DigitalKush at 20:59, 19 October 2023

2023-10-19T20:59:48Z

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{{Short description|Bazaar in Chennai, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
'''Burma Bazaar''' is a market run by [[Burmese community in India|Burmese refugees]] in [[Chennai]], [[India]]. It is located at [[Parrys Corner]] and is one of the several unorganized or grey market shopping hubs of Chennai. The bazaar was set up in 1969 by the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]. It is located just outside the [[Chennai Beach railway station]], in the old financial district of the city at [[George Town, Chennai|George Town]]. It is a row of about 200 shops that line either side of the road for about a kilometre.

==History==
Burma Bazaar was established by Burmese immigrants, who were [[Tamil people|Tamil]] refugees who fled [[Myanmar]] during the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Venkat
| first = Vidya
| title = Grey markets, but never in the red
| location = Chennai
| date = 21 July 2008
| url = http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/21/stories/2008072158440400.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080724163404/http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/21/stories/2008072158440400.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 24 July 2008
| newspaper = [[The Hindu]]
| access-date = 16 Mar 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Muthiah| first = S. | author-link = S. Muthiah | title = Madras Rediscovered| publisher = EastWest | date = 2014 | location = Chennai | pages = 334| isbn = 978-93-84030-28-5}}</ref> The government set aside land for the Tamil refugees returning from Burma during the 1960s. The bazaar is run by the [[Burma Tamizhar Marumalarchi Sangam]], an association that has been set up to look after the interests of the traders since 1966.<ref name="Hindu_BuzzHour">{{cite news|title=Buzz hour|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2007/05/09/stories/2007050950010100.htm|work=The Hindu|date=9 May 2007|access-date=16 Mar 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323163340/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2007/05/09/stories/2007050950010100.htm|archive-date=23 March 2008|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

==The bazaar==
The bazaar extends to about a kilometre along the Chennai Beach railway station. There are an estimated 200 shops in the bazaar. With several passengers coming out of the station every few minutes, the market appears busy all the time. It is estimated that over 100,000 people pass through this corridor every week.<ref name="Hindu_BuzzHour"/>

Per 2017 estimates, there are over 600 shops in the bazaar employing over 5,000 people.<ref name="Hindu_GreyMarketsFuzzy">{{Cite news
| last = Sanjay Vijayakumar, Sangeetha Kandavel
| title = Chennai's grey markets remain fuzzy about GST
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| date = 29 June 2017
| url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chennais-grey-markets-remain-fuzzy-about-gst/article19166734.ece
| access-date = 2 July 2017}}</ref>

It had been listed as a [[notorious market]] between 2009 and 2017 by the [[USTR]] for selling various counterfeit goods and pirated media and software.<ref name="nmreport2017">{{cite web |title=2017 Out of Cycle Review of Notorious Markets |url=https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Reports/2017%20Notorious%20Markets%20List%201.11.18.pdf |website=Office of the United States Trade Representative |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223192143/https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Reports/2017%20Notorious%20Markets%20List%201.11.18.pdf |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |date=January 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 2016 |title=2016 Out of Cycle Review of Notorious Markets |url=https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2016-Out-of-Cycle-Review-Notorious-Markets.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223214512/https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2016-Out-of-Cycle-Review-Notorious-Markets.pdf |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=Office of the United States Trade Representative}}</ref><ref>{{cite wikisource|chapter=Section 3|wslink=Special 301 Report/2009|plaintitle=Special 301 Report|last=|first=|year=|publisher=|page=|wspage=|scan=}}</ref><ref>{{cite wikisource|chapter=Section 3|wslink=Special 301 Report/2010|plaintitle=Special 301 Report|last=|first=|year=|publisher=|page=|wspage=|scan=}}</ref>

==In media==
''[[Ayan (film)|Ayan]]'', a 2009 Indian film, shows the operations of selling CDs, software, electronics, perfumes, and other goods in great detail. Other Indian films which make references to the market include ''[[Vattaram]]'' (2006) and ''[[Kacheri Arambam]]'' (2010).

==See also==

{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Arabber]]
* [[Bazaar]]
* [[George Town, Chennai|George Town]]
* [[Hawker centre]] (Asia) a centre where street food is sold
* [[Pan Bazaar]]
* [[Peddler]]
* [[Retail]]
* [[Ritchie Street]]
* [[Shopping in Chennai]]
* [[Street vendor]]
* [[Street food]]
}}

{{Portal bar|India|Economy}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041129183421/http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/15/stories/2004101514420300.htm Burma Bazaar's `win-win' proposal for Kollywood]

{{coord|13.089772|80.290044|display=title}}
{{Chennai Topics}}

[[Category:Bazaars]]
[[Category:Bazaars in India]]
[[Category:Electronics districts]]
[[Category:Retailing in Chennai]]
[[Category:Burmese diaspora in Asia]]
[[Category:India–Myanmar relations]]
[[Category:Notorious markets]]
[[Category:High-technology business districts in India]]
[[Category:Information technology places]]
[[Category:Information technology in India]]
[[Category:Electronics industry in India]]

Burma Bazaar - Revision history

DigitalKush at 20:59, 19 October 2023