In the old city of Bhopal, the bustling, noisy Chowk Bazaar in Jumerati is a hive of commercial activity. Hawkers call out their wares as eager buyers jostle each other at the small shops that line either side of the chowk. Office-goers on foot weave their way through carts laden with fruits and vegetables. In the daytime, no car can enter the crowded lanes, named charmingly after the days of the week.

 

The area is mildly reminiscent of old Bhopal culture, traces of which can still be found in its nooks and crannies. Like all old cities, the houses are built close together, with shops and offices lining the ground floors and homes on the higher floors, in the typical makaan-dukaan style of the time.

​

Overlooking the chowk stands a house. Its faded blue-green facade hints at a more gracious time, when intricate artistry distinguished even the smallest features of homes. Rows of glass windows wink in the sun, framed by carved wooden walls and tiny inlaid mirrors. The branches of a peepal tree a few feet down the street brush the worn fretwork of the eaves that gird the top of the second floor.

​

This is the house of the Babulal Jain family at Jumerati, quirkily named by some as the Paanch Sau Ek or 501 House, and it was built by Babulalji Jain’s grandfather, Murlidhar Jain.

​