It's Dhanteras - Do you know where Indoris' love to invest 'Dhan' on Dhanteras.
The most awaited festival of the year, Diwali is finally here! It is the festival of lights, the festival of hope and of course a festival where you can officially shop till you drop. The first day of this five-day celebration starts with the occasion of Dhanteras. Dhanteras is known for the worship of goddess Lakshmi and Lord Dhanvantari. On this occasion, it is considered very auspicious for Hindus to invest in automobile, gold, silver, jewelry and more traditionally in utensils. Indore is a hub of markets of all varieties that colorfully come to life on Dhanteras. People from every age group excitedly wait for this day to stroll through the markets of the city, buying according to their wants and needs with a bonus of having an auspicious purpose for it! The markets and buyers in Indore have seen a division of need in accordance to their age as well as their financial capabilities. So to know where Indori invests their ‘Dhan’ on Dhanteras, here are some of the major sectors in which the market in Indore sees a boom.
Automobiles
The most loaded market for this occasion, Dhanteras marks as the highest sale for automobiles in the city. Last year’s sales stats, according to reports, reached up to 9 thousand vehicles’ sales, including vehicles of all types. The sale of cars alone was around 1500. This year the trend is predicted to be maintained. Automobile investment is considered to be the most preferred by the fast-paced people of Indore, especially the working class, who plan their savings around for the day of Dhanteras when they could buy their vehicle of choice.
Jewelry
Another market that goes crazy on Dhanteras is the jewelry market. Indore sees a disjuncture of the jewelry markets with the modern trends dissolving into the traditional ones. On one hand, Indore’s Sarafa market, which has been a hub for jewelry and precious metal sellers, lights up on Dhanteras. Customers have gone there for generations, following a tradition created by their ancestors. A jewelry market in the day and a food Chaupati at night, Sarafa is the pride of Indore. The seths of sarafa welcome their customers with a flounce on Dhanteras, beautifully decorating the streets and spreading the red carpets.
Whereas, on the other end of the spectrum are the line of jewelry showrooms on Mahatma Gandhi Road, for the more modern needs of the effluent jewelry shoppers of the city. This chain of showroom starts from D.P. Jewelers and continues with Anand jewels, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri showroom, Punjab Jewelers, Madanlal Chhaganlal, PC jewelers, Kalyan jewelers, showrooms of Tanishq and Orra, etc. All these showrooms are flamboyantly decorated with lightings and flowers, luring the customers to shop for the occasion.
Bartan Bazaar
The pot market, or popularly known as bartan bazaar is the biggest highlight of the city during Dhanteras. The market is famous for its pot house decorations where the narrow streets are filled to the brim with customers. Last year’s sales counted up to approximately 50 crore utensils in a single day, 1/3rd of the entire state’s sales. The small utensil market started in around 150 years ago now has about 300 shops in it. A sale of around 2 crore rupees had been gained the previous Dhanteras noted by the Indore Pottery Market Manufacturers Vendor Association, which celebrated its 75th anniversary. For decades, the buyers flock to the market in the early morning hours, finally deserting it in the late hours of the night.
Apart from these major markets, the sales of electronics, as well as clothes, are on a boom on this day. Youngsters are prepared with their research for what to buy when the occasion arrives. The novelty market, a hub of electronic appliances, is also quite active, welcoming customers eager to buy products. The luster of Indore on Dhanteras is what makes this city so special. Despite the emergence of various online shopping websites, there is a different emotion involved with following the tradition of going to the markets to buy things, all the while enjoying the city, it’s hubbub and the sacredness that the festival of Diwali brings about. It’s an urge to everybody that at least for the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras and Diwali, go old school, and get out of your homes to see the markets of Indore and shop and experience what the people have been experiencing for centuries in the ancient markets of this beautifully alive city.
Team Indore Talk wishing you all happy and blessed Dhanteras!
Article By: Umme Salma Saifee
