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Asia's Largest Shopping Festival |
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An annual event, the Great Mall of Hyderabad is a combination of the
events and joi de vivre of shopping festivals held around the world.
It is a blend of the best, offering a rich cultural extravaganza,
with great shopping opportunities and entertainment. The entire city
of Hyderabad wears a celebratory and festive look during the month.
All the major STD booths in the city are converted into interactive
cyber kiosks. Specially made designer coaches move around the city,
taking visitors from one venue to another. |
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Exotic Jaipur |
One of India's most popular tourist destinations, Jaipur is the "pink"
capital of the desert state of Rajasthan. Shopping is one of
Jaipur's major attractions. Both the walled city and the adjacent M.
I. Road (also known as Mirza Ismail Marg), which runs southwest trom
Ajmeri Gate, are lined with shops and factories. Amer Road is known
for its many handicraft shops. Be sure you bargain hard for
everything in Jaipur
Gems : -
Jaipur is India's major gem cutting and polishing centre
and one of the world's most important gem producers. Be careful
against synthetic stones being passed on as genuine. Explore the
many shops in and around the Johari Bazaar and along M. I. Road.
Jewellery : -
Some of the best selections are at the Gem Palace and
Amrapali, both on M. I. Road.
Handicraft : -
There is a variety of handicrafts to choose from, ranging
from brass figures, pottery, marble statues, metal ware to
woodcarvings, and stone sculptures.
Textile : -
Jaipur is well known for its unique tie-dye (bandhani)
and hand-blocked cotton and silk fabrics. Two villages outside
Jaipur are especially famous for producing the hand-blocked fabrics:
Sanganer and Bagru, where you can see families producing them.
Carpets and Rugs : -
Jaipur is also well known for its wool carpets and cotton
durries. Some of the carpet and rug shops also offer hand-blocked
cotton and silk fabrics. Try Carpet Mahal and Textile Mahal, Channi
Carpets and Textiles.
Blue Pottery: -
The region is famous for its distinctive Blue pottery.
Most handicraft emporiums carry it. Jaipur is also known for its
marble statues, papier-mach้ puppets, lacquer ware, Krishna-art
miniature paintings, bed linen and cotton quilts.
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Shop Easy |
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Emporiums in each major city, are well appointed multi-storeyed
complexes containing a selection of handicrafts from every corner of
the country. Cottage accepts major international credit cards, Each
branch has an air freighting section where bulky purchases are
delivered right at your doorstep, back home. Likewise, many other
stores in India will pack an air freight bulky purchases. |
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Successful Shopping |
Follow these guidelines as you navigate through India's shopping
delights:
Get the city by taking an organized tour. Find out about the best
shops from our brochure, your hotel concierge and other
acquaintances. Communicate clearly with merchants about what you
want. If you want any custom-made work (tailoring, jewellery) done,
visit the shops as soon as you can allow time for delivery. Save
time by focussing your shopping around specific shopping centres
rather than on stores.
Get a map of the city. Look to your right before stepping off the
curb as vehicles drive on the left-hand side. Should the weather not
permit outdoor shopping, plan your Shopping around indoor shopping
centres and departmental stores. Avoid shopping on weekends. Know
Your Rupee . The rupee (Rs) and the paisa are the currency units of
India. 100 paisa equals one rupee. Traveller's Cheques
A transaction fee is deducted each time you convert traveller's
cheques. So bring larger denominations. Credit and ATM Cards Visa
and Master Card are increasingly accepted in India, although street
vendors and small shops will not accept credit cards. Some places
accept American Express. Airport Departure Tax . There is a
departure tax of Rs 500 upon leaving India. If flying to either
Nepal, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka the tax is Rs. 250. |
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For Bookworms |
Mumbai The Computer Book Shop (the Fort Road joining VT station to
Flora Fountain) has the most comprehensive selection of
computer-related books. Crossword (Mahalaxmi Chambers, Bhulabhai
Desai Rd.) has a very large selection of books, but its main draw is
its computerised library of all available titles. It also offers a
"Dial a Book" service delivering books at your doorstep the same
day. It often organises "Meet the Author" sessions and book readings
by eminent personalities. Danai (off Linking Rd., Khar) is another
bookshop -which is willing to order titles which may not be in
stock.
