News in Frames: The old world within a busy market

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The wholesale market in Vellore district is always bustling. Vehicles honk as they make their way through the narrow lanes, while people navigate the crowded paths lined with vendors selling vegetables, fruits, and other essential commodities. Yet, within the crowded market are shops that seem to belong to a bygone era.

A watch repairman continues his work in the heart of the city. A gas lantern seller has his wares on display. A harmonium repairman tends to musical instruments, while an old tailor works in a shop surrounded by vegetable sellers. Some of these traders have been doing business here for generations, carrying on trades that have survived alongside the changing market.

The market itself dates back to the 19th century. It was established in 1868, two years after the Vellore Municipality was formed, right in front of the 16th-century Vellore Fort.

The site had earlier served as a stable, where horses from the fort were tethered, according to historians. After the municipality was established in 1866, the market opened with no less than 200 shops.

Over the years, it grew in popularity, attracting traders and customers from across the region. Fruits, vegetables, millet varieties, flowers and greens arrive here in bulk from neighbouring States such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, before being dispatched to various destinations. Today, the market has more than 700 permanent shops and 300 temporary shops. It remains a lifeline for many, serving the everyday needs of the city.

Its history is also visible in the structures that remain. A clock tower, installed in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in Delhi, now serves as one of the main entrances to the market.

The eastern gate has another historical marker. Its foundation stone was laid on April 6, 1914, by the then British Collector Marjoribanks Esquire and Municipal Council chairman Khan Bahadur Habibullah Sahib. An inscription on the clock tower records that 277 men from the village went to fight in the First World War between 1914 and 1919, and that 14 of them died in battle.

Named after freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by office-bearers of the Vellore Town Vegetable Merchants Association, the market has an oblong-shaped main entrance facing east, with 16 entrances on all four sides.

While the market has adapted into the modern era with ease, slices of an older Vellore can be seen at odd corners, basking in nostalgia.

G. Arumugam, a third-generation trader, rents out lanterns at Lang Bazaar, continuing a family business that has survived for generations.

Brief respite: A worker takes a nap as his colleagues unload sacks of onions at the market. Photo:venkatachalapathy.c/Thehindu

Above the bazaar: An aerial view of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Market, the bustling wholesale market in the heart of Vellore.

Old ground: Vegetable stalls occupy the site that once served as a stable where horses from the Vellore Fort were tethered.

Time stands: The oblong-shaped eastern entrance is marked by a clock tower installed in 1911.

Before dawn: Labourers carry boxes of flowers to shops in the middle of the night. The blossoms will have to be displayed for sale at dawn.

A floral rush: The flower market comes alive as traders and workers sort, carry and move produce through the night.

Years in thread: At 91, S. Arunachalam continues to work as a tailor in the market, his shop surrounded by vegetable traders.

Getting the notes right: Third-generation trader D. Srinivasan repairs musical instruments at Bharat Musical Mart in Lang Bazaar.

Little essentials: Glass bangles, turmeric, kumkum and sacred threads fill a shop serving the everyday needs of the market’s customers. The shop is popular with women and children.

Traces of time: Second-generation watchmaker R. Karunakaran works at Samy & Sons Watch Service Centre, a business that began on Gandhi Road in 1958 before moving to the market.

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