It's 10pm when I meet Babu, the patachitra artist from Odisha. He sits in his stall, at the night market in Vagator, Goa, etching out carvings from palm leaves and tying them, true to this ancient art form. An attempt to discover a few of Goa's much-touted "hidden gems" finds me strolling into the market at 9pm. I'd been expecting the usual seaside flea-market offerings of beads, t-shirts and mundane knick-knacks. So Babu comes as a pleasant surprise.

"I have been coming to this market for 20 years," he says, adding he does not remember when he started creating his artwork. "I take hours to finish. All all depends on how detailed the artwork is," adds the artist, whose favourite motifs are groups of elephants interwoven in intricate patterns.

And so begins my exploration of the market – except, I am no longer centred on the products but the people that I come across.

The next members of the night market's cast of characters is an unlikely duo, who have gone into business together, and, like Babu, offer only first names when they introduce themselves. Anna, from Russia and Jagdish from Jaipur became friends when the latter came to Goa to sell his wares – which range from hats patchwork clothes to intricate jewellery – while the former was already vacationing.

And found something beyond friendship – a business opportunity. "A number of people who come here speak Russian as they are more comfortable in that language than English," explains Jagdish. "Since Anna and I became friends, we decided that I would tackle the Indian customers and she could speak to the Russian tourists. We both speak enough English, so we manage." Both manage to talk me into buying a colourful hemp hat from Nepal.

I meet a number of jewellery makers, each with their own story to tell. There's the half-Italian-half-French Antonio, with his tattoo sleeves and pierced ears, who's been in Goa for over a decade. He makes earrings, hair pins and rings, among other trinkets during the lean monsoon months and sells them at different markets. Yos, whose macrame jewellery has me enchanted with its intricate weaves, on the other hand, plans to be in Goa for a few weeks. He is headed on a Euro tour to exhibit his jewellery. Arienn, founder of The Bonisita Story, sells higher-end pieces inspired by mother nature and doesn't have much time to spare to speak between customers.

After a dinner of pad Thai, cooked up by a Thai family, and wraps from a stall by Goa's own Thalassa completes my sojourn at the market but I am already looking forward to the next time I am back to meet more of this fascinating patchwork of personalities.