Ahead of Dipawali, the capital city is busy fighting the vagary of nature as incessant rain for the last 72 hours has dampened the festive spirits in the state, especially in Raipur.
The downpour has not only slowed down the pace of the preparation for the festival of lights but has also put spanner on shopping spree, which is one of the most important aspects of the Dipawali.
People of the city are unable to come out of their houses due the constant rain as has been evident from relatively empty shops.
“Till this time in past years, shops of the city used to be filled with customers, but this year we have not received such crowd till now. This year the business has not kicked off that well due to Lord Indra”, said Rajesh Gupta, owner of an electronic shop in Kutcheri Chowk, who is also an office secretary of the BJP’s State Business Cell. “We pray and hope that the rain stops, so that we can earn some profit in this Dipawali,” he said.
“Luckily, by the grace of God the rainfall had more or less stopped on Dhanteras on Friday and the people have come out to purchase ornaments and jewels” said Ashok Pagaria of Pagaria Jewelers, who was pinning hope of good sale this festive season.
Meanwhile, during Dipawali shopping becomes a sort of culture. Excitement can be seen on the faces of people, especially the children. But, this year the patience of this excitement is being checked by nature as people are unable to come out of their homes on even holidays due to rain.
It has not only dampened the excitement of people but has also put at stake the works of thousands of artisans who prepared clay idols and earthen lamps. The worst affected was the firecracker market where there are no takers of their goods.
If the weather remains the same, it may play havoc in this Dipawali. The rain storm has come due to the cyclone that occurred in the Bay of Bengal.