For Ramadan barely a couple of week left, the city market is buzzing with last minute Eid-ul-fitr shopper who are found making beeline to the various shop offering designer clothes, attractive caps and mouth-watering food items.
In fact, Pakistani styled long suit, skull caps, Kashmir embroidered burkas, prayer mats, and perfumes are at top in their shopping list.Muslim women were found busy in coordinating their attires withm artificial jewellery and footwear. Shopping centers in town too havem organised a series of events to welcome Eid-ul-fitr and celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.
“We have stocked more than 800 Pakistani styled suit pieces and 200 kurtis of chikan work just for Ramadan. City fairer sex mostly prefers long and designer kurtas. The sale has been very good for me this season,” said owner of Kashmir Vastralaya Suresh Malhotra.Besides permanent shops, many makeshift markets selling white skull caps for namaz, lachche, dates and raw sewain are also attracting large crowds. Md Aamir owner of a kiosk in the Main Road has a variety of caps which he claims have been imported from Pakistan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
“We have imported designer caps for the holy Ramadan and are receiving good response from the people. Craze for imported items is high among the Ranchities. I have sold more than hundred caps in couple of days,”added Aamir.
Afreen Khan who was spotted buying caps with her mother said, “Shopping during Ramadan is more than just buying food items. I love to have collection of foreign attires in my wardrobe. Here I am getting it at a reasonable rate. Besides family members I am shopping for my friends and relatives too” Sewai which is an essential food item in the month of Ramadan costs anything between Rs60 and Rs400 per kilograms. Coloufrul dalda sewai is coming around Rs100 per kg which was Rs80 per kg last year. The ghee sewai is available for Rs400 this time.
Shopkeeper Md Salim said, “The price hike in not showing much effect in the consumption of the customers. People are buying the items as per their requirement even at increased rates. The market is showing good response.”