Karva Chauth pumps life into festive sale

NEW DELHI: Friday is Karva Chauth, the festival almost all married women look forward to. Henna, the signature Karva Chauth indulgence, has been visible in every market and in the last few days, mehndiwalas, who have been occupying entire lanes in some of the shopping complexes, have spread the fragrance of henna across the city.
"There was a count last year.You'll find it hard to believe, but there were approximately 1,000 mehndiwalas here,'' exclaimed Sudesh, who has been applying mehndi for the last 16 years at the Lajpat Nagar market. She further said, "There are some women who have started bringing their newly-wed daughters-in-law along. I am now putting mehndi for the next generation of `bahus' in their family as well.''
Mahendra Kumar, a mehndiwala at GK I, echoes these emotions. "There are some who come to the same mehndiwala everytime there is a function or a celebration in their family. There is a loyalty factor also, and we try to give our old customers some discount.''
Talk about the charges and it proves to be a shocker. It starts with Rs 75-100 for one hand in the morning and went up to Rs 500 per hand as the long queues continued to stretch by evening. "The day just before Karva Chauth I apply mehndi on around 450 hands. It takes a lot of effort. Naturally, everybody wants theirs to look the best,'' said Prashant, another mehndiwala.
While the women fast on this day and pray for long lives for their husbands, the husbands too don't miss the opportunity to pamper their wives. "After all, I am his wife. My husband gets me a present each year. However, it is determined by what the pocket allows at that time,'' said Babita, who was shopping for some light jewellery at Lajpat Nagar. Her friend, on the other hand, was looking for bangles which would go with her saree. "It is a big day for all of us who believe in it. My husband gifted me a saree which I am going to wear tomorrow. I just need matching bangles now,'' flaunted Sakambari.
Pawan Kumar, a saree shop owner, sounded relieved. He said, "Though this festive season we have seen extremely poor sales and the market has only been going down, the last three days were slightly better for business.'' Kumar further said, "Men did come to buy sarees for their wives, but choice ka panga hai (it becomes difficult to choose). So, some of them came back with their wives the next time, to avoid any risks. Ultimately, it is all about pleasing the wife and making her happy.''