Delhi Haat, one of the most popular destinations of Delhi, was established around the concept of a ‘haat’ or a village market. In other words, the artisans / crafts people / weavers would be allotted stalls wherein they could sell their ware directly to the customers. The stalls were meant to be allotted for a fortnight and rotated among the crafts people. This not only provided an opportunity for the crafts people and the consumers to interact, but also aimed to mitigate the exploitations of the middle men.

Of late, however, there are many stalls in Delhi Haat that seem to carry the same goods, and are handled by the same people for months – in fact, years. These stall holders do not appear to be crafts people and seem to be running permanent stores from the Haat. It seems that Delhi Haat has turned to a “crafts mall”.

It is sad to see the corrosion of such an equalitarian movement. We came across the following blog on this topic and felt like sharing this – http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-little-marketplace-that-couldnt/