It’s the second Diwali since the lethal pandemic struck India. But unlike last year, a revival is in sight for the traders. There is expectancy of business getting better with fewer restrictions in force during the festival this year.
Every year during the festival of light, there’s always a good demand for variety of LED, string, jhoomar lights, etc that people use to decorate their homes. Last year because of a stand-off between India and China, people preferred Indian products and eventually demand for Chinese products lost sheen during Diwali.
But a trader in Kanpur’s Maniram Bagiya Bazaar hinted that we are back to square one. The decorative light seller said there is not much demand for local products, thus the supply is less. What this has done is it has forced traders to stock up China-made lights because those are most-preferred. But comparatively there is lesser crowd in the markets as not many people are thronging shops to buy crackers or any decorative item.
A few other dealers in the Kanpur Bazaar have opined that the sale of Indian and China-made products is even, almost 50-50, as people are preferring either of the products depending on price and designs.
Nonetheless, preparations are in full swing for an eventful Diwali this year.