People make a beeline for lachcha at a roadside stall in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

It is boom time in the market with Id round the corner.

The heavy rush of buyers witnessed in shopping arcades like Patna Market, Sabzibagh, Hathua Market, Khetan Market and Mauryalok is evidence Id shopping is picking up momentum in Patna.

The regular shops apart, many makeshift shops and stalls have come up along main roads to meet the increasing demands of customers who have been thronging them. Drawing them are a range of items on display in the markets, like clothes, dry fruits, sewaiyaan and lachchas (types of vermicelli), attars, bangles and other accessories.

Not even the scorching weather is keeping the shoppers indoors. Markets are packed to capacity during the day as well as night, even on Sundays. Id will probably fall on August 10, provided the new moon is sighted a night before, thus the extensive shopping in the last few days of fasting. “Many prefer to come to market after Iftar (when fast is broken around sunset) so we keep our shops open till later than we normally do,” said a shopkeeper. Some shops actually stay open till it is time to stop eating again around sunrise (Sehri).

A salesperson at Khetan market said, “During Ramazan, the market remains open even on Sundays and sales actually go up. Markets come up with innovative schemes, discounts and other offers to entice buyers. This is specially the case in Khetan Market, Patna Market, Hathua Market, Maurya Complex and P&M Mall.”

No festival is complete without new clothes, and so also with Id. “There is a huge demand for designer salwar suits, anarkali suits and Pakistani suits among women,” says the shopowner of Kala collection, an apparel store at Patna Market.

“Silver work and embroidery are selling like hot cakes this season,” he said.

A massive rush can be seen at tailoring shops that are making the most of this period. But most tailors and boutiques have started turning down fresh orders as they are all booked till Id. A tailor in Patna market said, “On normal days, we get fewer orders for stitching. But, now we have raised stitching price from Rs 120 to Rs 170. But the orders keep coming. Every day, we get 20-30 dress materials for stitching, but now we have begun turning down fresh offers.”

“I will now have to buy readymade garments,” says Meenaz, a resident.

Most beauty parlours have made special arrangements for mehndi, for which there is a great demand among women. Men can be seen crowding shops selling kurta pyjamas and crocheted topis and attars. ”Lucknowi kurtas are evergreen. Like always they are the top pick by buyers,” said a shopkeeper at Rabbani Kurtawala, a shop at Sabzibagh. At shopping malls and markets, there is a great demand for khadi and embroidered kurtas and topis.

Then there is the rush outside food stores. Bakeries in Patna are specially decked up and illuminated to meet the increasing demands for nan rotis and bakarkhanis this season. The sales manager of Calcutta Bakery, a famous bakery at Sabzibagh, said that prior to Id they have to hire more hands to meet the orders. These special rotis could cost anything from Rs 15 to Rs 150 but the demand sees no decline, in fact it is already up 80 per cent.

Seasonal desserts like sheermaal or sewaiyaan too are in great demand. Rukhsar Parween of Sabzibagh has been scouting for different kinds of sweets. “Offering sewaiyaan is the sweetest way to greet neighbours, family and friends during Id,” she says.

Even in this age of internet, there are some who buy greeting cards. Guddu, who owns an Archies Gallery, says there is a demand for musical Id cards and gifts. All day my shop is packed with customers, especially at night.”