NEW DELHI: Puneet Kumar Chhabra sits in his massive Paharganj store peering out, the fan overhead desperately trying to cool the hot summer air.
Chhabra’s eyes sweep the main bazaar road for potential customers for the pajamas, shawls, shirts and other wares colourfully arrayed in his shop.
But a shopper is rare in the once bustling hub of foreign backpackers and tourists.
The bazaar, known for its kitschy, touristy offerings, has gone without customers for over a year now due to the pandemic, which has affected global travel.
This has prompted many shop owners to rethink their business.
Hotels, restaurants, and shops — even popular ones like Appetite German Bakery — are all but shut or only partially open.
Ramesh, who runs an electricity hardware shop, looks at the closed shop opposite his establishment.
“It used to be a bakery and operated for several decades,” he said.
“With foreigners no longer coming here, the owners are starting some other business.
In truth, however, the market of Paharganj is now dead.” This ominous claim is also made by other shop owners in the once busy market.
Manish Gupta sits among the hookahs, shishas, chillums and other smoking devices and says in a desultory tone, “These days, I get just 10-20% of the business I used to two years ago when Paharganj was overcrowded and you wouldn’t even find space to walk in comfort.
Now, only a few locals come looking for specific items.” Next door, Dinesh Kumar, who too sells smoking items, claimed, “There are days when we don’t have a single customer.
The employees of many shops like ours aren’t being paid their salaries.
This is because the items we sell have a certain clientele and are oriented towards foreigners and tourists.
It will need some miracle for the market to be rejuvenated.” The biggest victims of the pandemic, of course, are Paharganj’s hotels and restaurants.
Vijay Sharma, owner of Hotel Anoop, claimed the business was now “zero” and there were no hopes of improvement in the situation.
“Flights from other countries aren’t operating and we are not even getting domestic tourists for our hotels,” rued Sharma.
“Many states in south India are still reeling from the pandemic and very few people are travelling to Delhi.
The whole hotel industry is in turmoil and 50% of Paharganj’s hotels are fully shut down.” Mohammad Shoaib of Heritage Hotel concurred.
“The main bazaar is entirely dependent on foreign tourists.
We earn nothing without them.
We are keeping our hotel open only to let any rare customer know we are open.
Of course, nobody ever comes.” Satyam Hotel’s Suresh hoped for vaccinated foreigners to be allowed to travel.
“We can at least get some business,” he said.
Jagdish of Metropolis Restaurant isn’t so sure.
The popular eatery, started in 1928, has been shuttered for a year now.
“Most of the stuff on our menu was meant for the palate of foreigners.
After they stopped coming, we haven’t opened the place,” said Jagdish.
He remained circumspect about any hopeful turn in the dire situation.