NEW DELHI: With Covid restrictions no longer in place, the markets should have been ebullient at Holi time. But the shopkeepers are disappointed at the sparse crowds, with few takers for the water guns and other festival paraphernalia. The worst hit among the sellers are migrants from different states who set up temporary stalls in various areas of the city. The high spirit of Holi remained missing from what would otherwise have been jampacked markets. Harjeet Singh, whose family has been in the business of selling Holi items since 1947, said, “The Covid effect is still not over. The fear of the virus might not be so pervasive, but people are yet to recover from the loss of life and money that the pandemic caused in almost every family.”Many shopkeepers claimed that while the sales were better than in the last couple of years, there was still around a 35% dip compared with pre-Covid days. The muted Holi shopping has not affected only the bigger shop owners, but also hit the prospects of the roadside vendors and hawkers. They fretted about the low festival sales impacting their annual earnings. Kiran Lata, 50, who has come to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district, said, “I have been travelling to the city to set up roadside stalls since my father’s time. After I got married, I continued to do so. But I do not think my children’s generation will keep doing this for long because our festival time earnings are seeing a substantial dip. I tell them to look for other jobs in the capital.” Kedar Kumar, also from UP, mourned that Covid had completely wrecked his life and there was no respite from it even now. He said, “We come to Delhi for a few weeks after taking loans to set up shops. We buy products from the wholesale markets and then set up roadside shops in different areas.” Anxiety showing on his face, Kumar said, “For people like us, the festivities start only after a festival is over. Only if we log a profit can our families celebrate. I am scared that if my products remain unsold, I might have to return home with only a loss on my hands.”Many are hoping that the market will pick up in the remaining days before Holi is celebrated on March 8. Promod Yadav, 21, who has set up a gujiya and balloon stall, said optimistically, “There are a few more days left for Holi. There is still hope that the market will see an upward trend.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/covid-curbs-off-but-holi-market-yet-to-revive-fully-in-delhi/articleshow/98420336.cms
