New Vaibhav

From the moment that women step into this shop, they cease to be women anymore. In their new avatar as the hunters of fine bargain, their plight is akin to that of an ill-fed zoo tiger, who, with the lazy blink of an eye, suddenly finds himself cramped for space amidst a herd of deer grazing calmly inside his very own cage.

New Vaibhav may not be such a cool place to hang out for real life members of the panthera tigris clan, but the 2,000+ women (and men) who horde it on a daily basis, sure do make their killing.

First, the grass facts. Located in the immediate vicinity of the Koti bus stop and the Osmania Medical College, this "Family Fabric World" has a lot of issues to deal with. The first, the three thousand & fifty fourth, and the last of them being the supercrazy doses of human traffic that pass by. Vaibhav dangles out its bait (read bargain), and waits for the bite. And the hunter becomes the hunted.

Oh hell, being hunted was never this good. If you?re one who?s just starting out in life and needs some decent dinner wear, or wants to attend that friend's engagement, here?s the place to begin. If you?re one who?s got to where you are by being smart (read stringy), but now unfortunately need to buy miles and miles of saris to hand out to your never-ending line of in-laws or outlaws for your daughter's wedding, here is the place to be once again.

And then again, if you?re of the stinky super-rich types where 50 quid don?t mean a thing to you but you don?t want to miss out on a Kanjivaram silken that other middle and upper class stores are out of, or never had, here is the place to be again.

But don?t miss out on the following statutory warning. If you?re the type who can?t quickly decide on whether to have spinach or bhindi for a home lunch, this is NOT the place to be. Either of the following scenarios may emerge: (a) you?d freeze from decision paralysis, or (b) you would see your husband freeze to the spot, trying inanely to stammer a protest when the charge card bills do find their way home.

In-store service can make you feel pampered on an off day, with over a 100 attendants at a given time. A bunch of ladies stepping in in the morning and leaving only in the evening are not unseen of here.

The store itself is more like four stores in one, with each floor dedicated to a different section. No prizes then for guessing correctly, that you would find the wedding wear on the ground floor. Want designer saris with handwork on silk? Stay on. Have a budget of Rs. 98? Stay. Rs 50,000? Why, you?re most welcome.

The 1st floor goes to "fancy saris" and dress material. And the endangered breed of men shopping for themselves finally finds its ground in this store, only on the 2nd floor. Shirts, pants and party wear can be had between Rs. 150 and Rs. 4,500. The heaviest dose of splurging on wedding suits can dent your wallet by Rs. 20,000 max. However, quality is something you must personally satisfy yourself with.

The last floor, the 3rd one, goes to the children, the energetic adorables. However, whether their mommies are as energetic, and find the displays as adorable after that long climb, is anybody?s guess. Kids reading this, eyeing a pair of "J Family" branded Jeans for themselves, may find it worthwhile to tell their mothers that the store does indeed possess an elevator.