That Day when I went Shopping at Commercial Street!!

I went shopping yesterday. I had couple of items in mind to shop for, and I ended up buying a bunch of unrelated things. You might be saying with a smirk a common trait of every women. Well, that's not my topic of thought today.

I remembered a day 12 years back when I was in Bangalore on an internship during my final year of engineering. I was staying with a friend and we were 4 girls who had picked up that company from our class. It was a weekend (I think, I don't remember though), and we 4 girls went out to shop at Commercial Street of Bangalore. For those who know Bangalore, they know this street very well. In-numerous; eye-catching; lavish; colorful items adorning every store, that keeps calling you to buy them.

A Saree Store in my hometown

Back in those days, my family was financially struggling; and so was another friend of mine(and we both wanted to buy something since we were heading back to our hometown after the training). While, my third friend, she was very well off (and she was not really in a shopping mood that day when we left home. I am naming her Princess for reference). We would walk into a store of sandals, look at tens of them, like one or two, but then not buy them thinking (aah well we really don't need one, looking at the price of something around 500 Rs.). Similar was the case when we would enter a Kurtis store, or accessories store and so on. We shopped until evening and then headed home.

When we sat in the auto rickshaw, each one of us had 4-5 bags in our hands. We reached home, and unpacked the bags. First bag , was hers , the Princess's Sandals. Second bag - Princess's Sandals. Third Bag - Princess's Kurti. And so on. Actually, I had come back with just one or two kurtis (with total price of around Rs.500, roughly Rs.250 each). My friend with one sandal (around the same range). And our sweet princess had I think 3 sandals, 4-5 dresses and some other accessories. And all of them ranged around 1000 Rs each.

Not that my parents would have said no, if I asked for some money to spend on myself. But knowing our conditions, I never felt like spending on anything that was not absolutely necessary. Back then, I did not envy the Princess, but had thought, that someday, I will earn and spend My Money on things that I Loved and not really a necessity of my life. Well, that doesn't mean today I am a lavish shopper; I am not a shopaholic. But there are few things that I had fantasized laying my hands on back then, which when I get to buy today, I remember the Commercial Street. Every such thing in that street which I was so much tempted to buy but held myself back; probably today I satisfy that aspiration of mine by buying such items. I have been to Commercial street multiple times after that; when I started working in Bangalore, but no matter what I buy, that day won't erase from my memory.

That day remains engraved in my memory, not as a sad one, but something that had inspired me more to be someone independent and successful. You know that age, when you fantasize a lot of things; shopping on that commercial street amidst hundreds of shoppers and vendors with appealing items on sale, I had fantasized that someday I will shop in a way that I would buy whatever my heart would like.

Yesterday was one such day, when I bought whatever I liked during my shopping, without thinking much; if it was absolutely necessary, if I needed it and so on.

No, I am not wasting my money, I am just fulfilling some of my small fantasies. I have not forgotten where I have come from, neither do I treat today as a triumphant day over my past. I love my past, what I was, it has groomed me so much into what I am today, that I never want to forget it.

But whenever I return home from shopping with fancy stuffs in hand, I remember Commercial Street with a smile. A blog as my token of gratitude to that day of my life when I went shopping at Commercial street.

-Sarita
Dated - 13th March 2016

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