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V. Gangadhar

THE Bhandaris came to Bombay from Ahmedabad in 1977 on official transfer and settled down in a two-bedroom flat in Bandra. As one who enjoyed her shopping, Leela Bhandari explored all the avenues in Bandra. But she was not satisfied. She felt the suburb's shops lacked sophisticated items. "We looked around a bit," Mrs Bhandari tells me. "The local shops did not stock good quality footwear, furnishing material or electrical goods. So we often went to Colaba Causeway for shopping. It used to be nice family outings."

Traditionally, South Bombay, particularly Colaba, has been a shoppers' haven. Patronised by tourists from five-star hotels, Causeway shopping was supposed to be the best. Further, it was considered prestigious to shop in Colaba where one could rub shoulders with Bombay's elite. Since road traffic was lighter in those days and pollution far less, families such as the Bhandaris did not mind the inconvenience of regular shopping trips to Colaba.

Today, the scene has changed considerably. The Bhandaris have moved into a larger flat but seldom venture out to Colaba for shopping. "Bandra is now a shopping paradise," Mrs Bhandari explains. "Take a look at Hill Road and more important, Linking Road. We now get everything we want from these two shopping areas."

Yes, as suburban shopping took a big leap forward, the lead came from Bandra, the Queen of the Suburbs. Over the last 10 years, shopping trends in Mumbai have changed dramatically. Linking Road combines both sophisticated and day-to-day shopping. Every major national and international manufacturer has an outlet there. And for those who cannot afford the posh shops, there's plenty of textiles, footwear and outfits available on the pavements.

Says Ms Lillian D'Souza, an ardent shopper, "Bandraites want both fashionable and quality goods, which were not available in the past. All that has changed today. My friends and I do all our shopping on Linking Road and, to an extent, Hill Road. In fact, my relatives and friends from Mazgaon and Byculla often drop in to shop at Bandra." Agrees Ms Violet Peters of St Xavier's College. "Linking Road has become a trendsetter in girls fashion. Of course, we occasionally go to Fashion Street in the city, but Linking Road and Hill Road shops stock anything we want. The designs and patterns are just amazing."

It's not just Bandra that has witnessed an explosion in suburban shopping opportunities. Take the example of Andheri, Chembur, Ghatkopar and other suburbs. South Mumbai is no longer the Mecca of local shopping. With the city expanding dramatically over the past 15 years andspace at a premium in the city, most of the building activity has shifted to the suburbs. Unable to bear the congestion and space constraints in South Mumbai, retired people often sold their flats on Grant Road, Marine Drive and other posh areas, and with the money, bought bigger flats in the suburbs. "The suburbs have everything we dreamt about," said Mr Vijay Jhaveri, a Gujarati businessman. "We got a good price for our one-bedroom flat near Churchgate and bought a much bigger place in a housing complex at Kandivili, which has a swimming pool, gym and other facilities. As for shopping, we have a huge arcade with all kinds of shops. Our life has been transformed."

Suburbs now have everything — shops, malls, multiplexes, posh restaurants and clubs. But shopping centres are the most important.

The changes began with the establishment of government-owned cooperative department stores which sold essential items under one roof. Today, almost every suburb has at least one or two of the sahakari bhandars. But they lacked spit and polish: the goods were displayed unattractively and the sales staff was often lethargic. Little wonder then that these bhandars were blown away with the arrival of the super malls.

Mumbai boasts of super malls at Tardeo, Bandra, Parel, Mulund and Powai, and more are coming up elsewhere. A combination of department stores and supermarkets, the malls sell everything from essential household goods to glamorous, flashy, luxury items. In the process, they have changed the shopping habits of the people. The three-storeyed Big Bazar stands in the not-so-upmarket area of Parel, where textile mills once functioned round the clock belching smoke. As Mumbai's textile industry went dead, the land was sold and large chunks were grabbed to build huge shopping malls.

Recently, I spent five hours at Big Bazar and still saw only part of it. I am a reluctant shopper but what I saw impressed me. Who would have thought that the average household required so many things? Kitchen items, food, fabrics, cosmetics, all types of consumer items, jewellery, footwear... items to suit all pockets, neatly packaged and labelled. The customers were from all walks of society. Society matrons, professionals, upper-class housewives, students, taxi drivers... One sees everyone here.

Explains Ms Sushila, a 32-year-old nurse, "I finish my monthly shopping in just a day because everything I need is available here. The prices are highly competitive and the quality and packing are excellent. I used to think such stores were only for the rich but my experience here has been otherwise." Agrees Mr Rajbir Singh, a cabbie. "I once bought some sugar during an emergency and found that it cost less than my grocer's. Today, I am a regular at the Big Bazar."

Mulund, another Mumbai suburb, had the reputation of being typically middle class. But today, it houses two huge shopping malls, both doing roaring business. The R Mall shopping centre, owned by the Runwal Group, occupies 3,150 lakh sq. feet, and the parking area is another 1 lakh sq. feet. Started in 2003, it attracts nine lakh customers per month.

Ms Nisha Prabharakan, a journalism student who had studied shopping habits besides being a regular shopper herself at the mall, says people from Mulund have stopped going to Bandra or Colaba to shop. "Today, families from Thane and Dombivili are patronising these malls. The usual hawkers and grocers complain that their business has been adversely affected because of the popularity of the malls."

"People want to buy good brand names," an executive of the R Mall explains. "We sell goods cheaper than the MRP and customers, once they know this, come again and again."

The other biggie in Mulund is the Nirmal Mall, which boasts of Shoppers' Shop, McDonald's and an array of famous jewellers. The malls, of course, sell extremely expensive imported items too. Haiko, the sophisticated supermarket at Hiranandani complex in Powai, stocks more foreign goodies than any other mall. "The affluent customers snap up everything, including expensive imported vegetables and fruits. But there is enough variety here to cater to all classes of people," explains the manager of the market, which also boasts of one of the biggest shoe outlets in the country.

So, what is the message? Grab a big trolley, barge into these malls and shop to your heart's content.

Pictures by Shashi Ashiwal

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