Bazaar abuzz with last-minute shopping

Despite inflation and rising prices people on Thursday went on a shopping spree to buy the things associated with Varamahalakshmi pooja, the first major festival of the Hindu month of Shravana.

Women generally crowd shops selling clothes, jewellery and decorative items. Rituals items, sarees and metal images of Lakshmi’s face were the most sold items.
Police were deployed to control the festive rush and traffic. While fruits, flowers and bangles were sold in Doddapet, mango leaves and banana stalks were sold on M G Road.

Vendors from the neighbouring villages sold things at a hiked price. The prices were fixed and there was no scope for bargaining.

Ruling prices

A length of marigold flowers rolled in a bunch costs Rs 45 to Rs 50, banana (Rs 40 per kg), grapes (Rs 100 per kg), sweet lime (Rs 40 per kg), apple (Rs 100 per kg), pineapple (Rs 25 per kg), guava (Rs 30 per kg), a pair of lotus (Rs 15), a pair of banana stalks (Rs 10 to Rs 30).

However, the customers were happy that vegetable prices were marginally lower at Rs 15 per kg for carrot, beans (Rs 10 per kg) and tomato Rs 5 per kg.

Farmers came from Huthuru, Vemgal (Kolar taluk), V Kote, Sundarapalya (Bangarpet taluk), Byrakuru, Nangali, Gudipalli and Kashipur (Mulbagal taluk) and Toranahalli and Byranahalli (Malur taluk) bringing with them chrysanthemum, jasmine, banana stalks and mango leaves.

Farmers also brought mango leaves from Srinivaspur.

In Chikkaballapur

The APMC yard in Chikkaballapur was splashed with varied hues - red, bright yellow, purple, blue, green - on Thursday, on the eve of Mahalakshmi festival. It was a feast for eyes to see the freshly plucked flowers dotted with drops of water seeming to be smiling at the beholders. The sellers, majority of them farmers, were also cheerful at the prospect of the huge profits that the season of festival would normally bring them.

Truck-loads of flowers started arriving in early in the morning and the residents thronged the APMC yard to purchase the flowers brought fresh from the fields by the farmers.

Though the farmers, trying to cash in on the rare increase in demand, refused flatly to revise the rates, the consumers didn’t seem to relent.

They continued to bargain and the farmers were too generous to given one or two additional strings of flowers, which created a win-win situation. The market was abuzz with the  bargains and laughter of both buyers and sellers.

Farmers from Kattariguppe, Maralakunte, Jagamarappanahalli, Agalagurki, Muddenhalli and other villages of the taluk had brought flowers to the market in autorickshaws and goods vehicles. Besides, there were adequate supply of tender banana plants and leaves for the worship.

As many had come in four-wheelers and two-wheelers, there was traffic jam for quite a while.

Besides, the chaos reigned due to lack of a parking lot. The vehicles were parked haphazardly causing inconvenience to pedestrians and sellers.

No celebrations in Murugamalla hobli

It is a sad Varamahalakshmi festival in more than 15 villages of Murugamalla hobli in the taluk this time, reports DHNS from Chintamani.

The people are yet to come out of the shock of the recent lynching incident at Barlahalli and Yerrakote.

None of the villagers are busy preparing for the festivities. With the men fleeing, the women are not in a position to organise the celebrations. Some of the houses are locked since the incident took place and the people have not returned.

A old woman in Yerrakote village said she won’t be able to invite relatives and friends home for the celebrations this time.

“This is the first time such a thing is happening in our village. It’s a feeling of emptiness all over,” she added.