Carpet Cellar - A treasure trove of Carpets and Pashmina

Have you ever entered an Alladin’s cave where cashmere / pashmina shawls – new, vintage and antique, pieces of vintage textiles and row upon rolls upon rolls of new carpets and antique ones, belonging to Maharajas, made during the British Raj, made in Persia, Kashmir in wool, silk and its numerous combination are arranged in perfect synchrony? There are tribal rugs, kilms, durries, Mughal Jail carpets, HadjiJalili’s, modern damascue, contemporary ones. The collection some woven in India, some sourced from the finest manufacturing centres, galleries and from Princely families.  The impact is overwhelming. I had been to their showroom in the basement of their home, but this one in a commercial place with enough space for display was mind boggling. It was started by the late Mr. Sheel Chandra. What helped him establish himself was that he was in the wool trade, of importing wool from Australia and New Zealand for various woollen mills in India. This gave him insight into wool and of course carpets.

Today the main collection is available at their showroom on Mehrauli Gurgaon Road. A huge space with just carpets and cushions is a virtual feast to the eyes. The old place in the basement of Anand Niketan has the restoration unit and of course products. I had visited their MG Road showroom quite a while ago.

Where – The showroom is located in Sultanpur – MG Road – 348D Mehrauli Gurgaon Road to be precise. It is opposite Zorba.

Timings - It is open 7 days – 10.30 am to 7 pm

Highlights - Have one of the largest collection of antique textiles, brocade, jacquard, Jamewar shawls, paisleys and Kani shawls. There are plenty of revivals in the hand knotted carpet section. The range of vintage and antique textiles, rugs and carpet is mind boggling.

Insider Tip – The revival work done by them is fascinating. Several old motifs, designs, method of weaving has been revived. The best of wool and silk is used in the revival. Kashmiri carpet is an area of expertise as is the revival of Kani shawls and work with Pashmina. The list of their work with textiles and carpets in unending, The antique carpet collection for sale also in large enough to fill a few books. What though stands out is the passion and personal touch in dealing with the textiles and visitors.

5 places where you can pick up South Indian Grocery

India is a country where the language changes every kos or mile and so does the food. Therefore in a cosmopolitan city like Delhi, there are people from across the country. And to cater to this population are specific stores which sell groceries and other items from that particular state. I share below 5 stores where you can pick up South Indian grocery and odds and ends.

Sree Rama Stores – Located in  Rama Market, Munirka, this is the venerable old go to place for all South Indians. Anything and everything for the South Indian community is available. The Mama who runs it, is a Malayalee though speaks excellent Tamil. I have picked up the English version of Samaithu Paaru and CDs of Balakrishna Shastrigal and Smt Vishaka Hari from here. You can get jackfruit during season, elaichi bananas, red bananas, Nedran variety of bananas. He gets raw mango for making raw mango pickles during March / April. This has to be booked for in advance. I have picked up and bottled them. The upstairs of the shop is a treasure trove of coloured dhotis, sarees. The ground floor has the entire range of applam, pappadam, podis, thokku, paste, rice items….dosa batter, coconut….I have also picked up unusual spices and chillies from here. (Tuesday Closed)

Anil Stores – This is located in Mohammadpur. (A left turn after the Church, when you are coming towards Bikaji Cama Road on Africa Avenue Road. A further right in the lane which houses a cobbler making handmade shoes and voila) Anil Stores specializes in products from Kerala. So one can get the best of jackfruit chips, banana chips, the jaggery-ginger banana chips, tapioca chips. The store has a lot of products from Kerala. Dhotis, towels, handicrafts, coconut, puttu powder, idiappam makers, idiappam mixes, pickles, fresh vada, bread, cakes… During Onam and Vishu there is a surfeit of traditional vegetables and fruits. (Tuesday Closed)

Sree Gopalan Store – This is located in the bylanes of Govindpuri Extn, precisely Harbans Singh Premi Marg. Again a small shop with lots of South Indian knick knacks. They offer a range of South Indian namkeens and mithais which are nice. It is a local brand made in Delhi but the taste is authentic as you get…try their tenkuyal, muthuswaram or mullu thenkuyal, chakli, thattai, mixture, jangari, laddoo.. He also stocks typical rice for dosa etc (Tuesday Closed)

Cochin Stores – This was located in the old Nauroji Nagar market on the left side of the Ring Road, behind Safdarjung Enclave. Following rebuilding, the entire market has been shifted to the ground floor of NBCC Tower in East Kidwai Nagari, (opp. Dilli Haat) near INA Market. The products are from South especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Go for coconut, bananas and other eats. (Monday Closed)

There are plenty of shops in INA Market selling South Indian groceries. One can Bydagi chillies, papads, jackfruits and of course Nedran bananas. The prices though may seem a bit on the higher side as the place is frequented by Embassy folks. The African community loves its bananas and picks it up instantly. There are a few shops in the second and third lane. I used to be a sucker for unusual products and have been conned by the shopkeeper much to my Dad’s chagrin.:)😊One can get kappa, koorka and more. There are several such shops across Delhi. We will track them as we go…Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, Paschim Vihar….