Young girls paint their hands with mehndi in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, June 13: Clothes and jewellery stores are lapping up the Raja frenzy as women loosen their purse strings and get ready for some pure, girlie fun.

It’s that time of the year, when women can let their hair down and forget about the daily grind. Raja is one of the rare occasions when they can afford to indulge in sinful shopping and spend three days celebrating womanhood.

The festival is traditionally celebrated by women — at home and in the locality — by observing rituals. Seeking a break from their monotonous schedules, women were seen thronging various garment shops and having a gala time without bothering about the pocket pinch on the eve of the festival popularly known as Raja Sajabaja.

To lure them, large and small chains of stores are giving offers that are hard to resist. The ongoing Boyanika handloom expo at Janata Maidan and mega-shopping bazaar at Saheed Nagar are doing brisk business. Major sari brands are flying off the shelves.

“Like every year, sales have gone up drastically. It is a happy headache for us managing the demands of the women who are coming in hordes,” said the sales manager of a popular sari shop located on Janpath.

“It is the tradition to buy new clothes. Thanks to so many shops giving discounts, it’s a great time for us to lap up the offers,” said Smruti Samal, a homemaker.

Women are making a beeline for jewellery and cosmetics stores as well.

Some girls could be seen playing customary games of koudi. Hammock vendors, too, are making quick bucks as the overcast sky plays its part in creating the perfect Raja ambience.

The local film industry, too, sees Raja as a time to bucket big bucks. Arindam Roy and Emily starrer Ashok Samrat released on Tuesday. It will compete with Anubhav Mohanty and Barsha Priyadarshini’s Hata Dhari Chalutha and Sabyasachi-Archita starrer Mun Eka Tumara, which releases on Friday.