No Monday blues for habba enthusiasts

No Monday blues for habba enthusiasts
Deccan Herald

A slushy wet market was no deterrent for the shoppers who had to watch out for slippery ground.

The Bangalore city went shopping with all gusto across marketplaces on Monday, on the eve of the Gowri festival. Despite it being a working day, people seemed to beat the Monday blues and the rains and thronged the markets to shop for flowers, fruits and other pooja materials.

A slushy wet market at KR Market welcomed the customers, who, besides having to take care of their money, mobile phones and other valuables, had to watch out for slippery ground outside. Though the mandi at KR Market was spared of the rain-and-after look, the outer parts of the market took a beating, thanks to the heavy rains and people stomping around in large numbers.

Anticipating the rush of people, vendors, especially flower vendors pitched their rates at higher than normal. While the prices of fruits and vegetables remained more or less stable, flowers, particularly roses and jasmine were priced high. Jasmine stood at Rs 300 per kg, while chrysanthemum was being sold at Rs 100 per kg. Says Venkatesh, a vendor at KR Market, “Usually chrysanthemum is sold for Rs 20 per metre. But with the festival around, the price has been hiked by Rs 5 to Rs 10 on Monday. On Tuesday, it is likely to go up to Rs 30 to Rs 45.”

Roses were the highest priced, followed by garlands which were priced in the range of Rs 50 to Rs 150 as against the normal price of Rs 30 to Rs 80. However, the rains caught flower vendors on pavements unawares, leaving them with a loss between Rs 500 to a few thousands, all in a day.

At Malleswaram, the 8th Cross roads were virtually packed, with vendors taking over the pavements and a major chunk of the roads. Meanwhile, fruit vendor Samiullah said fruit prices have been stable. He said while apples were being sold at Rs 50 at the Ulsoor market, the price was Rs 35 in KR Market.

Ganeshas made of clay reported a price increase of Rs 25 to Rs 30, thanks to lack of business due to rains and increased demand, while idols brought from Mumbai were being sold at anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 7,500, based on their size. Gowri idols were available from Rs 10 onwards, at a height of three inches with progressively bigger ones priced at a difference of Rs 10 for each bigger size.

After Rs 100, a Rs 50 jump was seen in the prices. The biggest Gowri idol at two feet was priced at Rs 1,000.

As far as Ganesha statues were concerned, the prices ranged from Rs 50 for seven inches to Rs 100 for 11 inches to Rs 8,000 - Rs 10,000 for six to nine feet high idols.

GREETINGS

Governor T N Chaturvedi and Chief Minister N Dharam Singh have greeted the people of the state on the occasion of Gowri and Ganesha festival.

“May this festival bring progress, prosperity and peace to the people of the state,” the governor and the chief minister said in their messages. Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash and several ministers too have greeted the people on the occasion.

CRANES FOR HELP

Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is going to employ two cranes to immerse ‘heavyweight Ganeshas’, at Ulsoor Lake. This is to prevent untoward incidents like stampede and slipping due to slush. Huge Ganeshas, say, 10 to 20 ft, will get special treatment this time. They will be lifted by the cranes and immersed in the Kalyani, the special pond for immersing the idols. This service comes free of cost.