A trip to Mahabaleshwar is never complete without bingeing on fresh strawberries and cream, yummy corn patties, crunchy, roasted ‘chana’ and of course, raiding the market for footwear!
But this time we arrived on the day of the weekly bazaar: when the narrow lanes around the market place are lined with the local people and those from nearby villages, selling all household needs. Right from fresh vegetables (large juicy tomatoes at Rs 10/- a kg), fruits, lentils, grains and pulses, to clothes, accessories stacked alongside detergents and brooms. There were quantities of snacks, sweets and savouries, cheek by jowl with piles of goodies from local bakeries. It was a tempting sight.
Accustomed as we are to hurriedly shopping for essentials amidst doing a dozen other chores, it was a delightful experience to wander these lanes, among crowds of people who seemed to have come there to make a day of it. There were young women comparing purchases and giggling, village women carrying sacks on their heads, families out for their weekly shopping and my friend and I, the only two obvious city-dwellers!
It was a pleasant change from buying pre-packaged, sorted veggies in air conditioned supermarkets. Here we breathed in the fresh air of the hill-station, chatted with those simple, smiling vendors while a cool breeze and the bright sun accompanied us as we wandered along.
Ahhh…the simple pleasures of life. We need to discover them and relish them more often.
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