Shanti Mohalla – the name is deceptive as it doesn’t give the true picture of this bustling textile market in east Delhi, which is anything but peaceful. Quite possibly, most of the people living in Delhi have never heard of this place before.

Well, for the uninitiated, Shanti Mohalla is home to every kind of fabric – trendy cotton, linen, sumptuous silk, knock-off jeans and even home furnishing fabrics. Its higgledy-piggledy alleys attract hordes of serious fabric shoppers.

No body has any clues when and how this market came into existence. Most of the shopkeepers and traders doing business here don’t know. But it is clear that Shanti Mohalla has been an export hub since the mid 1990s, with products from the mills of Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Bengal and Kanpur finding their way to this locality.

When you take a walk through Shanti Mohalla’s ramshackle gullies, you will unearth a host of goodies – which you would have never hoped to find at a place like this. You will  fine corduroy in earthy brown, rusts and cobalt blue being sold for Rs. 40 per meter, lightweight pre-shrunk denims in a variety of washes available at Rs. 60 per meter onwards – all of them at  bargain prices which you will not find anywhere else.

At Shanti Mohalla, you can find everything related to fabrics-- be it fancy buttons, laces and trims.  Fancy laces and brocades are sold at Rs. 25 per piece. Brass buttons can be bought at Rs. 10-30 per dozen.

Well, I can go on writing about the market, but nothing is better than having a first hand experience. You’ll have to go and see to believe it. Go with lot of energy and patience and don’t forget to carry an empty bag. Haggling is a normal feature of Shanti Mohalla market, so you must go prepared for it.

Here is a word of caution to the shoppers who are not used to shopping in such conditions. Traders at Shanti Mohalla are wary of casual shoppers who want to know per meter rates. The traders are used to selling their merchandise in bulk. So don’t be put off by their hostility and irresponsiveness. Patience is the key here. Also, the entire setting of this market is a little seedy, so don’t go alone and keep a watchful eye on your belongings.

Happy Shopping

Location: Shanti Mohalla Cloth Market

Near Old Seelampur

Gandhi Nagar,

Delhi -31

Better still catch a rikshaw from the seelampur metro station, telling the

rikshaw puller to take you to the cloth market at Shanti Mohalla.