This Sunday market in Chennai was all about small businesses and sustainability

CHENNAI: Abandoning our plan to laze around in our beds, we set out to visit a Sunday market instead, imagining a quiet gathering of folk selling produce, perhaps. Contrary to our imaginations, we found ourselves in a community space choc-a-bloc with apparel stalls, jewellery counters, booths selling eco-friendly wares, mocktails, food... the list goes on and on. Making it even more special was discovering that the event was a platform for around 60 budding women entrepreneurs, local artisans, and small businesses from the state. Organised by Adara Chennai and Style Centre in partnership with Jupiter Events on June 2, the ‘Sunday market’ held at the Abhirami Chidambaram community hall in Kotturpuram, was inaugurated by Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J Radhakrishnan and ARKAY Productions founder Krithika Radhakrishnan, along with actor Ganesh Venkatraman, educational psychologist Dr Saranya Jaikumar, and Nina Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Savera Hotel.

And true to the nature of a market, there was something for everyone. In the clothing section, lovers of handloom fashion were spotted ooh-ing and aah-ing over the vast range of handwoven kalamkari kurtis, kadambari cotton salwar suits, hand-embroidered lehenga sets, authentic Kanjeevaram silk sarees from 'Utppalakshi', curated Chettinadu cotton sarees from 'Venkatraman Thari', and fabric-based jhumkas from Srija Ponangi's 'Bauble and Boo'. Then there were the sustainable goods for the eco-friendly soul — brushes, spoons made of recycled paper and cotton, utensils fashioned from bamboo, and polyfilled fabric toys by 'Handmade by Reshma', with the designers encouraging us to use them well and dispose ethically.

In the midst were also pop-up stores of city-based artists selling food-themed magnets, crocheted bags, quilts, AI prints, handcrafted pottery items, scented wax candles, tufted tote bags, and a stall where one could create one’s own colouring books. Sri Narayanee ('Details in the Chaos') who was selling mandala art products told us that although she was initially nervous, the responses to her first-ever public stall reassured her that she was on the right path.

“I’m self-taught, nobody showed me how to be an artist. I quit my previous job and then started this... I may not know what I am doing all the time but the journey I underwent to get here has been amazing.”

A one-of-a-kind ‘Old is Gold Store’ selling eldercare products and services caught our eye. The business which has outlets in Anna Nagar and Adyar even rents out equipment for senior citizens like wheelchairs, beds, and BiPAP machines. We then ventured into a mystical space at the market where tarot reader Sowmya Jayakumar, an expert in the field of healing modalities, explained that while the cards may not give magical solutions to problems and fears, they can be a tool that gives voices to them. “Let your tarot card be your friend, not your guru, that way it is more fun and tarot likes it that way too,” she said. Another unique small-scale business in the market was Thaariniya, which makes skincare products from edible, home-based components. Mangala, its owner, told us, “I was seeking out skin-safe products for my daughter to use and eventually decided to launch my own brand.”

As we wound our way through the exhibition, fully satiated, we saw a mother-daughter duo relishing dessert at a kiosk. They narrated how they had merely come to check out stationery but ended up buying even sarees and assorted knick-knacks for the rest of their family. We nodded with a knowing smile, the shopping bags in our arms a testament to the same.