Our flat mate Lally has been to India many, many times. Like many yoga teachers, a return visit means doing some shopping. Fabrics, silver, linens, shoes, and many other things are high quality and less expensive than in other parts of the world. At the same time, if you don’t know what you’re looking for or know If the shop keeper is trust worthy, you can spend a lot of money and/or get something that’s not well made.
One of the senior Iyengar teachers, Bobby Clennell, has put together a book simply called the Pune Guide. It recommends cooks, shops, doctors, and accommodations, among other things. It is a great resource.
Today we went to a part of town called Koregaon Park looking for scarves (for Lorene) and rugs (for me). Lally knew the shop keeper from her past trips and the shop, Kashmir Dowry, is listed in the book.
Shopping the “Indian Way” is a far more personal experience. The shops are so tiny (SO TINY) with everything folded and neatly stacked. There are usually a few samples out and once you express interested a myriad of others come from the shelves or the back room or a cart down the street or the second floor. One after another they are unpackaged and unfolded for inspection or to try on. The shopkeepers who sell clothing and scarves must spend their days folding and refolding.
We walked into Happy Heart, a silver jewelry and stone shop, where the proprietor, Shine, pointed out a photo above the door of Mr. Iyengar! Instant credibility! Shine was happy to have us sit and have a cup of tea as we we looked through bin after bin; bracelets, toe rings, earrings, necklaces, rings. While we were looking and trying on piece after piece, an assistant custom made a bracelet for Lorene. On his business card it says “Buy with Happiness”, which is just a perfect way to sum up our experience. He was kind enough to have his photo taken with me, which made me happy, too.
