Colourful Bhubaneswar

What do you understand by a fully furnished house? Generally, the house should have all furniture, linen, gadgets and the rest, required to live there.
Not in this Indian state - Orissa!
Here, people have their own definition of furnishing.
Ask for a furnished house and the property agent will take you to newly built room with tiled floor and electricity connection. "You asked for furnished house, here you are! The room has tiles and the bathroom has all the fittings."
I gave up.
This is Orissa and people have different perceptions. Fine!
That was the point I decided to explore the famous `haat' (mercado grande or market). This was a effort to perk me up and help me not feel frustrated with the situation.
It was a good decision. When I arrived at the market, my mood was as bright as the lights in the massive shopping area. I was as cheerful as the noise around me.
This `haat' is a place in the heart of Bhubaneswar, where there are over 10,000 shops (ranging from a small kiosk  and pavement shop to big show rooms). They sell everything - you name it and they have it.
The most striking feature of this `haat' - one street has all shoe shops, the other one all bag shops (bags of all sizes shapes and colours). Then there are rows of fruit sellers or rows of shops selling Indian dress `Salwar Kurta' (shirt and trousers).
What surprised me the most were the series of shops selling plastic ropes (see the first pic). What they are for? I couldn't guess. But there were ropes of all thickness and in all possible shades.

Another interesting feature of the market are rows of repair shops. You lost your key for our car, motor bike or house key or you want to get your grand mother's pressure cooker fixed or if there is an old torch needing repair - this market has a solution for all you repair problems.


An hour of going around was not enough as I could explore less than 25 per cent of this most and unfortunately the only one interesting place I have discovered in Bhubaneswar so far.
This `Haat' has given me something to look forward to for the time being at least till I move beyond the city and explore the exotic places which I have  only read or heard about.
So, until then....