Hyderabad
The area near the Barkas' car parking stand is already buzzing with activities as early as 8 in the morning. Bicycles and Pushcarts line up along the roadside, with men standing in groups picking up mulberry, guavas, and rose apple and attractively arranging it on the baskets and carts to lure customers. Since the Nizam era in this locality, which is dominated by the Yemeni community, this happens to be the scene every morning, where an auction of the locally home-grown fruits is held.
As a hobby, the community is known for growing guavas, mulberry, figs, and water apples in their houses. Historians say that some of them made it a full-time profession after the Nizam rule ended and raised more plants to strengthen their finances.
Though many local youths moved to Middle East countries for a better lifestyle, most families continue with the traditional practice of plucking fruits from trees located in their houses and now in farmhouses orchards a few kilometers away and bringing it to the market. There is a huge demand for these locally-grown fruits as they are organically cultivated and rich in nutrients.
The auctioneers at the market say that their earnings do not cross Rs 200 a day after a two-hour auction process, but they still carry on to keep the local character of the market intact.
Realizing the significance of the practice, the community elders recently held a meeting and felicitated those who continue to be part of the auction proceedings. The local workers say that auctioning fruits is an essential part of the local practices, and hence they are making efforts to revive the market once again and promote it in a big way through social media.