By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: The holy month of Sawan is set to begin next week, and the markets in Patna are already bustling with activity. Women, in particular, are flocking to buy special clothes and bangles for the occasion. For those looking to shop for Sawan, popular spots include New Market, Kadam Kuan, Khetan Market, Raja Bazaar, Kankarbagh, and Thakurbari Road, all offering stylish and trendy clothing.
Shops are being adorned with saffron clothes and worship materials, including Kanwar items. Green bangles and sarees are also in high demand among women. Retail shopkeepers are busy throughout the day in wholesale markets, purchasing Kanwar, worship materials, clothes, bags, and more.
On the occasion of Sawan, items like Kanwar, decorative materials, clothes, cane, ghungroo, bells, and Gangajali are sold. Satish Kumar of Shri Puja Bhandar in Kadamkuan mentioned that Gangajali comes from Moradabad, decorative items from Delhi, pearl garlands from Purdil Nagar, cane from Kolkata, and ghungroo bells from Jalesar, Banaras, Delhi, and Mathura.
Nirmal Gupta from New Market noted that 70 percent of people collecting water in Kanwar are from the middle class. Currently, readymade Kanwar is priced between Rs 900-1200, while brass Kanwar starts from Rs 3000. Custom Kanwars are also made based on demand.
Visiting Baba Dham requires wearing saffron clothes, which hold significant importance. Despite rising inflation, the demand for saffron clothes remains strong. T-shirts featuring Shiva and Trishul, along with printed photos of Lord Shankar for headbands, are popular among young Shiva devotees.
For women, cotton and synthetic sarees, straight pants, Patiala, Kurtis, and luggage in saffron and green colors are available. Green sarees, bangles, and makeup items are also in high demand. Wearing green during Sawan is seen as an act of devotion to nature, believed to bring blessings.
Shopkeepers have set up green-themed sarees, dupattas, bangles, bracelets, and other beauty items. Rajesh Agarwal, a cloth shop owner, mentioned that Sawan festivities have boosted demand for green cosmetics and Lahariya sarees. These sarees, ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 30000, are sourced from Jaipur, with chiffon sarees featuring Gota Patti work.
This year, there will be five Mondays in the month of Sawan:
First Monday: 22 July
Second Monday: 29 July
Third Monday: 5 August
Fourth Monday: 12 August
Fifth Monday: 19 August (Raksha Bandhan)
Starting on Monday, July 22, Sawan is considered special for fulfilling wishes, making the worship of Bholenath Shiv Shankar particularly important. Devotees are showing great enthusiasm, and markets are filled with tridents, bags, safis, kanwars, idols, T-shirts, sarees, and other saffron clothes. Despite inflation, businesses are hopeful for good sales, relying on the blessings of Shiv for their success.
