Its official now. Vashi's oldest and most popular supermarket has closed. 'Apna Bazaar' has been closed and now they are going to make a new building in its place. As far as I know, only the ground floor will now house a ministore Apna bazaar in place of the 2 storey superstore.
There was a time when Apna Bazaar was the one and only central hub for shopping. Come Sunday, people crowded into Apna bazaar to shop. It had everything....provisions, pharmacy, toys, bicycles and tricycles, shoes, clothing, stationery, watches, utensils etc. I remember myself going with Mom and Dad almost every sunday back when I was a kid. My sister and I used to help our parents complete their shopping, occasionally slipping goodies like cream biscuits, peanuts, pickwick, cheese and maggi noodles into the shopping basket. In those days, all these items were a treat for us kids !! (still is a treat, but its different now, these 'fancy' items are available in plenty and buying power has increased. Moreover, financially we were not that well to do in those times so our parents rightfully avoided spending on fancy items).
Sometimes I used to get lost inside the store, since there were a lot of rows of racks full of provisional goods. One or two times, I was close to tears, since I couldnt find mom !! Finally, when I did find her I was so happy, I hugged her very tightly and didnt leave mom's side till we reached home !!
On the first floor there was a toys section and I remember that sometimes, me and my sister used to tell mom and dad, we are going to the first floor to look at the toys while they shopped on the ground floor. It was a great joy to look at the toys and discuss our 'prospects' of owning those toys sometime later, when our birthdays would 'entitle' us to ask our parents for those !!!
When shopping was finally over, there used to be a popcorn cart just outside of Apna Bazaar. The man used to sell fresh popcorn for Rs 2 a packet!! Dad bought a packet or two everytime. (If you go to a theatre these days and ask for the smallest portion....its Rs 25 !! Talk about inflation !! ). Sunday shopping was thus a joyful family activity in Apna Bazaar, with the regular popcorn treat !!
As we grew up, vashi grew too, and with the upcoming malls and supermarkets, Apna Bazaar lost a lot of its customers to these big fancy malls. But the advantage remained....Apna Bazaar being a co operative departmental store, rates of provisions have always been subsidized and below the maximum retail prices. Since other supermarkets too offer a subsidy, advantage Apna Bazaar is deuced.
Anyway, 3 cheers for Apna Bazaar, its hard not to feel bad about its closing down. The store is a part of my nostalgia !!
