Shopping for abundance

This year, Dhanteras is on November 10. It is the 13th day of the month Kartika according to the Hindu lunar calendar. It’s a day of significance and celebrations. Prayers are specially offered to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Kubera for the well-being and prosperity of the family. The celebrations include cleaning the house thoroughly, creating a Dhanteras rangoli and wearing new clothes. The highlight of the day is to purchase items that signify prosperity which are usually gold or silver. However, many people also buy home appliances, vehicles and other items that symbolise wealth and abundance.

We asked a few people about their Dhanteras shopping:

Gold and glitter

Kavita Patel, who works as a manager at a five-star hotel, has been living in the city for five years. She celebrates Dhanteras every year by buying gold. “I don’t know why I am so fascinated by gold but Dhanteras is the ideal time for me to buy gold ornaments,” she said. “I usually buy everyday jewellery like earring, chain, bracelet or ring.”

According to her, buying gold from a trusted store or brand is beneficial because of the quality and the fact that they are willing to take back old jewellery purchased from their store and offer a good exchange rate.

The idea of shopping for gold is different for Sonal Gupta who believes in buying gold coins. “I usually buy gold coins which I can exchange for jewellery later on,” she said. Apart from gold, silver utensils, ornaments and coins are bought on the day. “Every year, I buy a small silver utensil,” Kavita Patel said. “A tumbler, small plate, silver bell, cups and so on.”

Home appliances

Be it a new music system, a refrigerator or a television, home appliances are usually bought on Dhanteras. “I have no interest in gold ornaments so I prefer to get a home appliance that everyone in the family can enjoy,” said IT consultant Kavita Rao. This year she plans to buy a coffee machine because the family loves coffee, especially cappuccino. “I am excited about the coffee machine,” she said.

The Shanbhag family is excited about their new television. “We bought it for Dhanteras and it is the pride of our living room,” said Arun Shanbhag. Apart from home appliances, some buy gadgets, personal accessories such as watches, sunglasses and even clothes. “I love fashion and although I buy stuff because it is Diwali, I make it a point to buy it on Dhanteras,” said Rohini Srinivasan, who is studying at a local college.

Summing up, some of the auspicious things that could be bought for Dhanteras are gold and silver jewellery, home appliances, gadgets like laptop or mobile phone, and a vehicle.