National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Crowded Marketplace

After a long dry spell, shopkeepers rejoice in the return of crowd of customers

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

It was a welcome scene. After a long dry spell, the shopkeepers at the prime markets in New Road finally witnessed the return of crowd of customers.

Owing to the economic recession and disturbing incidents in the country, the streets of New Road and Asan were seemingly deserted. Businessmen and traders expressed grave concerns. Their only hope was that the customers would return to shop for the Dashain festival. If the evening crowds in New Road, Asan, Bhotahity seen in the last few days are any indication, their prayers might have been answered.

The streets of New Road, Putali Sadak, Mangal Bazar and similar other places resembled the pre-recession times. There were huge traffic jams in New Road areas with few places to park vehicles.

"Well, the customers have come to shop for Dashain as usual. We are doing a brisk business these days. I hope the customers will now push our economy back," said a delighted shopkeeper in Asan.

The festival of Dashain is celebrated with unprecedented zeal by the people. During this festival people buy new clothes and other stuffs. Likewise, the sales of food items, spices etc hit the sky.

"I am here to buy spices, Chiura (beaten rice) and other food-stuffs. It is so crowded here due to Dashain. I should have come earlier to escape this crowd," said Nira Dhungel, a housewife from Battisputali who had come for shopping in Asan.

The clothes-stores in New Roads, too, were doing a swift business. "After all, we have to celebrate Dashain as it is our culture. I am here to buy new clothes for all members of my family," said Krishna Ram Shrestha of Jaisi Dewal. Shrestha was visiting a clothes store one after another along with his wife and three kids.

Not only the clothes and foodstuffs, the festival also marks boost in sales of electronic items. "It has been witnessed that people wait for Dashain to buy new television, VCRs or other electronic items," said Darshan Gurung, a worker at an electronics store in New Road.

In the last couple of years, there has been an emergence of a new shopping trend among the middle and upper class families in urban areas of the country. "Instead of going to shops in New Road or Bhotahity, they now throng the various departmental stores," said Pritam Karmacharya, a shopkeeper.

Due to various reasons like one-stop shopping, quality items, fixed prices and fewer chances of being hoodwinked on prices, these families prefer departmental stores. The increasing crowd at stores like Bhatbhateni Departmental Store and Pashupati Plaza indicate this trend. "I prefer to shop in departmental stores because there will be a variety to choose from and many times there are different sales going on as well," said Reema Basnet, a housewife from Baluwatar who was buying clothes for her daughters at Bhatbhateni Supermarket.

Shopping for Dashain is also a back-breaking task for financially weak families. As the traditional attitude is such that a family has to buy new clothes and eat good food during the festival, the poor families even go to length of taking loans to celebrate Dashain.

While the well-to-do families throng New Road and departmental stores, there is a separate market that caters to the poor families. The Hong Kong market, as it is popularly known, in Bhrikuti Mandap and the shops selling Chinese goods like those in Mahabouddha have been offering goods at relatively cheaper rates. These markets are heaven for those who can bargain.

"I am here to buy new clothes for my family members back home. But things are so expensive I don't think I will be able to manage with what little money I have," said Chandra Tamang, a farmer from Melamchi in Sindhupalchowk district while bargaining hard to buy a shirt for his son at Bhrikuti Mandap market.

Apart from food-stuffs and clothes, there is also a growing crowd to buy goats, sheep and so on. The goat market near Putali Sadak and Balkhu are beginning to record growing sales. In fact, the sales of these animals continue to increase reaching to a climax on Ashtami when they will be sacrificed before Goddess Durga. The various meat delicacies mark a unique aspect of celebrating Dashain festival.

Meanwhile, the mood among the people this year has been dampened by the critical situation the country is facing. Many people say there is hardly an atmosphere for celebration, with so many Nepalese getting killed every day. The family members of the victims will have no energy to celebrate the festival at all.

Most people hope that Goddess Durga would instill sense of nationalism and peace among all the people. They would like to celebrate Dashain in much more peaceful and enjoyable circumstances. But it remains to be seen how many more Dashains Nepalese will have to celebrate gloomily before their dream is finally realized.