A walk through Palika Bazaar and Ghaffar Market

The iPhone is already available (sub required) in China for $1170, and make calls and send text messages, but not receive calls...so could it have made it’s way to India?

A couple of days ago, Vivek told me that he’d seen someone with an iPhone at Radisson, a hotel in Delhi...a working iPhone being used to make calls. So we decided to go down to Palika Bazaar (wikipedia), Delhi’s piracy hub, to see if we can buy an iPhone.

I enter through Gate No.2, flit through the security check - a metal detector gateway which probably doesn’t work, and two security personnel busy chatting - down the steps and into the main foyer. Cries of “CDs? CDs?” greet me, and with every step I’m approached by someone with inquiries of “Double? Triple?” (p*rn). When I respond with “iPhone? iPhone?”, they dissipate, disappointed.

We go from shop to shop asking for the iPhone. The younger of the shopkeepers tells us that the iPhone isn’t available in India; a few older, middle aged ones offer me earphones. Meanwhile, the queries of “Double? Triple?” and “CDs? CDs?” persist, so I decide to do a status check on piracy.

We’re taken up a flight of stairs into a section that houses movies. A DVD with three to five Hollywood movies costs anything from Rs. 70 to Rs. 120 here, while Bollywood films are Rs. 50. Across Delhi, DVDs such as these rent out for anything between Rs. 25 to Rs. 100, so you can imagine the margin of profit. Behind the counter, a shelf is moved to reveal a storage space, from which a shop assistant emerges with more DVDs for a patron to sift through. The shelf serves as a false wall. Do you have “The Simpsons”? I ask. You want the movie, or the complete seasons? We have both.

More on Music and Games, and the search for the iPhone in Ghaffar market after the jump.

Next stop: Music. We’re led back down to the main foyer, where at a shop with movies, iPods (and accessories), DVD players, hairdryers, speakers, hairdryers all on display, the shopkeeper opens a thick catalogue of music lists. Each page is numbered, and each CD has around 8-10 albums. How much? Rs. 120 each. I ask the shopkeeper about the distributors - men with duffel bags full of CDs and DVDs are frequently spotted inside Palika Bazaar, going from shop to shop. They sell CDs to retailers for Rs. 20-25, and the retailers sell them to customers for around Rs. 50.

One of the shops has boxes of xBox360, Wii, Playstation 2 (PS2) and Playstation Portable (PSP) prominently displayed. The xBox360 is for Rs. 19500, modified to play pirated DVDs, and the region lock removed. The original in India costs Rs. 23500 plus tax. If you have an xBox360, they’ll modify it for you (by installing a software) for Rs. 2000. The pirated games will then cost you Rs. 100 each, as opposed to original games that cost upwards of Rs. 1500. The Nintendo Wii is for Rs. 13000, while the PSP is for Rs. 8000.

But the iPhone? No luck at Palika, so bid Vivek adieu and drive down to Ghaffar Market, the largest market in Delhi for second hand phones. Ghaffar is an open air market - filthier than Palika, but not nearly as claustrophobic. Above all, no one offers you p*rn with every step you take. I go from kiosk to kiosk, asking about the iPhone. These are all 3x3 foot kiosks kept outside the main shops, usually with 15-25 year olds manning them. On display are phones of all makes and price ranges. From phones that cost less than Rs. 600 ($15) to the iMate JAQ and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N95. For a price, they unlock mobile handsets that you bring from abroad.

They’ve all heard of the iPhone; some say it’s not available in the market, while others say it is and tell me to ask others down the lane. There is no overt piracy at Gaphar - no Seedies on display at here, but once you buy a phone - whether first hand or second - you’ll be offered mobile content: data cards loaded with games downloaded off the Internet, p*rnographic clips, music and suchlike, or even direct transfers to the phone via Bluetooth. I think it’s an ideal place to pass free ad-supported content/games to consumers. Unfortunately, no iPhone here...but hey! There is an iMobile. Who needs an iPhone anyway?

P.S.: The iPhone prices were slashed yesterday. Rafat and Staci stood in queue in U.S. when it was launched. I’m wondering if they feel cheated? Also, will add photos later...on slow wireless connection...MTNL’s customer service really sucks.