Lad Bazaar is about to wake up from its sleep. A few traders have opened shutters; staff dust, clean and prepare for the day ahead. It is 11 a.m. The outside world might be fine with the way they work, but business starts in true Nawabi style in this part of town.

The bright facade of the stores near Julu Khana Kaman contrasts with the dusty brown heritage structure that fades behind them. Among these shops, a few stand out. You would fire Mohd. Khaleeq Ali’s Al Madinah collections like any regular store that sells ready-to-wear clothes. Ali places a few mannequins in front of the store and hangs some clothes near the name board. That’s when we notice a small Blue Sea Fishnets board – claiming to be the sole agent for tuff ropes, nylon fishing nets, and mono nets.

Nearby there is the Meena fishing line and the Siddiq fishing shop. In the fine print, you get an idea of ​​what these stores actually specialize in – fishing rods, hooks, reels and latkans. Fishing equipment and latkans are a curious combination. We probe further.

Blue Sea Fishnets, says current owner Mohd. Khaleeq Ali, was started 60 years ago when Hyderabad’s many bodies of water were in full swing. “A lot more people were fishing then. My father created the store. We used to have lots of hooks, ”he says. Nets, he says, have become widely used since the 1980s.

The store has started to source fishing nets with holes of different sizes from Mumbai. “These are all handmade nylon nets. Some of these nets take three to four months to make. We get them in big bundles and cut them according to sales requirements, ”he says, showing a net with medium sized holes that costs Rs. 2,500.

The Fishing Net Shop at Lad Bazaar | Photo credit: Satish_H.

The city’s lakes have been polluted and overgrown over the years and the vagaries of the monsoon have worn them out further. When sales started to decline, Ali started selling clothes. “Since we’ve been around, those who want fishing nets know where to come. We don’t need to display the screens in plain sight, ”he says.

A threat to the sale of these fishing nets also comes from nets made in China, he points out. “These nets are plastic, priced at around $ 50 and are not durable,” he says dismissively. Ali has also seen many of the younger generation of the fishing community working in IT and ITES jobs.

Remember the city’s shopping malls and skyscrapers covered in netting during the Telangana turmoil before the formation of the new state? During this brief period, Ali experienced strong sales. “A lot more people have started providing mosquito nets to everyone. They were pigeon nets, ”he says.

Fishing hooks

Nearby, Meena Fishing Line highlights fishing twines and Siddiq Fishing “Articals” (the typo is on their name board) stores fishing rods and hooks in various sizes. As store owner Md. Imtiaz lays the hooks on the counter, a group is debating demand for fishing gear. “Shortly after demonetization, when all of our businesses suffered, we had plenty of time. We could all have been fishing for hours, ”says one man. It takes a while for the laughter to set in.

What: Fishing nets, ropes, hooks and rods.

Or: Blue Sea Fishing Nets, Meena Fishing Line and Siddiq Fishing Tackles, next to Julu Khana Kaman, Lad Bazaar