From 104 kg temple bells and 24 inch-long serving spoons to 150 year-old shops that sell you everything that your kitchen and neighbourhood caterer need, Kalbadevi's Tamba Kanta bazaar is a treasure for all things copper, brass, aluminum and stainless steel
From 104 kg temple bells and 24 inch-long serving spoons to 150 year-old shops that sell you everything that your kitchen and neighbourhood caterer need, Kalbadevi's Tamba Kanta bazaar is a treasure for all things copper, brass, aluminum and stainless steel
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Stainless steel is the bachcha of the lot. It arrived here only 50 years ago," scoffs Pankaj Shah, current owner of Shah Jagjivandas Baldevdas, dealers in stainless steel, copper and brassware at Kansara Chawl, Kalbadevi.
While the address may not instantly ring a bell, it is in fact, the heart of a nearly 200 year-old market. Tamba Kanta, Mumbai's hub for copper, brass, aluminium and stainless steel utensils, kitchenware for caterers and temple and puja items is situated in the centre of what once constituted the inner city, or the Indian quarter of the town of British Bombay.
Tamba Kanta still evokes a sense of nostalgia. The stretch is sandwiched between the Pydhonie Jain Temple at one end and chaotic Bhuleshwar market at the other. Walk past rows of overflowing shops and you can't escape the mostly Gujarati and Marwari merchant community talking "bijness" over rounds of milky chai seated inside shops whose backdoors open into labyrinthine gullies. Here's a quick guide to shopping at Tamba Kanta:
Shah Jagjivandas Baldevdas' fifth generation owner along with
his trusted helpers wonders how long Tamba Kanta will
survive without losing out to newer establishments that sell
readymade garments and footwear
Rule 1: Don't be a hasty buyer
It's easy to get tempted and jump at the first best-looking (you'd think) item on sale. Do a dry run before going for the kill. While one side of the road is lined with home ware, including every conceivable element to deck up your puja room, the other mainly deals in items for large scale cooking.
And if you need refuelling, hop across to Surti Restaurant for traditionally made Gujarati winter speciality, Undhiyu.u00a0
Rule 2: Get the real deal
"We are among the few who sell genuine copper and brassware," claims Shah, a fifth-generation owner who rues that the streetscape is changing too fast for his comfort. There was a time when the manufacturing process would unfold in Mumbai. Nowadays, the wares come from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
Stainless steel is widely preferred since brass utensils involve an expensive process called tinning, which dissuades customers. "In the last ten years, non-stick ware, hard coating and electrical cookware has become popular, and we have to change with the times," he shares.
Rule 3: Scan the diversity
Hundred year-old Amthalal Sankalchand are specialists in hotel kitchenware. Here, you will a degchi as large as 45 inches in diameter. The 25 year-old Arihant Steel Palace showcases a mind-boggling variety of puja articles (ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000). Some retailers will even customise metal ware for your needsu00a0-- from eco-friendly kitchenware that will withstand any heating process to temple bells whose ring will echo in Kalbadevi and beyond.u00a0
Didu00a0you know?
Tamba Kanta gets its name from people of the Twastha Kansar Samaj (ethnic Maharashtrians), who were metal workers. They had a tremendous knowledge of metal behaviour and were readily absorbed into the Government Mint (tankshaal) by the British establishment. Source: A Tale of Three Native Towns by Jagdish Gandhi
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