The lure of the Bazaar

Like most kids, i enjoyed several outing sessions with the family during my childhood. This was the typical scene on most of our outing sessions- 2 over enthusiastic kids, several packets of vegetables, a few bags of goodies and other groceries, cotton candy/popcorn in our hands, one dad,one mom -all packed into one Chetak (2 stroke-125 cc Bajaj make) scooter.
I followed mom and dad to where ever they took me- as long as my conditions were met ie, cotton candy in both my hands, and a couple of sessions on the oscillating horse- the one where you sit on and insert a coin and it keeps moving back and forth. Hard to imagine now, but it kept me amused then.
But the best memories i have of those outings were the lights, smells and lure of the bazaar. We'd often go to Gandhi bazaar ,one of the city's oldest stamping ground. I still remember the fragrance of the flowers,the calls of the vegetable vendor and the shear vibe that it carried. Since we were regulars there, the veggie vendor would often suggest that we picked a certain type of veggie and would -without a shadow of a doubt, put the most fresh packs in and gave it to mom. I could tell because mom would never bother to check once again before leaving the place. After all this, we'd walk further down the street to gorge on some crunchies. Bajjis ,bondas and dosas to suit your tongue -not to spicy ,or to bland -served with a smile.

Trivial it may be, but it is these things that i advert to while i indulge in some nostalgia.
A typical shopping outing for me these days meant that had to take the car out. This is worth grumbling about because driving through dense traffic with unruly pedestrians and cars that keep honking is enough to screw up your shopping experience even before you actually get there.
Eventually inching towards the bazaar, after several traffic jams et al, i have to endure the next big challenge- finding a parking space. Finally ,i find an empty spot in the 'car park zone' so i race across with much delight... only to find some jerk who's already parked his bike there. One tiny bike in a place meant for a car.. the sight of the shear waste of space there would make my blood boil with rage..
Mumbling and jumbling, i pack everything i need- A toothpaste which claims to be 'new and advanced', a 'healthier' variety of noodles(with the goodness and wheat and calcium), some soap that promises to make my skin better 'in just 14 days!' etc. Notice how these products keep contradicting themselves? If this company now sells a healthier version of noodles, does it mean that their earlier version of noodles that the sold last month was unhealthy? It all tastes the same in any case...
Much to my distress, the act of going out to get some groceries in now a dreaded thing.
Gone are the days when you knew what brand of what product you wanted and bought exactly what you set out to buy. It is now the era of luring you into buying stuff you don't need..