Ugadi’ is just a few days away and shops and marketplaces across the city have come up with the best offers. Shoppers are wasting no time in splurging on clothes, jewellery, vehicles and household items in tune with the occasion.
Even youngsters preparing for their exams find this festive shopping a perfect break. Tripti Siddharth, a final-year degree student of MES College, says, “This ‘Ugadi’, I will have my exams but I have invited a couple of my friends home for lunch to relish the traditional feast. I also bought new clothes for myself and gifts for my closest friends.” She says the festival is an occasion to not only shop but also show loved ones how much you care for them.
Clothes and jewellery top the list of ‘must-buys’. Investing in gold and other precious metals like silver and platinum are considered auspicious during the season.
Usha Ranganth, a homemaker, says she gives her home a complete makeover of sorts. “We buy new utensils, change the furniture and purchase new clothes for everybody in the house, including the members of the extended family. We believe in wearing and using everything that is new during ‘Ugadi’,” says Usha. She also says that her family believes that buying gold, however small the quantity, is auspicious. “We always buy something small in gold. This year, we will place an order for gold jewellery on ‘Ugadi’ and pick it up at a later date,” she adds.
Retailers say the sales peak in the days leading to the festival and a few days after as well. It’s not just shops in areas such as Chickpet, K R Market and Majestic that offer attractive discounts, shopping malls and downtown retail establishments on M G Road, Brigade Road and Commercial Street have put up boards, announcing attractive discounts.
Rajanna Hosur, who runs a garment business in Chickpet, says he has brought Kanchipuram saris from Chennai and Andhra Pradesh just for the festival. “The prices have gone up a little but that hasn’t affected our sales because we get orders in bulk. We also have families who come for plain silk saris and get embroidery done on it. But this category of shoppers come to us at least two weeks prior to the festival,” explains Rajanna.
The flower markets in Malleswaram, K R Market and Russell Market are buzzing. Ibrahim, a flower merchant in Russell Market, says “The prices of flowers and vegetables go up a little during festivals because it has become difficult to source them from the villagers. We also need to store these flowers in such a way that it doesn’t get damaged.”
The festival is followed in the traditional manner in joint families. Madhukar B K says his parents regularly give him new clothes for his birthday and ‘Ugadi’.
“This tradition of gifting new clothes on these two occasions hasn’t been broken till date. The festival also becomes an excuse for the kids to demand what they want and we happily oblige. So, we end up spending a few thousands on a variety of things for the occasion,” he says.
Published 05 April 2016, 17:37 IST