‘Hard to imagine the market again’: Shopkeepers at the heritage Oshiwara Furniture market

The market that used to be filled with clanky noise from labourers refining the wood to convert it to repurposed furniture is silent now. On a sunny afternoon, the only sound is that of the Kabadiwalas trying to gather the leftovers from the shops' tins in their trucks. A major portion of the oldest furniture markets in Mumbai have been in ruins since Tuesday morning, when a massive fire broke out.  

It was around 11:30 a.m. when the shopkeepers working here realised that the area was under fire. Abdul Chowdhury was in his gala (shop) when he saw that the fire was spreading. “I saw that no one was trying to extinguish the fire, so I also did not do anything. Karigars were shouting to announce the fire and were running around with their bags,” he says. Chowdhury and his family owned around 22 shops here in the market, and all of them look charred now. “I could only save these wood from my shop that is worth Rs 15,000 and a ledger book that contains my debt but lost around Rs 7 lakh,” he says while pointing towards the woods that are kept in front of his charred shop.

The backside of this market had a space for multiple warehouses and storing facilities while the retail shops are in the front of the road in Jogeshwari West. The retail shops include many antique items and second-hand furniture that attract shoppers here. Two days after the fire, shopkeepers here are either discussing what happened recently or are waiting for their surveys to be done for their shops. Five government officials are present and doing surveys of the shops. “At least every shop had the items worth Rs 10 lakh or Rs 5 lakh being minimum,” Mohammed Israr, who is standing beside Chowdhury says. Both of them assume and mention that at least more than 300 galas would have been burned in the fire. “We cannot state the amount, but the entire market has lost stuff worth crores,” Chowdhury says. 

Talking about their next move, both of them mention that it is not possible to get the same space as they had for years. “There is no recovery for this. People here work on the daily wage system. Such an amount cannot be recovered as the SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) development is likely to take place,” Chowdhury further says. He also states that people come to this market from distant villages to earn money, which is not possible. “Even the poorest of the poor would earn money working here, it is a collective loss that cannot be repaired,” he adds. 

The redevelopment angle

Vandana, a cook who works in Oshiwara, was on her regular business when the fire took place. She could see the flames from a building close to the Oshiwara Metro station; such was the extent of the fire. “It has all been the builder’s frustration to get the space vacated by the shopkeepers who are not ready to leave,” she says. 

The furniture market has seen a similar situation in March 2023. The space of this market is being taken by the SRA for redevelopment and while many like Abdul Chowdhury do not believe that this could be a foul play of the builder who has undertaken the project and calls the reason to be a mishappening arising out of a shop, people like Saifuddin believes otherwise. After losing the items worth Rs 50 lakh, he, who had just come from his hometown Lucknow 6 months ago, states that his grandfather had shifted to Mumbai and started the business here, which was taken over by his father before being passed on to him, all of which seems like a lost gamble now.

Trying to talk to us only around his shop, Saifuddin attempts to take us to the burnt shop but stands where he can and, ultimately, dismisses the idea as before his shop, there lay loads of filth. “There has been a major loss, but we are glad that at least our people were saved," he says. He was in his retail shop when the fire took place. “We ran when we saw the fire. Karigars were present in my shop, but they also ran, leaving the items. No one could save anything,” he says, remorse. 

However, Saifuddin is hopeful that if the buildings are constructed, it will help them in some way. “We should get the same space as we used to have here from the builders, but I also think that we should be compensated for our loss,” he says, contradicting himself as he also adds, “This area will not be back to normal if the builders take our place.”

The state of confusion is common among the traders here about the reasons for the fire. A few passersby, who did not wish to be named and had been running their shops for more than five decades, mentioned that such devastation is not good for those who work hard to ensure their livelihood remains on track in an expensive city like Mumbai. 

While Chowdhury could still save the products worth Rs 15,000, many, like Saifuddin, could not save anything. “I had machines in my shop, all of which are burnt now. It was all worth Rs 6 lakh,” says Nisar Ahmed Khan, who was on rent, adding that nothing makes the area as it used to be and that he will have to take another place on rent. “Ab ek nayi Zindagi, nayi shuruwat (we will have to start a new life at a new place now,” he adds. Khan was not present when the fire took place, but his colleagues, at least five of them, were, and he mentions that all of them will have to start afresh.

The opposite side of the warehouse, where there exist retail shops of furniture in a row, was also ablaze. “At least 12 shops here got burnt,” one of the shopkeepers says, keeping his name confidential. Shakeel Ahmed, a shop owner in this line, was in his shop when he heard the screams. “We have heard that a factory of sofas started the fire while a worker was making his food, but we are not sure,” he says. 

Ahmed lost items worth Rs 5 lakh in the incident but is hopeful that the shops will come again in some time. “It was March 13, 2023, when the similar fire broke out, and now we saw the fire on February 11,” he narrates the story; however, he fails to admit that the builders might have been involved in it. He says, “We do not have the money to revamp anything right now. People who have money might start small." Ahmed further says, “Our work is to keep trying, it is on the god to take care of the livelihood."

As Ahmed shows his burnt finger, a result of aiming to remove the burnt items and trying to get back to normal, the other traders, labourers and scrap dealers remain busy with their respective work here, two days after the incident, which mostly includes a collaborative effort to get past what has happened. On the other hand, some old scenes repeat here as a fruit juice vendor, another witness of the incident, serves juices to the people while a lemon tea seller walks in the devasted and muddy pathways to give tea to the labourers and traders alike, who are trying to reimagine their business and lives.