Several stores in malls and markets across the city said they had witnessed a surge in the sale of lights, lamps and diyas this year on the occasion of Diwali.
Some of them said the sales this year had surpassed those of 2019, before the outbreak of Covid.
At the Starmark store in South City Mall, 40 per cent of the day’s sales were from diyas, lamps and lights over the last three or four days.
At Chandni Chowk, a trader said he was happy with the sales and expected them to rise further over the next few days in the run-up to Kali Puja and Diwali.
Calcutta High Court had on Friday banned all forms of firecrackers, including green crackers, in celebrating Diwali, Kali Puja, Chhath Puja, Jagaddhatri Puja, Guru Nanak’s birthday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The division bench of Justices Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Aniruddha Roy of the high court said “only wax or oil-based diyas might be used”.
“Our sales of lamps, lights and diyas have been definitely more than last year. In fact, the sales have been more than in 2019, too,” said Asim Rafique, manager of the Starmark store at South City.
All four Starmark stores in Kolkata have witnessed a surge in the sale of lights and lamps, he said. “Of our total sales over the last few days, 40 per cent has come from lights, lamps and diyas.”
Lamps being sold at Dakshindari in Ultadanga on Sunday. Gautam Bose
The Starmark store received a large volume of corporate orders.
Feroz Ahmed, a hawker at Chandni Chowk in central Kolkata, was happy with the sales. “The sales have been good so far and I am expecting them to pick up further in the coming days,” he said.
At the Gariahat, New Market and Chandni Chowk markets, people were teeming in front of stores selling Diwali lights and lamps. Hawkers, too, were making brisk business.
Anusree Burman, 29, and husband Jai Singh went to Gariahat in the heart of south Kolkata to buy lights to decorate their home.
Anusree said they had many lights at home but were looking for some more this year. “In our family we have been avoiding firecrackers for many years. Neither we nor the children in the family burst firecrackers. We use lights to decorate our home,” said Anusree.
“I am taking a few packets of tea lights. We light lamps on the day before Kali Puja, on the day of Kali Puja and on Diwali. The tea light candles burn for a longer duration than traditional candles. Also, since they have a broader base, they do not topple like regular candles,” said a buyer at Gariahat.