Blasts don’t shock Zaveri Bazaar traders anymore

In the most unexpected reply to a question on the impact of the blast on Wednesday, 31-year-old Chandrakant Shah shot back saying that a blast in Zaveri Bazaar has lost its shock value.

“Three blasts in this area have almost made us habituated to these crises. For the first five to 10 minutes we feel disturbed, but thereafter there is a strange sense of indifference. Even on Wednesday, our reactions were the same. We heard the noise, looked out of the window, realised it’s another tragedy and simply set out to see if we could be of some help,” said Shah.

Another surprise which Zaveri Bazaar had in store on Thursday morning was clear roads. A rare luxury indeed in the thickly populated lanes where you often do not need to walk as the frenzied mob pushes you along.

“While the blast has a role to play in the lower turnout of people, shops are also closed due to Chomasi Chaudas festival of the Jains,” said 71-year-old Parasmal Kothari, who has been running a textiles business in the area for over 50 years.

“The nakabandis have also forced shopkeepers to stay home because even if they open their shops in these lanes, many customers would choose not to venture here,” added Kothari.

However, Suresh Purohit opened his 100-year-old shop popular for kachouries and jalebis sharp at 6am. “We cannot change what has already happened but we can certainly leave the unpleasant memories behind.

“The blast can’t kill the hunger of people and it is my duty to ensure I do not down shutters and keep regular customers hungry,” said Purohit.