Documenting Russell Market, Bengaluru
Archiving markets is one of our favourite things to do at The Locavore. Through our Market Archives stories, we have often found that they are important in capturing and fixing in time a space as transient as a market. So, during Team Locavore’s visit to Bengaluru for our first Locavore meetup, we threw together an impromptu visit to the iconic Russell market, built over a century ago, and invited fellow Locavores from the city to join us.
The group that could finally make it included an urban planner, food researchers, chefs, writers, and photographers, all of whom were connected by their interest in exploring a market space. With each individual bringing a new lens through which to view the market, this group visit showed us that archiving a market, when done right, can also be an exercise in thinking differently and with openness.
Inspired and excited by the prospect of seeing one iconic market through multiple different perspectives—where we’re able to focus on the people, the produce, the structure, and all the elements that make the market a living, breathing public space—we set out to document Russell Market as a collective activity.
The group divided into smaller ones to cover the people and produce, and the architecture and history of the market. The sub-groups got a sense of the layout, struck up conversations with people who inhabit the place, and soaked in the atmosphere—the calm in some corners and the hustle and bustle in some hubs. Each person came back with different ideas and observations, each insight an eye-opener for the rest of the group.
We spoke to multiple vendors who sit at the market throughout different times of the day, with the seafood section—which opens for business at 6 am—being the most vibrant. While the fruit and vegetable section, clean, colourful, and airy, felt the calmest.
Fruit stalls were seen to keep native varieties, but many exotic, imported fruits as well. Mohammad Aneez from the BM Vegetables stall, one of the vendors we spoke to, told us about a popular fruit that makes halwa, often served at Bengaluru Muslim weddings, called marrow. This curious ingredient, which we later realised is a winter gourd akin to a melon, made its way to one of the pieces, written by Ruth Dsouza Prabhu.
Every lane was full of sound—with chatter and shuffling produce—and many felt positively alive. However, it was evident that the market was not what it once was. When we visited, we could see efforts to redevelop it.
Walking down the aisles of this heritage structure took many in the group down memory lane. Photo by Shreshtha Chhabra.
Urban planners, food writers, and photographers came together to create this series. Photo by Zainab Kapadia.
“Archiving the Russell Market made me feel quite nostalgic because I was returning to understand it after fifteen years. It also saddened me to see how it had evolved, as I picked up nuances about its people and produce. Documenting it collaboratively with such a diverse group of people expanded my horizon,” said Pankhuri Agrawal, a food researcher and writer based in the city.
The three-part series delves into the aspects of the atmosphere of the market, its design, and the vendors who keep it going. Photos by Zainab Kapadia.
The eight Bengalureans and Team Locavore caught up on conversations and discussed them over tindi—breakfast in Kannada—in the nearby Shiv Sagar. What a perfect Bengaluru morning—to visit the market, conversations over idli-dosa paired with filter coffee, meeting others as passionate about fading democratic public spaces, connections that would last many, many months to come, and a Market Archives series.
At The Locavore, we love planning and executing events that highlight India’s diverse local foods, celebrating community, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Our events feature engaging workshops, discussions, immersive experiences and other formats that connect you to India’s rich food culture. Interested in collaborating or having us organise an event? Reach out at connect@thelocavore.in.
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