A Decisive Market for
Cameras
Anurag Sharma

The mention of the place known as ‘Chandni
Chowk’ to any photography enthusiast, amateur
or professional, has the potential to create a
plethora of images in one’s mind. And if you
want to add an element of ‘desire’ to this imagery
just mention the ‘Camera market’. Markets have
always been seen as a place to satisfy one’s desires
and what can be a bigger desire to a photographer
than the instruments and tools of the trade which
form a larger category known as ‘Photo Goods’ in
the camera market.
Situated on one side of Esplanade Road is the
camera market of New Delhi. It is housed under
‘Kucha Chaudhary’. The genesis of the name
‘Kucha Chaudhary’ lies somewhere in the unrecorded
history of Delhi. What began as a cluster
of 10-12 shops, currently boasts more than 300
shops. The camera market of Delhi can be counted
among the busiest markets for photography goods
in Asia and the world over.
The market started taking its present
form somewhere around the year 1947, when
immigrants from Pakistan started settling down
in Chandni Chowk. The initial cluster of 10-
12 shops were more photo studios while a few
others were focussed on selling photography
goods. Sethi Studios, established in 1947, had
a fully operational studio on the first floor of
the building and the housing next to it was the
Imperial Studios. The dynamics of the business
started changing somewhere in 1970’s, when the
‘Studios’ started mushrooming in other parts
of the city. This was the time when the market
began to transform itself into a ‘photography
goods’ market from a ‘studio’ market. Currently,
the market is known more for its ‘goods’ than
its ‘studios’. It is a one-stop market for any
professional or amateur photographer. Though
it is oriented towards ‘volume’ business, it still
welcomes retail customers with the same zeal and
interest. It is also offers all kinds of repair and
maintenance services for all kinds of cameras.