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2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

APMC Market, Vashi

The APMC Market at Vashi (the wholesale grain and vegetable market for the city) is a veritable haven for photographers..... the masses of vegetables, fruits and grains which make their way in and out of the market, and the people who make it possible, both offer unlimited opportunities for anyone with a camera. I always think of taking along my camera when I go there, but inevitably, I forget. Well, this time, I did remember, and carried it along.....

When I asked the shopkeepers for permission to shoot, they smiled at me indulgently and said, "Behenji, sabhi yahi poochtein hain!" ("Madam, everyone asks the same question!") They are so used to it that not one person looked up from his work as I clicked away..... As it happened, only some of the photos I took turned out to be good, considering the hurry we were in.....But here are some of them which will give you an idea of the place....

Rice piled up......




Grains of all colours....



chillies galore... and the busy market ...


Onions.. so many of them....


Only onions and potatoes here.....


Comments

  1. nice one, Anu! when I lived in Sanpada, we used to head there through the summer for mangoes - superb quality and at wholesale prices...

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  2. Those grains in the bowl are quite eye catching.

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  3. Aah what a delight to eyes.

    I also liked the grains in bowls photo.

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  4. @Charu: thanks....we are thinking of going there for mangoes this year... cant wait to see that part of the market!!! and i just saw your Gandhi bazaar post..... markets are really fascinating, arent they????

    @Mruidula: absolutely! to think that we eat so many colours... no wonder our food is colourful too....

    @Shilpa: hey, im sure there is something similar there too... after all, they are basically foodstuffs!

    @Nisha : thanks..... that was the most colourful and interesting one...

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  5. very sadly no anu... Indian foodstuffs we have to order from Tokyo and Vegatables are available but not in large scale like this.... or atleast I have not seen them for the past 3 years....no sabzi mandi... we cant even bargain... :(

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  6. @Shilpa: thats so sad.... our sabzi mandis are really interesting places.... come back soon here:)

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  7. Seems to be a neat market. Superb photos!!!

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  8. Hi Anu
    I took a short break , Feel nice to be back. Nice photos there. I liked the array of grains.

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  9. It was so nice of you to ask them before clicking. You've got great takes Anu!

    And yes, with reference to your comment on my post named Awesome caves, fantastic caves, amazing caves, spectacular caves, but all natural ones, it was so great to know that such natural caves are there in India too. Can you tell me where exactly Patal Bhuvaneshwar is? I'm mad to see it now :)

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  10. hiii this is kunal ,i want detail info abt d market pls help me

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  11. @Kunal: i am not an expert on this market, just an itinerant visitor... of course will be happy to share what info i have... send me a mail with the info u need....

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  12. HI Anu,
    I am doing a project on how middle men are clogging up the distribution channel..
    Can i use the first two pictures from this post in my report ?

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  13. @Alpha seekers test: Yes, you can use them, though I wonder if they would be the appropriate ones.. If it is going to be a public report, please just mention my name for photo credit,

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  14. This is also called the Kanda-Batata market.

    @Alphaseekerstest - I am not sure whether you are planning to mention APMC in your report. But just thought of dropping a line here..These are established by the state goverments to facilitate the farmers to get reasonable price for their produce.Another of this type is "Rythu Bazaar" in hyd..

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  15.  but there is no pics of vegetable  market ......

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  16. didnt go to the vegetable market.. just the onion and potatoes market, whcih is separate

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  17. Are I Love Going In APMC Market

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  18. hii...im an architecture student n i hv taken my thesis topic as redevelopment of byculla market...so as a case study i wanted to do a case study of apmc market vashi...could u help me out plzz

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    Replies
    1. hiiii I have taken apmc redevelopment as my thesis topic...wud like to discuss wid u ....do reply

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