With two days left before Durga Puja, Old Dhaka’s Shakhari Bazar and surrounding areas are missing the usual festive bustle. Shops are stocked with Puja materials, but customer footfall is low and sales are slow.
Shop owners say rising raw material and transport costs have increased their expenses. Buyers, already under pressure from high essential commodity prices, have reduced their Puja shopping. Traders are hoping for a last-minute surge in customers.
A visit to Shakhari Bazar, Tatibazar, Lakshmibazar, Sutrapur and Banglabazar on Wednesday showed a similar picture. In previous years, these areas were busy with shoppers ahead of Puja, but this year the crowds are absent even as the festival approaches.
Shops display crowns, colourful cloth, beaded necklaces and idol decoration materials, but customer movement is low.
Pintu Shah, owner of Sajghar shop in Shakhari Bazar, said sales were not what they should be before Puja. He said he sometimes sits in his shop all the morning without seeing a customer.
“Earlier many would buy expensive items, now they look for cheaper products. Meanwhile our costs have increased. Earlier it cost Tk100 to bring goods, now transport alone costs up to Tk250,” he said.
Prices of idol crowns, hair clips, cloth and beaded necklaces have increased. Crown sets that sold for Tk200 to Tk6,000 last year are now priced at Tk300 to Tk7,000.
Bead prices have doubled to Tk800 per kg. Idol weapons cost Tk130 to Tk1,000 depending on size and type.
Pintu said many pandal committees do not buy materials separately but contract out the entire decoration work. This reduces sales opportunities for small shops.
The cost of making idols has also increased. Traders estimate that an idol set that cost Tk80,000 to Tk85,000 last year now costs about Tk90,000.
As Puja approaches, traders’ expectations are rising. Despite the sales slump, they hope the situation will change in the final days.
Deepak Nath of Dhakeshwari Shankhalay said, “Sales will increase in the last moments and during Puja days, we hope.”
Subrata Saha, a resident of Lakshmibazar, said it was difficult to move through Shakhari Bazar and Lakshmibazar before Puja due to crowds. This year, that picture is absent. Many have reduced shopping due to rising prices. However, he hopes crowds will increase from Shashthi.
Pradip Kumar Das, a resident of Sutrapur, said that although sales are down, people’s interest in the festival has not been entirely lost.
“Everything is expensive. People are buying thoughtfully. But Puja is everyone’s joy. I hope visitor crowds will increase at pandals during Puja days,” he said.
Mahalaya on 10 October marked the start of the countdown to Durga Puja. Panchami is on 15 October, with Mahashashthi on 16 October marking the start of the main Puja. Saptami is on 17 October, Ashtami on 18 October, Navami on 19 October and Bijoya Dashami on 20 October.
