, it is dying a slow death due to a lack of will by the civic body to spruce things up,” Gurudas laments. Wide, motorable roads, clean surroundings, ample parking spaces and restrictions on the number of hawkers will, according to him, give this unique bazaar a new lease on life.