The great Dhaka market adventure: Bargains, bazaars, and beyond
New Market or Hope Market of Mirpur 10 is a budget-friendly paradise where one can indulge in retail therapy without their wallet gradually filling for bankruptcy. But, they offer much more than mere shopping
If you have ever been a student on a budget or just someone with a keen eye for posh and trendy outfits without straining your bank balance, chances are you have strolled through the iconic Dhaka New Market or its cheeky little sibling, the mighty Hope Market of Mirpur 10.
From trendy clothes and denim to books, water pots, shoes, jewellery, and street food—you name it, they have it! For students like me, it's like a budget-friendly paradise where I can indulge in retail therapy without my wallet gradually filling with bankruptcy.
However, New Market and Hope Market offer much more than mere shopping. If you ever feel like you are not doing well enough in life, or if no one is giving you attention, and you feel unseen, unheard, or unrecognised, it's a sign you must visit either the New Market or its brother branch.
Nothing screams "I matter" quite like walking through these chaotic mazes of shops where sometimes even GPS gets confused. Trust me, dodging through the crowds and bargaining with the shopkeepers will make you feel like the star of your own action movie, where you and only you are the lead protagonist.
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However, one needs to be extremely talented, cunning, analytical, and have good eyesight to survive in this market utopia, as these places are not for beginners.
So what happens in this utopia? Let's start from the beginning. First, you have to prepare yourself mentally, select a time and a date, and, of course, choose your bargaining partner.
As you enter this market utopia, you will see various shops with colourful products that shine from far away. As you get closer to the shops after successfully surviving the crowdy maze game, you will be greeted by numerous shopkeepers whose enthusiasm to sell their products could rival that of a professional carnival barker. You would feel that the rotation of the earth around the sun and the fate of the universe depend upon your visit to their shops.
Once you enter the shops, you will encounter shopkeepers, a.k.a. the yarn spinners, whose pitches for their products defy all logic and the laws of science and business. A simple scarf becomes a "revolutionary anti-gravity fashion accessory" that, according to the shopkeepers, can be used as a parachute and even help you fly to the moon. Simple bracelets are sold as "antique time-travel devices" collected from the Joseon era, which can help buyers leap into the future or past by adorning their wrists with these vintage items.
And if you are confident and sure to buy these things, the next step is the price. As mentioned before, dear readers, this place is no joke and not for beginners. The art of bargaining is not just a skill but a survival mechanism that you can surely include in your CV (note to be taken: Surviving on public transport should be placed at the top of your CV). A humble T-shirt is proclaimed to have been stitched by celestial beings, and the price tag goes as high as Tk2,000.
Very strangely, after a spirited negotiation, the price of the T-shirt miraculously drops to a mere Tk200, as if the fabric itself was waiting for the right moment to reveal its true value.
And the time-travelling wrist bracelets from the Joseon era are sold for Tk30 after much discussion, as if Queen Inhyeon herself had instructed the shopkeepers to lower the price.
Once you have managed to snag these exclusive items at unbelievably low and affordable prices, you might find yourself agreeing to purchase a "limited edition" umbrella that supposedly grants wishes during monsoons.
As the day goes on and your bags bulge with treasure procured through the delicate dance of bargaining, you might find yourself both amazed and amused by the audacity of it all. Dhaka New Market isn't just a place to shop; it's like stepping into a wild adventure where bragging rules and reality take a backseat!
Sanzida Alam Lisa is a Research Assistant at the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), ULAB. She is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at ULAB.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
