Festive mood clearly in the air

 

In anticipation: Shoppers doing their Deepavali shopping at Little India in Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: The festive mood is evident at the Little India enclave here, with many starting to shop for the upcoming Festival of Lights.

Shoppers were seen buying various items such as clothing, jewellery, decoration and sweets for their visiting relatives as a Deepavali reunion seems to be in order for some families now that the interstate travel ban has been lifted.

Businesswoman Mahadevi Venugopal, 54, who is from Taiping, Perak, said she would visit Little India in Penang every year to do her Deepavali shopping.

“My siblings, nephews and nieces are coming all the way from Johor and Kuala Lumpur and I am shopping to get something for all of them.

“I am expecting all of our families to have a much-awaited reunion after a long time,” she said when met with her daughter Ranjani Gunalan, 21, and son Harish Gunalan, 19, at a saree centre in Penang Street.

At a textile shop in Market Street, pharmacist Kaswini Ravichandran and her husband Daneskumar Manogaran, both 29, who are from Penang mainland, were in an upbeat mood for the celebration this year.

“I find that shoppers are in a happy mood this time around compared to last year as most of the businesses have reopened. People have disposal income to spend, too,” said Kaswini.

Another shopper, Ravindra Devi Manickam, 37, was spotted browsing for decorative items at a store in King Street.

“I just moved into a new house in Seberang Jaya on the mainland so I’m shopping for items for the house. I have set aside RM2,000 to spend on decorating my new house for Deepavali.

“My family and I have bought new clothes and we are going to celebrate Deepavali in our new home.”

Traders were also enjoying brisk business, with shoppers from the northern region of Kedah and Perlis coming to purchase Deepavali clothes.

Saree shop owner KA Rao said the outlet was experiencing better business compared to last year as people had adjusted to the pandemic and managed to set aside money for Deepavali.

“We are confident business will pick up at a faster rate during the last few days before Deepavali.”

Vastra Empire owner Shehab Sannsee said he had to temporarily stop his online business as his staff had to attend to walk-in customers.

“Business has picked up well compared to last year.

“We are expecting at least a 30% increase in sales over the next two weeks before Deepavali.

“People from as far as Kuala Lumpur come here because they have bought our sarees and other products online as we offer good value at competitive prices,” said Shehab.

He said the interstate travel had helped boost his business with people from both north and south travelling to Penang for shopping and holidays.

Kanganam Stores owner H. Ghirish said while it was still uncertain how the pandemic would affect the people’s long-term spending, they were in a joyful mood this year as things were slowly returning to normalcy.

“My business has picked up much earlier this year.”

compared to last year when business was good only a week before Deepavali.” - Star