As the sun descends closer to the horizon during the holy month of Ramadan, the big junction in the lively Bendungan Hilir or Benhil neighbourhood turns into something that is akin to a battlefield. Patience runs low on an empty stomach, and a mere few minutes walk away from high-rise buildings and swanky establishments like The Orient Hotel, loud beeps of vehicle horns are exchanged between one hurried driver to another, each one on a race against the setting sun to reach home just in time for iftar, the meal to break one’s fast.
On the other side of the scene, a makeshift market is afoot. Set under the shadow of Balai Warga RW 01 Benhil citizen hall, a long orange banner declares its name: Bazzar [sic.] Takjil Ramadhan Benhil (Benhil’s Ramadan Bazaar for Takjil), or simply known as Bazar Takjil Benhil. The mood is chummy and festive, propelled by a performance of live music, striking a peculiar irony to the rush hour chaos that surrounds it.
The experienced ‘newcomers’
Previously operating from Pasar Benhil, the incoming takjil community can be considered the OGs in the area. They had been setting up their yearly bazaar in the neighbourhood since 1985, long before the one on the junction took shape. A massive hit among the city’s Muslim communities, a trip there became a yearly tradition during Ramadan, where well-loved establishments like the West Sumatran eatery Bopet Mini sit between tenants from all over the city selling off their respective takjil specialties.
