Delhiwale: This way to Cotton Market

As part of our ‘Walled City dictionary’ series, that is chronicling every significant Old Delhi place.
This is easy. The logic behind the name is no rocket science. Old Delhi’s Cotton Market owns its two words because it is a market that stocks cotton-made stuff, like quilts and mattresses and — per shop no. 15 — “all kinds of shaneel, Jaipuri bedsheet, razai, gadda, pillow, coirform, mattress, quilt sheet, etc.”
The place is spectacular in terms of sights. Parts of it offers a long sprawling view of the Jama Masjid, a perspective of the centuries-old monument not seen from anywhere else.
The unassuming market is actually a stretch connecting Urdu Bazar to Chandni Chowk. The shops also sell carpets and suitcases. All of these cram up both sides of the narrow lane, and in imaginative ways. For instance, one parked car is completed decked up with carpets (see photo) — the merchant says these “kaleen” are routinely imported from Turkey.
Then there’s a roadside stall piled up with multicoloured blankets; each velvety blanket is neatly folded inside its own transparent plastic case, while the wall behind the stall is hung over with even brighter carpets. The modest establishment looks pretty immodest.
A noteworthy landmark of the lane is a government-run school. It’s an Urdu medium, a rarity. One of the gates is painted with the names of very many school facilities, and not one word is in Urdu! All are in English. A prominent portion of the gate shows a motto in Hindi: Shiksharth aaiye sevarth jayiye. The gate signs are hand-painted, a corner calligraphy bears artist Faizan’s signature.
The second half of the lane is more diverse, where it becomes a market for food stalls, barber shops, and chai places.
At night, Cotton Market naturally becomes less lively, but the pavement food stalls stay buzzy till 12 o clock, their counters piled up with aloo subzi, fried fish and rice. The regular diners happen to be the area’s labourers and rickshaw pullers, who daily improvise their living arrangement along the market roadside.
Every morning, Cotton Market slowly awakens to life. The cotton traders return, including pavement hawker Ameerul Hasan, whose business tool is a simple body-weighing machine. He charges five rupees per person.