Know your own city with Pashatuks- Gazipur Fish market,Delhi

A first view of the market

There is a sizeable number of fish eating people in New Delhi and adjoining areas. The general perception is that people from the eastern belt and coastal regions are fish eaters, which may be true to a certain extent.

the way fish is packaged from the waterfronts

However with more awareness settling among people about the medicinal and cosmetic benefits(fish eaters have better hair and skin, lower on lipids etc) of Fish, we find that the fish eating community is increasing.

Some available varieties

All fish sold in the capital city is sourced from the Ghazipur wholesale market of Delhi.
Situated on the border of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh,towards the Delhi side (any local can guide you to the area once you are nearby the neighbouring Mayur Vihar area), this market is catering to the fish and poultry needs of Delhi and the National Capital Region.

For the connoisseurs- river snakes can be found here 

Pashatuks decided to check out the place and give you all a first hand report.
Like any other fish market, this one could be identified from a distance from its strong fishy smell.Car parking is free and theres no space paucity.

A normal day for our vendor here

A walk through the stalls can make you realise that you are actually robbed when you buy fish outside this market.
Prices out here are a fraction of the cost of what is generally available in local sub markets.The reason being that even your local fishmonger gets his daily produce from here. Fish has to be purchased whole, even the bigger ones.

The exotic sting ray- careful while cleaning it

The variety of water produce, right from normal fish to the more exotic squids, clams and even snakes are available. All big eateries procure their raw material from here and for the best option one should go there around 7 am in the morning. If you land later than 9 am, you will find an empty market
Delhi doesnt have any direct source for seafood, yet excellent options are available here, be it tiger prawns, or lobsters or crabs  or mussels or squids- the list is endless.

The only drawback that we found was that marketing has to be done in lots, so we suggest that you gather a few friends and go shopping and split the purchases. One can even get the big fish cut and cleaned there for a fee of INR 10 per kilo of fish cut.
Pashatuks suggests that you carry your own bags as fish is not generally available in polybags or carrybags and one has to buy their own polythene bags.
Happy shopping while you explore- go ahead fish around and give us your feedback

Pashatuks Recommends-Gaffar Market(Indias largest electronic market) for mobile repairs

Keeping in mind that mobile telephones have become the lifeline for all of us ,it is also important to remember that these are also electronic equipments and are subject to malfunctions and damages.
When all our mobile phones started giving trouble at the same time- a broken screen of a touch phone on a fall during one exploratory trip, one not booting and the other not accessing the wifi and blue tooth, Pashatuks decided to look for faster options of repairing. None of the phones were within the warranty periods and the estimated repair cost was higher than the cost of new handsets at the manufacturers service centre.
Pashatuks had heard about the mobile repair centres at Gaffar market, in the heart of Delhis Karolbagh area, but never explored the area.
Braving the hot summer temperature of 43 degrees celcius,we got off the metro train at Karolbagh Metro Station, sat on a cycle rickshaw and went through the narrow by-lanes of karolbagh to reach our destination- Gaffar market. The cost of a cycle rickshaw ride from Karolbagh metro station to the Gaffar market is INR 30 for two people.

We marched up to the section catering to the mobile units- every possible thing can be done out here in the multiple small cubby hole sized shops- right from the legal to the illegally cracking the unique identification code of phones- Indian or imported.
A walk through the gulleys was an eye opener for Pashatuks.
Anything was possible here, as long as it was a Mobile phone in question. Right from buying the best brands at a fraction of the original cost(no guarantee about quality or warranty- the entire market works on goodwill)- they grey market, to repairing seemingly impossible problems of mobile phones of any make or model.
One can also purchase new handsets from the authorised showrooms set up in the market,but the market is not famed for branded item purchases.
 Our handset with the smashed  touchscreen which was costing us around INR 3500 from the company to repair cost us just INR 900. Two of the other phones got their entire software changed and one sealed battery unit even got an IC changed- at a measly sum of INR 1000.

Business as usual under the banyan tree

The dexterity at which the technicians did their jobs left us dazed. There were people who had set up shops under the shade of the huge banyan tree. His shop was a table, a laptop and few tools and Voila he was in business - and a rip roaring business.
These people dont bargain, they dont fleece you as business is very competitive. And if they are not able to fix your problem, they would guide you to the exact shop who would do the job at the most competitive rates.
The face of this market is rather seedy and the technicians look as if they know nothing, but scratch the surface and you would find highly competitive and skilled people who can give the most educated of engineers a run for their money.
No wonder we found people from all over the country trooping to see if their seemingly lost causes could be salvaged.
The market doesnt really start functioning before noon and stays open till about 8- 8.30 pm.
The market remains closed on Monday.
Pashatuks suggests that while you are there - do sample the roadside food, which doesnt guarantee quality, but the taste lingers on for days after you have had it.