Visitors at the handloom and handicraft exhibition-cum-sale at Saheed Nagar in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 30: Braving the brief but strong showers over the past few days, people in the city have been pouring in at the small, cluttered yet homely handloom and handicraft exhibition-cum-sale at Saheed Nagar here.

This two-month long mega sale that continues till July 10 displays an array of versatile commodities and items.

From funky stone-studded bags, colourful saris, vibrant salwar-kurtis, imitation jewellery, modern footwear to daily houseware items and electronic goods, this fair has everything under the sun.

With strings of major festivities observed during this season such as Sabitri Amabasya, Raja and Rath Yatra, this mega shopping bazaar has evolved as a one-stop shop for many and is buzzing with both young and old people throughout the day.

More than 50 shops from various parts of the country such as Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and other regions of Orissa have established their base adjacent to Rupali Square at the exhibition since the past two-months.

This two-decade-old annual fair has its own regular crowd who never fail to show up every year.

“I stay in Chandrashekharpur, which is quite far from here, but every year I make it a point to come here because you get a variety of garments and accessories at cheap rates. The varieties of achar that we get here can be rarely found in other shops. It is also easy to bargain at these places,” said Richa, a medical student.

Despite the increasing rush at the fair, the sale of goods has shown a gradual plunge. Customers prefer window-shopping to purchasing commodities, say many traders.

Santideb, owner of sari shop from Calcutta, said: “We come here every year. Raja is one of the biggest festivals of Orissa and every year we have great sale during this period. However, if we take an estimate of the last five years, the sale has dipped quite significantly.”

However, an inspection of the bazaar gives an impression of negligence and overlook of certain essential details like the fire-exit and safety precautions for the customers and shopkeepers.

The narrow, very–easily–missed fire exit might result in havoc and stampede during an emergency.

“Because all the shops stick to each other, the shopkeepers would incur heavy loses if a fire broke out. I only pray that the last few days passes by safely,” said Santideb, reminiscing such a incident a couple of years ago.

But visitors seem to enjoy their shopping carefree.

“A wide variety of garments and footwear is offered here. I drop in every year and love shopping with my friends,” said Rajlaxmi, a college student.