The last Friday or Alvida Jumma, which marks the beginning of the end of Ramzan, intensified the festive atmosphere in the Old City with people converging on mosques for prayers in the afternoon and shoppers literally jostling around to get the best of the discounts on offer.
The last few days of Ramzan witness a consumer rush with many queuing up to purchase everything from clothes to footwear for Eid-ul-Fitr. “This is the one time when we have no trouble with the traffic police! I make 10 times more than I do on any given day in the year!” exclaimed Abdul Gaffar, a bangle seller near Charminar.
The traffic restrictions imposed this afternoon came as a relief for shoppers and traders both. Even otherwise, one could find very little space for vehicles in the evening. Given the number of customers, the ‘fixed rate’ board displayed at stores turned out to be something of a joke.
Customers just do not expect but demand discounts. “I just removed the ‘fixed rate’ board. All the customers are known to me, and I have to slash the price down for them,” said a beaming Syed Najmuddin, who runs the Syedi and Sons Ittar store at Pathergatti.
Najmuddin has extended his shop under a makeshift tent to sell all the things available in his shop and to beat competition. Like him, several others too have done the same.
Even the historic ‘Gulzar Houz’ was not spared, as it lay covered by roadside shops, which reduced the water reservoir built by the Nizams into a warehouse. But then, within the chaos of the traffic, the lack of space and the claustrophobic atmoshphere, lies the magic of shopping in Ramzan.
“The footpath business is vibrant in the last week of Ramzan. The thousands of sellers here are a separate market worth several crores!” pointed out Mohammed Waseem, who works at Mohammed Cap Mart. Which is true in fact.
Showrooms, and other big establishments were devoid of customers for a good part of the day. For the shoppers, this is the best time of the year. “Although there is such a mad rush, I still love shopping here. It only gets better after Iftar,” said Shaheen Ahmed, a student of Shadan College.
For women, the accessories glittering everywhere from the roadside make-shift shops to pushcarts are a special attraction. The only place which was not crowded was the Charminar itself! The simple reason being it holds nothing for shoppers
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