Festive cheer makes a comeback for sellers in Delhi's Hauz Rani market this Diwali

If you are looking for festive wall hangings, decorated earthen diyas or torans this Diwali, look no further than Hauz Rani. This hidden gem in Malviya Nagar offers a huge variety of decorations, from hand-designed clay lamps to painted wall hangings.
While most goods come from different cities like Agra and Kolkata, they are given a fresh coat of paint here in Delhi, the shopkeepers say.The prices for Ganesha and Laxmi idols range from Rs 100 to Rs 2000, and a set of 50 painted diyas are sold for just Rs 250.

The pandemic-induced lockdowns had slowed down business considerably, but sellers say things are now looking brighter. “There was hardly any sale last year, but it’s much better this time,” says Asha, one of the sellers. Atar Singh, who has had a shop in the market for over two decades, adds, “The business is definitely not as great as pre-COVID times but at least people are coming to the market. We are hoping that we will witness an increase in the number of people who visit the market by the end of this week.”


For Savita, who has also been working at a shop for almost 20 years in the market, the business is slow but she is hopeful that Diwali might change things for her. She says, “The business has been badly affected due to the pandemic but people are now stepping out, so we are hoping that they will end up shopping for Diwali decor this year, something that many people skipped last year.”
— Riya Yadav; with inputs from Riya Sharma