Meena Bazaar is one of the busiest bazaars of Peshawar city. Any time you land there and you will get lost in a sea of colour and aroma. People belonging to every age group from the very old exhausted one’s to kids; there are people and people everywhere and the bazaar is packed with humans. But the bazaar is especially reserved for the fair sex. All the essentials belonging to women’s interest is available here. As the bazaar is located in the heart of the city, it remains open nearly 24-hours of the day.
Shopkeepers use all kinds of tactics, including the not so good ones, to attract ladies. They do everything to lure them to buy ordinary articles at extraordinary prices. And that is why, when you happen to pass through this bazar, for a reason other than shopping, that you have to face the impatient pleas and invitations of the shopkeepers.
They call you Dekhwa rasha (come here), Iti aaa, Sa pakaar dee, Kia chahie and Jee. Most of the time I find myself in really embarrassing spots when I by chance look at a shopkeeper and his mouth waters by calling me JEE, meaning “How can I be of help to you?” In reality, his Jee translates into, “How can I cut your throat by getting you into my shop?” Instead of attracting me to the place, such invitations actually force me to move towards another shopkeeper who remains a little patient and doesn’t call out loudly.
Why does the utterance jee or Dekhwa rasha irritates me I don’t know. But what I ask him, in my heart, and to the other noisy shopkeepers is why do you call a person and irritate him? If he really needs something and if that is in your fate, he will definitely come to your shop. So why such impatience!
But then Meena Bazar has its plus points; compared to the other shopping markets, like Sabzi Mandi (vegetable market) and Phal Mandi (fruit market), Meena Bazar is overflowing with sweet fragrances and filled with women in colourful and charming attires. Which is what makes it equally attractive for men as well!
These men can be roughly divided into two distinct groups: the aged men (above fifty) and the younger generation. The former group mostly belongs to the kind of people, who have either accompanied their womenfolk. But what about the second group: the young lads of the nation? Do they have any genuine reason to be in this predominantly feminine bazaar? Yes! At least some of them have.
Quite a few of them are those who are experiencing their first love affair and have come here in search of something to be presented as a gift to the beloved. This beloved can also be the fiancee. So one should not blame them as love has its own reason. That is why we can easily excuse them from visiting Meena Bazaar.
Now to the second category; well readers this category has their own reasons which do not seem so reasonable, to visit the bazaar. Actually this category has not yet come across the harsh realities of life. They have their own world of sweet imagination and colourful dreams. They are obsessed with beauty and colour and are highly attracted by colourful attires, perfumes, dupattas, and sometimes sandals. They would even not hesitate if they had to receive a few sandals during their (not so) notorious activities of staring and teasing the young (as well as not so young) ladies. For a few among them, this is the enjoyment, refreshment, recreation and indulgence that is at times necessary for them to forget the bitterness of real life. By the way their activities and their numbers increase in the bazaar during the Eid days. As on the occasion of Eid, woman kind attacks the bazaar in enormous quantity, so do the youth who also turn their attention from other regular activities (chat on net, playing cricket etc.) towards the bazaar. We know youth is blind and cannot judge, so lets pray that the young ones be granted the faculty of judgment.
However, there is one deterrent for their kind. At the Meena Bazar there is a billboard that reads, “Allah Dekh Raha Hai” (Allah is watching). If you have a living-heart (Dil-e-Zinda wa Dil-e-Beena) you will stop the whole staring and enjoying the colour-filled activity and will rush-out of the bazaar. Believe me, there are a number of us around who fear the worst and rush out of the bazar after reading this.
Here, I would like to suggest a small thing. A billboard that reads Allah dekh raha hai, all shinny and colourful, should be fixed on the front wall of every office of power; right from the office of the prime minister and the president to the office of the local SHO (it is especially needed here). It should also be fixed besides the Quaid’s photograph in all the offices. I am quite sure that a good deal of corruption, nepotism, bribery and misuse of authority will be taken care of, if not eliminated altogether by taking this measure. Such a board should also be placed at all places where the traffic police personnel are (performing) their duties of (controlling) the traffic. This can also minimize their (underground) activities. The Quaid’s photograph will remind us of unity, faith and discipline and Allah dekh raha hai will remind those who those abuse power and authority, of the presence of Allah and the ultimate accountability before him.
Meena Bazaar is one of the busiest bazaars of Peshawar city. Any time you land there and you will get lost in a sea of colour and aroma. People belonging to every age group from the very old exhausted one’s to kids; there are people and people everywhere and the bazaar is packed with humans. But the bazaar is especially reserved for the fair sex. All the essentials belonging to women’s interest is available here. As the bazaar is located in the heart of the city, it remains open nearly 24-hours of the day.
