Friday 10 February 2012

A trip to Sowcarpet, Chennai, 3rd February 2012




Sowcarpet (சௌகார்பேட்டை) is a sprawling neighborhood in the northern part of Chennai, India. It is a bustling commercial area of the city and a range of wholesale markets are located here. Sowcarpet is one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city with narrow streets and vintage buildings. The place bustles with business seven days a week, and there is hardly anything one cannot buy in Sowcarpet. I wonder why its called that though! Anyway, I went there on the 3rd of feb, a friday to look at the cycle rickshaws that still ply there along with a few students. And took a few pictures... We got off at Parry's Corner bus stand and stood gaping for a while at the chaos of it all.

This picture is taken from the top of a building there.





























A cycle van carrying plastic pots of water

















We hired 2 rickshaws and in a blur of traffic, we went the wrong way of the road for what seemed hours. There were traffic police, pedestrians, buses, auto rickshaws, vendors of all sorts, but no one stopped us.





























Till we reached Sowcarpet!














And it was just as we imagined it.

























An old broken house on Mint street

The Church on Armenian Street


1 comment:

KARUNA said...

It is called Sowcarpet because initially the Sahukars (Merchants) were the ones who dominated the area and thus gradually Sahukar turned into Sowcar and Pet is the area where one lives. So it is famously known as Sowcarpet (Sahukar Pet)