Shadow of price rise on Chhath, vendors profit

NEW DELHI: A petite shopper looked quite at ease as she carried an almost seven-foot long sugarcane stalk across the narrow gali of the mandi in Mandavali. The mandi was bustling with the devout as they loaded a bamboo basket with raw coconut, pineapple, bananas, batashas, paan, supari, elaichi and a crowd of other offerings, on the eve of Chhat puja on Monday.
Celebrated primarily by the Bihari community as well as people from eastern UP in the city, six days after Diwali, the puja culminates into worshipping the sun god by standing waist-deep in a water body (the Yamuna ghats here) and offering the rising sun water, milk, fruit as well as ann (grain).The prayers are especially significant for married women, who fast for three days from dawn to dusk, in the hope that their devotion will coax the sun god into fulfilling their wishes. "I prayed for a son and, look, here he is,'' said Mithilesh, who is originally from Madhubani, Bihar. Out shopping with her three-year-old-son, she said her devotion to Surya devta was a life-long affair, since "he was listening when I prayed.''
There were others in the market, like 37-year-old Asha Singh, who felt especially blessed because, after a spate of daughters (four), she had given birth to a baby boy. Piling a basket worth Rs 70 (last year it had cost her Rs 40) with goodies, she said, "I will pray for him, for his future to be as bright as the sun,'' adding quickly that she would also be praying for her daughters.
The rising prices of food items traditionally offered to the Gods, caused a bit of grumbling among the sun worshippers. Radha Devi, a 45-year-old originally from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, was appalled at the idea of spending Rs 200 on five kilograms of ginger, or Rs 10 on a small packet of batashas. "Last year, everything was cheaper. This year, the tokri (basket) alone costs Rs 50. I have to buy prasad worth Rs 250, at least, for my puja,'' she complained. Badal, an 18-year-old vendor, while empathizing with the customers, refused to bring his rates down because he had to account for the soaring fuel prices and the cost of transporting the perishables to the mandi. "Sab kuch mehanga hai par kuch pane ke liye kuch dena bhi padta hai (Everything is expensive, but to receive blessings one has to be prepared to let go of a few hundred rupees,)'' he said.
Prem Pal and his wife Kiran Devi, who have been selling fruit and vegetables at the mandi for over 10 years, were relieved about the fact that they sold around 400 baskets over the last two days. The baskets, ranging from Rs 20-120, have perked up the profits of the small vendors. "We've made Rs 3000-4000 in a day; after the puja, we'll go back to making Rs 1500 a month,'' they said.
Apart from the foodstuff, ornaments like lac bangles, embellished with fine mirror-work and beads, were disappointingly expensive for the shoppers. A pack of two dozen bangles now cost them Rs 70; last year the womenfolk had to shell out only Rs 40 for the slight indulgence. But Sunita, a 35-year-old prone to illness, who had recovered her health after fasting persistently for years during Chhat puja, had decided that she would spare no expense to please the Gods. "I will spend at least three thousand rupees,'' she said determinedly, "it's a small price for a lifetime of health and happiness.''
radhika.oberoi@timesgroup.com