JOIN USTibetan market is favourite of tourists, students
In Delhi, if there is anything Tibetan which is more popular than the omnipresent momos, it is the bustling market run by the people from the Himalyan state.
Tucked behind the concrete slabs of a flyover near Kashmere Gate in north Delhi, the market attracts hundreds of shoppers daily who care little about the fact that virtually all men and women behind the sales counters are foreigners.
By evening, the closure time of the market, the business conducted in the winding lanes of the congested commercial hub leaves dozens of Tibetans with enough cash to support their families and proudly nurture their Tibetan identity.
“This market is our identity here in India, we are not only selling our traditional food, clothes, and drinks but we are imparting our traditions from one generation to the next,” says Dolma, a 60-year-old woman shop owner.
For most shopkeepers in the market, strategically located a few kilometres away from the Tibetan colony at Majnu ka Tilla, the daily grind is also a reassurance that not all is lost even after they left their country decades ago.
Tashi, a shopkeeper, who sells traditional Tibetan garments, shoes and Buddhist worship articles, said: “Earlier the market area was dominated by Tibetans’ homes. We started shops to sell things to the refugees but later the entire zone got commercialised.”
“Foreign tourists contribute a lot to our sales but domestic tourists and visitors are evergreen,” Tashi says.
The market is a big attraction for tourists who are unable to go to Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama and main settlement of Tibetans in India.
Apart from selling merchandise like shoes and traditional worship articles, the market is also a popular destination for food lovers.
“The market is famous for its mouth watering chicken momos and many other variety of Dumplings and Thenthuk,” says Diekhem, an eatery owner.
“Many Delhi university students come here to eat my chicken and momos, they love me and pay great respect,” says Diekhem.
“Sometimes they ask me, if I am interested in studying, but I refuse. I have to earn money to meet my family’s need,” says the momo specialist.
The Tibetan market appears to have reached its saturation point. Some young Tibetans do not have the means to own and run shops in the “upscale” area. And this has encouraged them to look for alternative employment opportunities.
“Although most of the refugees are dependent on their own businesses, but the new generation of Tibetans has started exploring other areas such as BPO and higher studies,” says Pemma, a middle-aged man whose two sons work in a call centre.
Another Tibetan shopkeeper Lofsang, who sells a traditional drink from Tibet and supports a four-member family, says: “I have two children, one is studying in the Delhi University and other is pursuing engineering.”
“I believe Tibetans should start establishing themselves professionally along with their fight for freedom. I always encourage my children to explore opportunities for work other than owning a shop in this market,” says Lifsang.
Tibetan entrepreneurs have no qualms about admitting that their business in the market is good and they are happy with their earnings.
“I sell clothes and shoes and I am happy that every month I earn Rs 30,000,” says Tanzing Nyendak, a shopkeeper.
Pairson, who is a shopkeeper says, “Because of lack of space in the market, some community members have opened shops in Lajpat Nagar, Safdarjung area and many other places across the city.”
As the sun sets over the market, a stone’s throw from the Yamuna bank, the hustle-bustle of the market makes way for prayers.
The enterprising Tibetans piece together their lives and head for homes in a foreign country which, in their own words, has now increasingly started “appearing” like their own.