Janpath Market in Delhi’s Connaught Place wears a deserted look on Wednesday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha

New Delhi, Oct. 2: To Sukriti Chauhan, 15, this Puja season has been like no other — no new clothes, no Dandiya dancing, no hanging out with friends at coffee shops.

The recent blasts have changed the way she and thousands of other Delhi residents live.

“I always got a new pair of ghagra cholis before Navratri but haven’t shopped for a single dress this festival. My parents have forbidden me to go out for Dandiya. I can understand they are scared; so am I,” Sukriti said at her home.

“Can you imagine, I haven’t seen a single movie in a theatre in the past three weeks (since the September 13 blasts)? I don’t even hang out at the local coffee shop any more.”

Many Delhi teenagers share her experience but none is complaining. They know it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“I would never stay at home on weekends; now I’ve done it thrice in three weeks. I can’t believe it myself,” said Gautam Lahiri, a student.

“Am I scared? Yes, I am. I don’t know if I shall recover in a hurry,” he added, saying he would not be pandal-hopping during Durga Puja.

Lahiri is among hundreds of Bengalis in Delhi who haven’t yet bought anything for the pujas.

While multiplexes, retail shops and bazaars have been hit hard, CD and DVD rental stores have cashed in, their business up by 60 per cent since the blasts. Weekend entertainment for Delhiites, young and old, now means watching a movie on TV or the DVD player at home.

The footfall at multiplexes was lighter by 50 per cent in the three Sundays following the blasts, and single-screen theatres aren’t any better off.

“I’m running out of CDs to rent out. People don’t care whether I have the new films; they are watching classics. Last Sunday, most of my Hindi CDs and DVDs had been rented out by noon and in the evening, people took away Hollywood movies,” said Prakash, who runs a CD rental shop at Vaishali, Ghaziabad.

A Café Coffee Day outlet at Greater Kailash saw sales of Rs 1,000 last Sunday; earlier the figure would cross Rs 10,000 by noon. A nearby outlet of coffee bar Barista had had even fewer customers.

“What to do? It’s here that a bomb exploded (on September 13),” said the Café Coffee Day manager. “It didn’t kill anyone (the deaths occurred at Connaught Place and Karol Bagh), but shattered our sense of security. Hopefully, the kids will come back soon.”

Last Sunday – the day after the Mehrauli market blast that killed a boy – was the worst. All the shops, malls, eateries and pubs were open but hardly saw customers.

Lee Cooper at Connaught Place, which boasts around 700 walk-ins on an average Sunday afternoon, had three customers. Reebok had eight, down from its average of 50.

“On Sunday afternoons our sales went up to Rs 80,000 but since the blasts, it hasn’t even crossed Rs 18,000,” the Reebok store’s manager said.

The United Colors of Benetton shop, where the average Sunday business is Rs 25,000, saw zero sales on September 28.

Many are skipping the Garba dances that are part of the Navratri celebrations. While Garba organisers claim their budgets have skyrocketed since they are spending at least 15 per cent extra on security, none hope to see a full house.

“No way am I going to the Garba this time. I’m sure there’s fear in every Indian city now. The terrorists have succeeded,” said IT executive Sharad Agarwal.

The government has decided to install CCTV sets at 58 major markets and is planning to get security improved at malls and multiplexes. The Union home ministry plans to recruit 7,500 more police in Delhi and set up 11 new police stations.