BAZAARS OF HYDERABAD Essay

In The Bazaars of Hyderabad is a vibrant, colorful poem describing the bazaars of Hyderabad. This poem was written during the British Rule when Indians were asked to boycott foreign products and buy goods from traditional Indian bazaars. During this time, publication of Indian newspapers was banned so she might have thought the best way to spread the message to people was through her poems. In The Bazaars of Hyderabad begins with a question from the poet to the merchants in the bazaar about what they are selling. The merchants reply that they are selling silver and crimson colored turbans, purple brocade tunics, mirrors framed in amber and daggers with handles made of jade. The first stanza ends there. The next stanza is about another stall and the same question is asked by the poet to the vendors about what they are weighing and selling. Saffron, lentils and rice are being sold by the vendors. The poet asks the maidens what they are grinding and she gets a reply that they are grinding henna, sandalwood and spices. The poet then questions the pedlars about what they are selling and they say chessmen dice made from ivory. The third stanza takes us to a jewelry store where the poet asks the goldsmith what ornaments they make. Wristlets, anklets and rings are made is the reply. Moreover, they say they manufacture bells for blue pigeons to be tied to their feet. The bells are as delicate as a dragonfly’s wing. Simultaneously they make gold girdles for dancers and sheaths for kings to keep their swords. The poet visits a fruit shop in the fourth stanza of the poem In The Bazaars of Hyderabad. There she enquires about what they are selling. They tell her they sell lemon, pomegranate and plum. Then the musicians are asked what they play and they say sitar, sarangi and drums are played. She even comes across magicians and asks them what they are chanting and they say that they are chanting magical spells to charm thousand ages to come. The final stanza is about the flower girls who are asked what they are weaving with strands of red and blue flowers. The girls reply that they making garlands for bride and groom to decorate their bed for their wedding night. They are also weaving sheets of white flowers which are placed on graves for fragrance purposes. In The Bazaars of Hyderabad is lucid and vivid in language. It creates beautifully a colorful picture of the bazaar in the minds of its readers.