Salons cash in on festival of beauty

Bhopal: With Roop Chaudas and 'Choti Diwali' on Saturday, Bhopalis geared up to celebrate the big day - Diwali.
It was a day when last-minute cleaning and decoration of homes were completed and women celebrated by dressing in traditional attire and making rangolis outside their homes before lighting lamps.
The rituals performed on Roop Chaturdashi stress on the need to take care of one's body and maintain good looks.Honing a good physique and improving one's appearance are equally important. It is the day when one can pray for both these boons, a healthy and beautiful body, said Reema Taneja, a resident of Arera Colony.
Bhagya Taneja, who was celebrating her first Roop Chaudas was excited. "We do not celebrate this festival at our native place. For us it is Choti Diwali in Punjab. I was astonished to learn about the significance of the day and that is dedicated to beauty and soul," she said.
Roop Chaudas is mostly celebrated in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and some north Indian states.
Beauty salons, and parlours were flooded with the advance bookings for the day. "We had an extremely hectic day. Separate arrangements were made for those who landed up without appointment," Tabassum, a beautician, told TOI.
Many organizations tried to spread the smile on this day. The Youth for Children programme of Ansh Happiness Society celebrated Diwali with children at Nitya Seva Sadan, Gandhi Nagar and distributed sweets, said society founder Mohsin Khan.
Pt Rama Shankar Tiwari, priest of the famous temple in New Market, said Laxmi Puja will be performed on Diwali between 6.27pm and 8.09 pm.
Last-minute Diwali shoppers crowded markets in New and Old Bhopal trying to grab the irresistible offers given by various dealers on electronics and textiles, garments and home decorative articles. While salwar suits with traditional works and lehangas were much in demand at Lakherapura, traditional menswear was in high demand, too.
Chowk Bazar and New Market besides the plush malls in New Bhopal and Kolar localities were flooded with shoppers, and sweet shops registered handsome sales. Most of them ran out of their stocks of gujiyas.