Safe rakhi
Sales of rakhis, sweets much lower compared to last year
Raksha Bandhan was a muted affair in Hyderabad because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy. Sales of rakhis and sweets were much lower than usual on Monday.
A vast majority of Hyderabadis chose to stay at home, instead of visiting their brothers and sisters. They sent their greetings to each other on WhatsApp and Facebook.
Sweet shops experienced dismal sales figures. Poornachander Rao, manager of Emerald Mithai Shop on Lower Tank Bund road, said the shop sold only a quarter of the amount of sweets it had sold last Raksha Bandhan.
“Of course, sweets sales today were slightly higher than during ordinary days during the lockdown. There isn’t enough movement of customers,” he said.
Rao explained that he was struggling to hire employees who could prepare the wide variety of sweets they usually make during festivals.
Rakhi sales were low as well. A seller at Musheerabad said he didn’t acquire much stock this year since his inventory from last year was sufficient for the sales he anticipated this year. “People did come to buy rakhis in the last week, but it was definitely much lower than any other year,” he said.
Young school children got to experience the festival through online classes. They were made to dress up in ethnic clothing and tie rakhis to their siblings, if they had any.
Those who didn’t have siblings — both boys and girls — were told to tie rakhis to their mothers and fathers.
Many political leaders also celebrated the festival on a private scale. Sisters of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao tied him rakhis at Pragathi Bhavan. His daughter and former MP K. Kavitha tied a rakhi to her brother, IT minister K.T. Rama Rao.