Officially this market, built in 1869, is called Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market. But everyone refers to it by its former name, Crawford Market.
We visit this market on the first day of our workshop in India. (More info about that is at the end of this piece) It’s relatively quiet when we walk in, but it gets busier and busier over the morning. Crawford market is Mumbai’s most important fruit market and the early hours of the morning are devoted to resellers in markets around the city coming to buy baskets full of fruit for their shops.
Inside the market are stalls that sell all sorts of stuff, from dried fruit to cleaning supplies. (like the store in the sketch below)
On our way out, I spotted some porters who had been scurrying around in the morning. They are sleeping inside their baskets. These porters start their workday at 3am, so 10am seems like a fair time to take a quick little snooze.
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More posts in this series from India coming up soon. You can see earlier posts in the series here:
• The Study Hall of Dreams and Hopes
Gateway to India is a 10-day workshop based in India that I run with my co-instructor, Zainab Tambawala. The next session is in late January 2025. Workshop details will be announced by March 2024. If you are interested in getting on an early sign-up list, write to me and let me know!
Sketch Away: Travels with my sketchbook 