Shoppers swarmed malls and markets on the second-last Sunday before Durga Puja.

Restaurants in malls to phuchka and ghugni sellers on the streets, everyone made most of the festive buzz.

Indira Dutta, in her 70s, and granddaughter Alisha Lama, all of five, came to South City Mall for Puja shopping. They were part of a large group that included Alisha’s parents and other relatives. “We love to go shopping in a big group before Durga Puja. It is like an annual ritual,” said Tanima Lama, Alisha’s mother and Indira’s daughter.

The group came from New Town and left the
mall with close to a dozen bags.

Ratnakar Ghosh, retired navy officer, came with his wife Sutapa.

“We bought some clothes that we will gift near and dear ones,” said
Sutapa.

The atrium of the mall was decked up with a Durga idol occupying the centre stage.

Many people posed for pictures with the idol in the background.

Around three kilometres away, Gariahat was
bustling. Every time the boom gates went up, a mass of people crossed the road. Most of them had bags in their hands.

Chandrasekhar Naskar was selling ghugni on the road that leads to Golpark from Gariahat. A bin meant for discarded plates was almost overflowing. Just a month ago, the bin would be nearly empty.

“There was hardly any sale. Business was so poor that I often stayed home,” said Naskar, who lives in Lakshmikantapur in South 24-Parganas. He takes a train to Ballygunge and walks to Gariahat to sell ghugni cooked by his mother.

“Things started changing two weeks ago. But the sale is still not as good as it usually is just days before Durga Puja,” said Naskar, who sold around 75 plates — each priced Rs 10 — on Saturday and around 30 till 5.30pm on Sunday.

Benarasai Hut, a 39-year-old store in Gariahat, struggled to sell five saris on a Saturday or Sunday a month ago.

“We sold around 80 saris yesterday (Saturday),” a beaming Anup Kumar Saha, the 75-year-old owner of the shop, told this newspaper on Sunday evening.

The store was full and his men were busy showing saris to customers.

The Telegraph visited the store on September 2, a holiday. It did not have a single customer.

City Centre 1 and 2, in Salt Lake and New Town, respectively, remained crowded throughout the weekend.

“This weekend saw a robust sale. It was better than last weekend, which was also crowded,” said the manager of a store selling accessories in the Salt Lake mall.

Ramesh Pandey, vice-president of Ambuja Neotia Group that operates City Centre 1 and 2, said both footfall and sale were going up steadily.

“The period between August 15 and September 15 was dismal. Almost 40 per cent of the annual business volume of most retailers is done during the two months leading to the Durga Puja. The first month this year saw an almost 50 per cent drop,” he said.

“The protests and rallies kept people away from malls. Many of them did not want to be seen celebrating. The situation changed from the mid-September,” Pandey said.

Around 3pm on Sunday, a sea of people kept moving along Humayun Place, Bertram Street and Lindsay Street in New Market area.

Sanjit Prasad, who sells salwar suit pieces at Shree Ram Arcade, was busy throughout Saturday and Sunday.

“Things have improved but not so much that the losses of the past 30 days can be recovered,” he said.

Outside, hawkers selling everything from caps to trinkets did brisk business.

Acropolis Mall and Quest Mall were also busy throughout the weekend.

“The footfall this weekend has significantly improved, showing a 40 per cent increase compared to last week. Apparel has topped the sales category, followed by food and beverage,” said Subhadip Basu, general manager of Acropolis Mall.

Eateries did brisk business as well.

“The occupancy has been 100 per cent this weekend. During lunch, almost every guest had shopping bags,” said Amit Bajoria, who owns Lord Of The Drinks, Warehouse Cafe and Veneto in South City Mall.