Street shopping addas of Nagpur (Part 6)

TOI takes you on big dipper ride to some of Nagpur's smartest street addas, where you can discover some real treasures and steal deals…
Dharaskar lane, opposite Itwari Post Office
Sassy sling bags and bling accessories Dharaskar lane is a sought-after lane for street shopping. Right from the beginning of the lane, look out for the bangles' shops wherein a huge variety of kundan and lac bangles are available.If you walk a little ahead, you will come across the shop 'Double AA' where a wide range of bags is up for grabs at throwaway prices. Right from embroidered brocade batuas to mobile covers to fancy clutches to jute jholas, this shop has a plethora of options available for the ladies of all age groups, at reasonable prices.
Quick Take: If the shopping tires you, you can enjoy some delicious sev puri and dabeli at the kiosks in the beginning of the lane. And of course, the sandwiches made by the Bengali sandwichwala shouldn't be missed for anything.
Flattering footwear If you are looking for some fancy footwear, then this is the right place for you. Wide variety of chappals, ballerinas and juttis are found here. Fancy flats, wedges and stilettoes in various colours and designs are quite popular among the college-goers. Priced at Rs 100 onwards, chappals here are quite reasonable.
Quick Take: Though flats and bellies are comfortable for daily use, they are not very high on quality, so don't expect a long shelf life of the footwear that you buy.
Dressing the deities As you go on exploring the lane, you will find a small shop- Maujilal Nandlal - dedicated exclusively to the deity's clothes and shringar. A huge range of singhasanas and jhulas are available here at reasonable prices. Beautiful kundan decorated aarti thalis, deities' clothes and mukuts priced at Rs 80 onwards, can create a stunning aura in your home. You are bound to spend a few bucks here for sure!
Quick Take: A lot of patience and time is required at this shop and it is a real challenge to pick a few from the vast variety of beautiful items available here.
Cotton baatis for divine bliss You can easily spot the thelas of cotton baatis (wicks) just in front of Narsingh Mandir. With the round (phool) baatis, akhand baatis (cotton and mauli) and teen taar baatis being the bestsellers, the 20 variety of baatis can awe the customers instantly. Rajkumar Umredkar, the owner of one of the stalls, says, "We get these baatis from Gondia and Amravati, so they also serve as a means of employment for the poor villagers and widows there."
Quick Take: Cotton malas for the Lords are also available here. While 21 mani malas are quite common, the 108 mani malas and baatis are also available here on special orders.
Tickling your taste buds If you visit Dharaskar lane, don't forget to buy the papads, chips and the mukhwas at the Agrawal Brothers' shop, situated right at the beginning of the lane. Around 20 kinds of papads and chips- of moong, udad, chana, aaloo, sabudana, chawal, gehu etc. - priced at Rs 150 per Kg onwards - are available here. The owner, Pavan Agrawal, says, "Our joint is a family paradise as kids come here for the colourful chips, while adults search for the amla murabba and variety of spicy papads."
Quick Take: If you want to get closer to your Indian roots, then dahi mirchi (yoghurt -dipped chillies), amla murabba, meetha masala amla are just the items to jazz up your ethnic dinner plate.