With Diwali providing a much needed cushion to a rather sluggish market growth, the festival of lights has of late also come as an opportunity for politicians to reconnect themselves with the people through media.
Photographs of even small time politicians or so called public representatives in local newspapers nowadays wishing the people with messages of good wishes gives that impression. It is another matter whether people take a note of the greetings of these leaders or the public representatives or not, but coming on pages of the newspapers definitely gives some solace to the politicians as with these greetings the public representatives become able to send a message across the society that they are among the public, though they pay for using the space in the pages of the newspapers.
Interestingly, traders or businessmen are not far behind in wishing their customers and public at large on this festive occasion through the media. Photographs of the businessmen with their business products and well wishes continue to appear on the local newspapers’ pages for many days.
As a trader on the condition of anonymity maintains that though the businessmen pay for using the space in the newspapers, this public appeal does not only provide them due publicity but also helps strengthen their bonds at least with their loyal customers. However, it is difficult to know what impact do these messages and good wishes have on the people, but one thing is certain that even this high inflation rate has not deterred the customers from purchasing the homely items of their choices. The fact is that people here still have maintained their buying habits.
Though ‘Dhanteras’ is yet to arrive, people can be seen purchasing products of their choice for many days here. They are of the view that since the shopkeepers give little scope for bargaining on the day of Dhanteras as demand alarmingly goes up on this festive occasion in the market for new products, therefore we try to purchase as per our plan ahead of Dhanteras, says Shanti Semwal, a resident of the Bareli Road, Haldwani.
Though rates of all products are high, sometime due to market competition customers can purchase items of their choice at reasonable rates provided they invest some of their time on studying of the rates of the same products at different shops, she added. In the meanwhile, taking the most of this festive occasion the shopkeepers are also trying to woo the customers in busy market lanes nowadays in a big way.