Monda Market...

Hi friends

Being the off-line recluse that I am, I never miss any opportunity to get human interaction, especially if they are all strangers. I believe that when you look at a stranger, it becomes easier to make first-impressions and also understand the process through which one actually gets that impression, like the facial features, the voice, the built etc. However, the only drawback with stranger is that you very rarely get to know if your impression is right or wrong.

I consider market places to be the best way to witness human behaviour in its most basic commercial form - trade! You want something, and you have something in return - how much value you put on the goods you want forms the basis of this interaction. A very simple process indeed.

Monda Market is a famous market in Secunderabad. You can get almost anything here - anything! On the internet, it has been mentioned that it happens to be the biggest wholesale vegetable market of Secunderabad and that you can get the price at least 30% less than in any market in twin cities (Hyderabad and Secunderabad). Last year, there were supposedly a rumour regarding the shifting of the market and the area being converted into a mall, all of which were dismissed by a local MLA, who said that plans are under way to transform the market into a modern market by providing basic amenities to traders and shoppers. One year down the line, I can say that "Plans are and will always remain plans" :)

Anyways, my interaction with this market goes way back to the time we moved to Hyderabad. Me and my dad used to frequent this place. Whenever I go home, I make it a point to visit this market atleast once :) The crowd is awesome, especially during the peak period (Saturday afternoon by my observation)where things move at a fast pace. The crowd is lively, and so are the shopkeepers. It's always interesting to see how bargaining takes place, and how the shopkeeper responds to two different customers in the same situation!!!

While my dad shops, I usually take the time to observe the various bargaining interactions, and truly speaking, I am inspired! It's an awesome place for any aspiring marketer to learn how the ground-level works,how things move when you are interacting directly with the customer. Quick decision-making instinct the key to survival here, and the shopkeepers are very good at that :)

Anyways, these are some snaps I managed to take from my last trip to the Monda Market (in the last week of December) at around 0830 hrs on a Saturday.

The empty road inside the market, getting ready for the busy day ahead

A man sorting out his beans :D

More vegetables - this is a kid's nightmare!

Forget this bloke, just look at the sacks of vegetables behind him :)

I think they are curry leaves, right? Neatly stacked up for the day...

Almost everyone sells everything in this section of the market - and yet no price wars, just clever bargaining!!

Ciao for now. Hope you liked this post.