With 2 weeks to go, buyers, hawkers beat rain & rallies for last-min puja shopping

Kolkata: Shop-owners in the traditional shopping hubs braved rain and rallies throughout Wednesday to handle the pre-puja rush. The heavy showers in the evening only impacted the business “marginally”, they said. Areas like Bertram Street, Lindsay Street, Humayun Place and Madge Lane were teeming with shoppers at 7.30 pm when heavy downpour gave way to steady drizzle. Stand-alone shops and hawkers registered “decent” business though shops inside Treasure Island, SS Hogg Market and The Globe Mall reported a slight dip in sales in the evening.
With sales surging in the past few days, after one of the worst slumps in business due to the RG Kar tragedy, traders do not want to miss out on even a day with barely two weeks to go for Durga Puja. Organisers and potters in Kumartuli, too, have had to think on their feet and take precautionary measures against rain to complete work by Mahalaya.
On Wednesday, three political outfits organized rallies and processions in two shopping hubs — Esplanade and Kalighat — paralysing traffic for the better part of the afternoon and evening in . But customers flocked to shopping zones in New Market, Gariahat, Burrabazar and Hatibagan.
“Business was relatively good. In the evening, the market emptied out during the downpour but buyers returned when the rain stopped,” said Ashutosh Singh at a footwear shop on Madge Lane.
“In the run up to the biggest festival in the state, every day counts for us in terms of business. The evening rain disturbed the momentum temporarily but it picked up soon after,” said Mohammad Amir Khan, who sells readymade garments in Shreeram Arcade.
Puja committees which are rushing against time to complete their preparations were also caught off-guard by the rain. “We shifted some of the materials indoors where work will be done till the weather clears,” said Subhankar Saha, secretary of Vivekananda Park Athletic Club.
“There have been several showers since Tuesday but we have to complete our work on time. Most clubs will take delivery by Mahalaya. Since the idols are now nearly complete, we have to move them outdoors due to scarcity of space. We have covered the entire area with plastic sheets and arranged for blow torches and pedestal fans,” said Prodyut Pal, an idol-maker in Kumartuli.