Beyond the ‘mat’ effect

Sellers of 'Osho Chappals' beam at the booming sales of the fashionable flat slippers.

Walk,ride or drive into Koregaon Park and the first thing that meets the eye is the shimmer and glitter lining the wall at the start of Lane 1 and on the path between Lanes 2 and 3. A few years back,it was only the ‘mat’ effect that would greet you. From behind an imaginary counter at these uncovered street stalls,men call out to passers-by,eagerly pointing to a new Osho chappal design. Some indulge in the skilled art of bargaining with customers. It’s only 60 rupees,madam. Fixed price, croaks a surly looking stall owner. At the other end,another owner smiles as banking professional Monika Shah,a regular customer,shows up at the corner of his stall. He knows she’ll walk away with four pairs,and she proves him right.

But a look at the goodies in her shopping bag shows how the ‘Osho Chappals’ have gone beyond the erstwhile chatai (mat) based ones. The slippers earned the name ‘Osho chappals’ 15 years ago,because the stalls were set up in Lane 1 where the Osho International Meditation Resort continues to remain a landmark. But in the last three years,the chappals have become more fashionable,stylish and blingy. The original chatai ones will never go out of fashion in fact,we are getting more colours in their velvet straps shades of pink,purple,blue,brown, says a stall owner Sunil Rathod.

There are three main stalls between lane 2 and 3. They were shifted to this spot after the tragic German Bakery Blast after which security was tightened at Lane 1. At all the three stalls,the five racks of slippers sit boldly with metallic gladiators; bright and sprightly slip-ons with leopard-print bases; slippers with traditional mirror work and patchwork; blingy ballet flats; embroidered mojris; slippers with in-your-face flower buckles and stone-studded straps. There’s a whole new world of styles to choose from styles that most of the posh stores at KP and MG Road have,except here they are available at a more reasonable price. ’Osho Chappal’ is like a brand name now. Thus,we have added all these new footwear designs under the same name to ensure their high saleability. We have our own craftsmen and we get these slippers made, Rathod says,while another stall owner Santosh Gupta adds,Though we sell off the streets,the name has become so famous that people from other cities too come here to shop. Because of this high demand,we have added new designs. Come again next week,and you’ll see newer stuff on our racks.

The Osho chappals have been a symbol of comfortable and wearable footwear. The price of the chatai Osho chappal has gone up from Rs 40 to Rs 60 in the last one year. And the other pairs are for Rs 100-Rs 200, says Rathod,as he tends to Mumbai-based Yatin Bhosle,who couldn’t miss shopping here.

The sales of the Osho chappals have sky-rocketed in the last two years,owing to the new additions. Which is why on Sundays,our stalls are open from morning till late evening. On other days,we set up shop only in the evenings, says Sunil Gupta,the owner of a stall.

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Koregaon Park