Lotus Book House (Bandra Reclamation, Bandra) has the reputation of
being a more personalised version of Crossword. Smokers Corner (a
block from the Strand Bookstall), running since the 1940s, is
another of Bombay's institutions. As well as being a bookstore, it
also houses a small library. This store offers the best deals for
new books. Strand Book Store (Dhannur, Sir. Pherozshah Mehta Road,
about two blocks from the Computer Book Shop) offers an impressive
inventory of books.
The street around Flora Fountain is a stretch of about 2 kilometres
on which over 100,000-200,000 books are up for grabs everyday. About
80% of the books are second-hand. Kolkata The major area for books
is close to the Calcutta University. The street is lined on both
sides with stalls full of text books, and near the stalls there are
stores. At W. Newman & Company (the arcade of the Grand Eastern
Hotel) almost all the books are inside glass cases. Oxford (Park
Street near The Asiatic Society building) offers a 10% discount to
both Indian and foreign students.
Delhi The Bookworm (B-29, Connaught Place) has a large collection of
English language paperbacks. Galgotias (B-Block, Connaught Place) is
a good place for technical books and general reading/fiction.
Metropolitan Book Company (1, Netaji Subhash Marg, Darya Ganj)
claims to be the largest bookstore in Delhi. Sehgals, Crossword,
Timeless and Teksons (South Extension market), The Book Shop, Full
Circle (Khan Market), Om Bookshop (South Extension and Vasant Vihar)
and Fact & Fiction (Vasant Vihar) are some of the other popular
places where you can shop for books.
Chennai LandMark (Nungambakkam High Road near the U.S. Consulate) is
your best bet for foreign books. Well classified and spacious, it
has a wide variety of books on almost every subject. Also has a
section on gift articles and children's toys and books.
Fountain Head (Dr. Radhaknshnan Salai or Edward Elliots Road near
Jammi Buildings) started as a rival to Landmark to attract the young
crowd. Giggles Bookstore (arcade of the Connemara Hotel, Binnys
Road) is about ten feet wide and thirty feet long, and the books are
in vertical stacks leaning 3 ft deep against the walls. Open until
about 8:00 pm. Higginbothams (Mount Road, a.k.a. Anna Salai).
India's largest bookstore in terms of area. It has a good section on
technical books on all subjects, including a good section on India,
travel and tourism. Also sells tapes and CDs of Indian classical
music. Very popular with tourists, partly because of its location.
The Carnatic Music Book Centre (14, Sripuram First Street,
Royapettah, near Ajantha Hotel.) Oxford Univerity Press Outlet
(behind the US Consulate on Mount Road). The Bookstore at Spencer
Plaza (Ground Floor, Anna Salai, Mount Road.) Chennai has a book
fair during Dec-Jan (Dec 15 to Jan 15 usually, but dates vary). So
if you are there around that time, check that out. There is a 10-15%
discount on all books during that time.
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Shopping in India |
Silks - Varanasi, Mysore, Kanchipuram, Assam, Kashmir
Cotton - West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh
Papier - Mach้ Kashmir
Carpets - Kashmir, Mirzapur, Bardoi, Warangal, Eluru
Pottery & Stone Craft - Rajasthan, Bihar, Vrindavan (near Mathura),
Hamirpur, Agra
Metal Work - Moradabad, Mirzapur
Jewellery - Rajasthan, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Ferozabad
Woodcraft - Saharanpur, Mainpur, Kashmir, Rajasthan
Ikat & Patola - Orissa, Gujarat
Shawls & Scarves - Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttaranchal
Phulkari - Punjab
Marble - Agra
Textiles - Udaipur, Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chennai
Furniture - Mumbai, Jodhpur, Udaipur
Paintings - Delhi
Miniature - Paintings Udaipur, Himachal
Leather Goods - Chennai, Kolkata, Pondicherry |
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