Anthony Pond | Spice Wallahs of Khari Baoli

Photo © Anthony Pond-All Rights Reserved

Just off Chandni Chowk Market is Khari Baoli, the core of Asia's largest wholesale spice market. It's here in small wholesale shops that large bags, stuffed to the brim with chili, turmeric, ginger and various other spices are sold. Things have changed little in this market for centuries. Huge sacks of herbs and spices are still brought to the wholesalers on long, narrow barrows pushed by daily laborers from Bihar and Rajasthan. The wholesalers are ninth- or tenth generation spice traders, and are direct descendants of the founders of such establishments which date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

It was our first stop in Delhi during The Sacred Cities Photo Expedition-Workshop, and Anthony Pond, a second time participant in my expeditions-workshops, photographed the activity in this market, producing Spice Wallas of Khari Baoli, a photo essay of about 29 monochrome images that perfectly capture the bustle and hustle of the frenetic to and fro of this market. The images were converted to black and white with Nik's Silver Efex Pro.

Anthony Pond worked for more than two decades in the criminal courts in California as an attorney for the Public Defender’s Office. Now pursuing his passion for travel and photography, he travels repeatedly to South East Asia and India, amongst other places, to capture life, the people and the culture. He has been a frequent contributor to The Travel Photographer blog,