10 things you mustn’t miss at the Juna Bazaar flea market

June 13, 2016

Heavily crowded and lined with tents selling objects you wouldn’t imagine finding anywhere, the flea market at Juna Bazaar is a must-visit for everyone in Pune. It is perhaps one of the oldest markets in the city and the flea market is held every Wednesday and Sunday.

A wide variety of objects like brass statues, handicrafts, paintings and even weird items like a cat gut stored in a test tube, can be found here. Most of the vendors refused to reveal where they get their items from.

Zubair, an antique store owner at Juna Bazaar says that no one supplies these things as they are all a part of a collection. “People sell their private collections or they dispose it from their homes while shifting. It’s mostly about the hobby for collecting odd things. This hobby is dying now,” explained Zubair.

Here’s a list of the interesting things you can find there:

Vinyl Records

It’s easy to find a bunch of old English and Hindi vinyls in a usable condition from tents that sell old gramophones as well. You can find some classic Boney M records and even a vinyl of Tulsidas’ Ramayana.

Telescopes

Find the perfect view through the lens of some antique Royal Navy and Eating London 1915 telescopes. Most of the tents have a collection of telescopes and binoculars that start selling from Rs 1000.

Coins

Many sellers have a rather impressive collection of coins that date back to the 17^th century. There are also a number of coins displayed that were used during the British rule with King George V and Queen Victoria’s crest on them.

Antique graters

It’s a fascinating sight to see a grater shaped and moulded to look like an antique. These graters are shaped like turtles and have a rather peculiar pattern designed on them.

Tools

A variety of sharp and blunt tools mostly used for agricultural and utilitarian purposes are also sold at the flea market. The tools include machetes, sickles, hammers, weights, dumbbells, chains and axe heads.

Typewriters

For all the writers who want to ditch the laptop and get a real sense of writing, look no further as the vendors at Juna Bazaar have a collection of vintage Olympia typewriters. These German-made models have been enjoyed by many writers, historians and antique collectors.

Vintage Cameras

Very few antique stalls in the flea market keep a collection of vintage cameras with them. The brands collected here include models of Yashica, Kodak, Leica, Mamiya, Pentax and Hasselblad.

Kand Mool Phal

This cylindrical-shaped brown tuber may look like a big block of cheese from afar but it is actually a root. The root is sliced and tastes like a mixture of an apple and a radish. This root is sourced from Hyderabad and Nasik.

Musical Instruments

Classical Indian instruments like the sitar, tabla and the harmonium can be found in antique shops as well. One of the shops at Juna Bazaar even keeps a 60-year-old piano manufactured by S. Rose and Company. The instruments can be used though they might need some repair work to be done.

Portraits and posters

Old portraits and lithograph paintings of freedom fighters and religious figures can also be found at the flea market. Vintage posters made by folk artist Mid Gordon can also be found here.