BENGALURU: Several parts of India have turned saffron in Lord Ram’s name – to welcome the deity in the newly built temple in Ayodhya. Around 2,000km from the site, Bengaluru is no different, with the sales related to the deity and temple seeing a surge and individuals flocking to shops to buy statuettes and posters of the deity. Retailers told TNSE that their sales in the last few weeks have gone up by 40-50 per cent.
Many are purchasing saffron flags, Sri Ram stickers, miniatures of the temple, T-shirts with the temple picture, posters, banners and other paraphernalia for the D-day on January 22.
Certain areas in the city, like Chickpet, have been painted saffron with flags and decorations. Communities also plan to light diyas on Monday at their shops and residential societies to celebrate the event.
Ranjit Jain, president of Chickpet’s Lal Building Retail Association, said, “Around 200 shops are part of our association in Chickpet and including wholesalers, we have around 1,900 dealers. All of them have been experiencing huge sales in the past month. Some sell statuettes, while some deal in posters and stickers. Families are shopping in large quantities.” He added that the sellers are experiencing a demand-supply problem, as many did not anticipate such a response. The production value has gone up and prices have scaled too.
A drive through the city reveals that many two-wheelers and autorickshaws are moving about flying flags with Ram’s name, Omkara or the temple’s outline. Mukund, proprietor of Saffron Promoters, said that for the past month, he has been regularly selling over 7,000 flags, most of them with Ram’s image. “In the last month alone, we have sold over 40,000 flags. There has been a 200% increase in sales.”
Small businesses that are into printing said if only they had anticipated the demand in Bengaluru, production would have been easier. Positive Pulse, an NGO which works for social causes, just two days ago circulated a message on social media for T-shirts with a print of the temple. Within 40 hours, they had an order of 10,000 pieces as the message went viral.
General alert issued
Ahead of Lord Ram’s consecration at Ayodhya, police personnel in the city have been deployed near temples and other key points. City Police Commissioner, B Dayananda said that only a general alert has been issued
Laksha Deepotsava, bhajans to be performed in B’luru South on Jan 22
As part of the Pran Pratishtana of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya on Monday, various programmes including Laksha Deepotsava, bhajans and a live screening of the consecration ceremony will be held in Bengaluru South at Carmel School Grounds in Padmanabhanagar on Saturday, said MP Tejasvi Surya. Sharing details about the programme he said, renowned singer Vijay Prakash will sing bhajans at the venue along with musical performances by Praveen D Rao among others. Besides, over 500 children dressed as Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Anjaneya and other characters of Ramayana will perform dances. “The festivities are a culmination of sacrifices, unwavering devotion and the long awaited return of Lord Rama. Swachha Tirtha Abhiyan inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been launched in several temples,” he added.