Fashion, food temptations abound here

NAGPUR: Much like fickle fashion trends, people demand different stuff each year during Eid celebrations at Mominpura market. So, this year, embroidered kurtas are in. Lucknawi chikan is so 2009! And it seems even innerwear shopping is influenced by celebrity endorsements. One of the shop assistants observed, "Last year, the brand Salman Khan endorsed was in great demand.This year, he switched to a rival brand and its merchandize is flying off the shelves. The other brand has flopped."
It's a busy time for Iqbal and store owner Mohammed Sarfaraz. Said Iqbal, "I work at Khaparkheda power station, 28km from the city. After work, I come straight to the shop and work here until 4am. These days, even four hours of sleep is a blessing." And in the next three days leading up to the Eid, it's going to get busier still. But Iqbal manages to get through the day, even without food or water due to his 'roza'.
Food may not be on Iqbal's mind, but here in Mominpura, temptation abounds. The air is a delicious confusion of aromas, from succulent slow-grilled meats and deep fried mutton samosas to heady tandoori delights and delicate sweets.
Look all around, and you'll quickly discover that the sugar daddy of the sweets is feni. Like flashy nests, these orange, green, yellow, white and golden brown discs are stacked in every sweet-selling shop worth its salt. Shakeel Ahmed, the manager of Hafeez Bakery, which was established in 1927, says, "All this is completely handmade. And each feni has 2,046 strands."
Ahmed tries to explain how he has arrived at this precise figure, but one's mind is too distracted by the volcano of aroma issuing from the giant cauldron where the latest batch of fenis swims merrily in smoking ghee. And the demand is as overwhelming as the temptation.
"We bring workers from Uttar Pradesh every year just to meet the Ramzan rush," Ahmed says. "Yes, good money is a factor for them to come all the way to Nagpur. But the other, and more important, thing is the strong bond we have forged with them. That's why they keep coming back year after year."
And so will thousands upon thousands of people. Whether it's for devotion or delicacies, strolls or shopping, they will turn this quaint locality into a carnival. And when Eid comes on Friday, everyone in Mominpura will be happy. Even the moon won't be able to help but break into its crescent smile.