OLD DELHI STAGES A HIT SHOW DURING KARWA CHAUTH
Best bargains and the latest trends draw shoppers to the Walled City
Markets across the Capital are decked up ahead of Karwa Chauth — the day when women fast and pray for the longevity of their partner’s life — and Old Delhi seems to attract the maximum crowd.
What makes it such a hot spot? It is a wholesale market, which translates into affordability. Besides, it offers a wide variety of products and the latest trends, making it a favourite with customers, most of them women from DelhiNCR and surrounding areas. While some go solo, many women tend to shop in groups, after all it makes haggling that much easier!
“We are from Sohna, a town 20 km from Gurgaon. Every year, we visit the shops in Old Delhi ahead of Karwa Chauth. We are connected through a kitty and come to this place for three years now. It offers the best products, such as bangles and other ritual items, at great prices. I bought a set of bangles for ₹250 from here, half of what it costs in my area,” says homemaker Bhavana Arora.
Bargaining in the crowded market is a task, but nothing really deters the ladies from getting the right price. “I have come here for the first time and can’t take my eyes off all the items. There is so much to choose from and the reasonable prices just tempt you more. It’s hard to visit this place and not buy stuff. No matter what colour or variety you ask for, they always have it. I bought a chunri, considered auspicious for Karwa Chauth, from Kinari Bazaar,” says Shilpa Singhla who travelled all way from Rewari to Delhi with her sisters-in-law and friends.
If anything, the commute can really test customers. “I am done with shopping but now, even reaching the Metro is a task. It will take me half-anhour and I can’t walk because of the luggage,” says Harshita Bahari, from Ballabgarh, who is getting married in November and wants to make her Karwa Chauth extra special.