The Mapusa Market

An excellent location for ardent shoppers, Mapusa market is just the usual
Goan bazaar for most of the week, where local traders bring in their usual fare
except for Fridays, when the market turns into a platform for Goan
entrepreneurs to showcase their produce in the most vibrant (and noisy)
fashion. You can find just about anything at Mapusa Market on a Friday, with
items ranging from antiques and Goan pottery to handicrafts, textiles, clothing,
spices, fruits, vegetables, meats, jewellery and much more.
The Mapusa Market captures the local flavours of Goa all in one place. Be it
shopping for fresh local produce, sea-food, jewellery, pottery or little knickknacks, the market has it all. Head here on Fridays for the special Mapusa
Friday Bazaar. The entire place comes alive with locals and tourist weaving
through the crowd to indulge in some serious shopping. The Friday bazaar is
also a great place to explore the local culture and lifestyle of Goa, be it the
locals or their warm hospitality towards tourists.
As students of Third year BBA at Sridora Caculo College of Commerce and
Management Studies, it was our task to go into the narrow yet colorful bustling
streets of the Friday Bazaar. What a sight to see hundreds of vendors selling
their goods to countless buyers, who flocked to the Bazaar on the day of 4 th
March, 2016. Our challenge was to interact with various vendors and
shopkeepers and discover problems and issues faced by them which are
often hidden behind the vibrance of the Bazaar. Our team consisted of 7:
Silvan da Cunha, Sohraab Sarin, Akash Rane, Neha Mapari, Nirmala Nishad,
Animesh Talavnekar and Jubal da Cunha.
Our approach tried to encompass various segments of the Mapusa market
such as cloth merchants, vegetable vendors, utensil sellers, gold smiths,
bakers and small road side vendors. We also interacted with an old lady
selling dairy products, a lady vendor selling dried sea food and a traditional
barber. After engaging these sellers in a conversation, we realized various
hidden truths about the marketplace:
The lady in White
In the calm amidst the chaos, under the scorching heat sat a woman with
something white glowing in the sun, and didnt utter a sound. This sudden
quietness appeared unusual in the loud market and drew us towards her. She
said she made her living selling packets of curd and bottles of milk and told us

that she wouldnt be there for long; that they will all be shifted to a new
location in an enclosed market building. She was uncertain about the footfall
of customers seeking local dairy products in the enclosed area, even after her
paying extra for it.
The barber of generations
Mr. Rohidas Vavolkar sat with one leg over the arm of the barbers chair,
staring outside remembering the bye-gone era. He mentioned about of the
influx of non-Goans into Goa and the business which lead to a significant
increase in competition for him and other barbers that have been there for
generations, forcing most to shut down their businesses. He also spoke about
the difference between the low rent paid by the Municipality shops as
compared to the high rent paid by shops in private establishments. When he
mentioned the amount he paid, it made us wonder he makes any profit or
income at all. We realized that the only reason he is there is to preserve that
was there, as long as he could.