Our friends from Tibet- A story that spreads warmth, a story which is of peaceful revolutionaries.

There’s Chinese and then there is Tibetan – the latter infusing a warm fuzzy feeling – their food, their cymbals and their textiles too. As you scamper your way through the noisy Chowk Bazar and enter the Tibetan market brimming with motley of winter wear on display, it suddenly stops feeling like Surat. There is the subtle scent of dumplings wafting through the air, a group of people huddling over cups of salted tea and seemingly disinterested Tibetan shopkeepers who come here each year to sell their wares, mostly woollens.

5th 1st

A quick history lesson – Tibetans have been living in exile (Mostly in India, Bhutan and Nepal) after the Chinese invasion in 50s. The community has held steadfast despite losing their homeland (some of them have never been to Tibet) and hold strong allegiance to The Dalai Lama, their spiritual guru. Year after year, they hope to reclaim their motherland. Various Tibet Bazars across India is an attempt for the people living in exile to earn a decent livelihood and hang on to the hopes of making it back. The woolens although are mostly locally sourced.

We tried speaking to a few of these affable looking people and we weren’t surprised. They are warmer than their jackets, quite keen to educate us on the situation in Tibet.

3rd 4th

Whether you are interested in the history or not, it is worthwhile to go check their collection. The rates are fixed (no haggling, no headaches), there is enough spread to select from and did we mention are easy on your pocket too? We were quite smitten. If you are lucky as we were, you may just score an uber cool jacket just for 600 bucks – dazzling smiles free!

2nd 6th