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'Goodbye London, Singapore': India's first mall evokes mixed response

Kanchana Suggu in Bombay

Crossroads. The place of intersection of two or more roads, a central meeting place, a crucial point especially where a decision must be made. For Bombay's denizens, Crossroads means all that a standard dictionary would say, and more. Crossroads is where 'world class shopping facility and entertainment' are available under one roof.

Crossroads, officials of "India's first real mall claim", offers a wide variety of products, seemingly endless choice of theme restaurants, entertainment and fun games for all ages and all classes. What Madras and Bangalore have are giant-sized 'arcades'.

Media hype preceded the August launch of Crossroads, leading to overcrowding in the subsequent weeks. Traffic jams ensued outside, making one wonder whether Crossroads is living up to its name: in India, traffic problems are a given at crossroads. So much so that some shops had to shut down temporarily to ease the rush.

Sangeeta sells women's accessories and funky jewellery at Crossroads. These days, she has become very observant: her shop is close to the escalator, and Sangeeta gets to see ''a sea of consumers'' every day. "I can see the fascination in their eyes. I keep hearing comments like, 'Abhi London aur Singapore jaane ki koi zaroorat nahin' (Now there's no need to go to London and Singapore for shopping). It's been only ten days since we opened this shop, but for us, it has meant standing (at the counter) for almost 12 hours every day. The response of people to this place is simply amazing."

An indulgent shopper, Anurag Khosla, says, "I think it'll take some time for people to digest the whole concept. That's because people are not very brand-conscious yet. But once that happens, the conventional idea of shopping will change."

Neelam Jhangiani, another shopper, is excited for the fact that she can "get all you need under one roof. I'm having a ball out here. It's one place where everyone can leisurely spend time."

She likes the "festive atmosphere", the wide variety of glitzy shops, the energetic crowds, the general hustle-bustle, the hiss and the buzz of the marketplace.

Sandeep, manager of a boutique, says the initial weeks have attracted mostly the family crowd and youngsters. "There is nothing like this in the whole of India. Crossroads offers big labels, style, and, of course, reasonable prices."

Not everyone agrees. Sure the mall's location at Haji Ali in south central Bombay is any businessman's dream, its ambience is exquisite, the shops are stunning, but the prices are exorbitant, say shoppers. As Susan Abraham says, "The prices are horrifying. I just saw a dupatta that couldn't have cost more than Rs 300, but it was priced at Rs 3,500. Can you believe that? It's definitely not a place for everybody. I think McDonalds is the only attraction of this place."

Partly agrees schoolgirl Neha, a first-time visitor to Crossroads. "I've always read about malls in comic books. So I was quite happy when I heard we now have one in Bombay too. But abroad they are so different. Even schoolgirls and teenagers can go and pick up stuff. But here, it's not like that. Everything is so expensive. I am really disappointed with this place."

Shopkeepers at the Heera-Panna complex may nod in agreement. H-P is next door to Crossroads; it is the favourite hangout of Bombay's collegians. The 100-odd tiny, well-stocked outlets sell everything 'imported', from perfumes to cigar-lighters, torch lights, branded sneakers, garments, toys, electronic durables, cosmetic products.

Will Crossroads spell finis to H-P?

Jamal Siddiqui, who runs a crockery outlet at H-P, says, "The two complexes cannot be compared at all. They cater to two different markets. Customers can bargain here."

"A new place has its own attraction. Even we were curious, and we went there to get a feel of the scene. I feel the craze will wear off after a while. Our customers will remain loyal," says another shopkeeper at H-P.

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