Begum Bazar: A timeless bond

Hyderabad: A five-minute walk from the Afzalgunj bus stop, as you weave through myriad stores of brilliant brass and copper utensils you step into this dark dingy store. Even at 10 pm, the narrow 15 feet by 10 feet shop is still swarming with eager customers . The muddy pathway hardly deters enthusiastic clients who flock here to get the best of beaded strings, sparkling silken and satin rakhis.
The young owner of the store that bears his name, N Ramaswamy isn't harried at all. After all, during the rest of the year, he sells ribbons, handkerchiefs and imitation jewellery but come July and August, his shop gets a colourful makeover with various Rakhis. As the biggest wholesale dealer of rakhis in the city, he caters to independent buyers, traders as well as shopkeepers from neighbouring districts. You need no further proof of whether the north Indian festival of Raksha Bandhan has made its place in the heart Nizams and Telugus.
Begum Bazar had been gifted to the Marwari community during the Nizam's rule to set up businesses. Ramaswamy's store was one of the first ones there, set up by his grandfather around 55 years ago. Now the lane boasts of more than 50 stores. Several stores that normally sell grocery, hosiery, junk jewellery, apparel and accessories or stationery turn into fullfledged rakhi vendors for two months prior to Raksha Bandhan
Shopkeepers from Himayatnagar, Dilsukhnagar, Abids, Ameerpet and Secunderabad flock here for the best buys. "Dealers from Visakhapatnam, Chittoor, Nellore, Anantapur, Kadapa and Krishna districts have been regular customers for years," claims N Ramaswamy.
For the past few years, craftsmen from Dhoolpet have started making and supplying these dealers rakhis, but most Rakhis at Begum Bazar are sourced from Kolkata, Delhi , Mumbai and Jaipur.
"Fancy rakhis studded with gems and stones are very popular. Of late designer rakhis have caught buyer's fancy, so we have a separate clientele that doesn't mind spending Rs 200 to Rs 300 per piece," says Dharamveer of Sri Sai stores. Swanky stores in town usually buy them in bulk. Dori rakhi, Lumba rakhi (with bells that may eventually be worn by the brother's wife), Chura rakhis, peacock patterns are all-time favourites. Then there are the Chinese rakhis with motifs of tiny teddy bears and other cartoon characters and the latest fad, a pair of identical 'Bhaiya-bhabi ' rakhis. Special combo packs of Rakhi, Roli and Tika come in handy for sisters staying in cities away from their brothers.
"Many families among Telugus celebrate this festival so we try to supply different designs to suit different tastes. Like Friendship Day, Rakhsha Bandhan too has become a fad with an ethnic touch that everybody wants to celebrate," observes 60-year-old rakhi dealer Puranchand Maheshwari.
While most simple rakhis at most shops cost a minimum Rs 10 or Rs 25 per piece, at Begum Bazar they cost a mere Re 1 or Rs 200 per dozen.