From sleepy suburb to airport hub, Shamshabad keeps its Monday market holiday

Shamshabad, now a major airport and commercial hub, continues its decades-old tradition of keeping markets closed on Mondays. Traders say the weekly holiday dates back to a time when Sunday was the busiest market day and Monday was used for sourcing goods

Hyderabad: For an area that has transformed from a sleepy Hyderabad suburb into a bustling airport hub, Shamshabad continues to hold on to an old market tradition — keeping shops closed on Mondays.

The practice dates back to when Shamshabad was still considered an outskirts area. Despite its rapid growth and the presence of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the Monday holiday has continued.

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Local resident Mohd Mahmood Khan said that many years ago, traders chose Monday because Sunday was their busiest day, with people from surrounding villages coming to the market to shop.

“Traders could not close on Sunday. Markets in Hyderabad city were also closed then, so they used Monday to travel to the city’s core markets, purchase goods and bring them back to Shamshabad,” he said.

K Ramulu, a grocery trader, said the practice gradually became part of the local trading routine. “Things have changed and goods are now easier to source, but traders have continued with the Monday holiday. Customers, too, are used to it,” he said.

Auto-rickshaw driver and Shamshabad resident Santosh Goud said the tradition had survived despite the town’s transformation. “Shamshabad has changed with the airport, better roads and increased commercial activity, but Monday is still a quiet day for the market,” he said.

With Shamshabad now a major commercial and transport centre, the weekly closure remains a reminder of an older trading practice that has survived urbanisation.