Pot Market

Bono of U2 once sang "Where the streets have no name". He was certainly not talking about any street in Hyderabad. There is no dearth of roads with names in Hyderabad. As a matter of fact, anybody and his penpal would find a bylane that shares his name in the twin cities.

However, the nomenclature is not without its share of anomalies. Looking for a lighthouse at Lighthouse will leave you all at sea, while Paradise is a very corrupted version of the one that Milton wrote about. So what could we make of Pot Market?

On entering this lane, you are left wondering why it's called Pot Market. There are no pots in sight. The postal address reads either Monda Market or Station Road. And tracing its history turned out to be as simple as deciphering the cliched Siddhuism, "If ifs and buts were pots and pans, there would be no tinkers." On thorough investigation, we realize that the potters have long abandoned either this location or their vocations. The few who still operate are relegated to one obscure corner of this market.

Pot Market teems with resplendent jewelry. The jewellers who operate here seem to be folks who've been in the business for decades. From rock to heavy metal, they know it all - diamonds, pearls, gold and silver. They live in harmony as each shop has its share of loyal customers. So a customer is forced to dance to their tunes.

Adding spice to this lane are wholesale pickle shops and fish-sellers. You'll also find some good deals in the textile stores. You can pick up any item in China Bazar and pay peanuts for it. We were wondering if the name ought to be Chana Bazar.

Also in this lane is the Old Jail Building, now leased to merchants. We feel the Potter community deserves to live here. After all, the inmates deserve to enjoy the heritage status that has been granted to the building itself.

Pot Market is one of the forgotten shopping hotspots of Hyderabad. The problem in a city with mall-to-mall carpeting is that a lot of it is swept underneath. This street still has much to offer. It's worth a walk after a satisfying meal of Chicken Biryani at the Alpha Hotel nearby.

Life is a continuous battle to find your own space. Any Hawking or hawker can tell you this. It's quite a sight to see how a plethora of shops and hawkers occupy such a small area. It's incredible enough for a Bono composition. However, if the great singer was shopping for pots, he'd end up humming "I still haven't found what I'm looking for".