 Have
you tried to buy a traditional paper kite for your kids? Hunting for
the previous year's IAS question papers? Does your grandpa's pen need
a calligraphy nib? Now here's a superstreet where you can get just
about anything! The placards offer lucrative rates - wholesale, retail,
half rate, cheap rate. There are genuine imported items and the so
called 'export quality' goods.
"Avenue Road" - the name itself is a paradox for both
avenue and road mean the same. Ironically, there is only one tree
to give it the avenue look. Otherwise, it is a mind boggling street.
It symbolises the Indian spirit of 'Come what may, it's business
as usual'. Every inch of the pavement is a place to sell and buy.
Parking space? Forget it! Ask for breathing space. Avenue road is
a one-way street, but from which direction is uncertain; because despite
the stringent measures taken by the police, vehicles still sneak past.
From the Mysore Bank junction to K R Market, the road is a seething
mass of humanity. Amidst the acrimonious scenes of hawking,  bargaining,
jostling, appealing, appeasing, business worth lakhs of rupees is
transacted everyday. How much of this trade is conducted under proper
sales tax procedure is debatable. Even on Sundays there are few shops
which eagerly await customers.
On Avenue Road most of the shops specialise in one particular merchandise.
Books of all kind are stacked in endless rows - guides, digests for
competitive exams, books on nursery rhymes, on micro-biology, TOEFL,
GMAT, GRE, SAP, WAP, etc. Don't ask for Irwing Wallace or Chicken
Soup for the Soul kind of books. But you could still get hold of a
second hand version of these books with the best wishes and thoughts
of the previous owner scribbled on the inner pages.
 Embroidery
and zari workshops can be found in narrow side lanes where clients
barely have space to stand. There are specialised cloth and accessory
shops which cater to the needs of particular communities.We have Babubhai
Goliwalla who sells only kites, tops, catapults, balls, marbles
and other traditional play items. The patriotic item shop sells flags,
tricolour bands, stickers, etc.
Amidst this hectic commercial activity are numerous places of worship
which are considered very auspicious for business. Durga Parameshwari,
Maramma, Chennakeshava, St.Thomas Church, Juma Masjid, etc. can be
seen at regular intervals on the street. Policemen are omnipresent
to ensure that pushcarts do not stop in the middle of the road to
dump their cargo. But it is a nerve wracking job for the harried constable
who is constantly reprimanding the defaulters. Anyway, life goes on
unmindful of the problems and inadequancies and every day begins with
a new vigour.
Approach Point: Mysore Bank Circle, K G Road,
Bangalore 560001.
Levine Lawrence
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