While the Gujarat government has banned celebrations including garba during Navratri, the condition of traders selling chaniya choli on Navratri is bad. Their business has collapsed this year and 80 traders of the seasonal market at Law Garden are sitting idle.
The Daily Guardian spoke to traders in Ahmedabad’s Chaniya Choli Bazaar to know the state of the seasonal market.
The pandemic has led to the loss of various jobs. With the Unlock in the place, some of the businesses have resumed, but the festival’s seasonal business is still waiting to get a kick-start. The traders of Chaniya choliImitation have suffered a lot as garba was not given permission in Navratri in the state. Not a single customer is seen buying chaniya choli.
Chaniya Choli Bazaar has been flourishing at Law Garden for the last several years, with shopping for Navratri starting after the Janmashtami festival. There would be no place to even set foot in the market even a week before Navratri. However, the ban on garba on Navratri this year due to the pandemic has cost the traders more than Rs 1 crore.
Sanjay Gupta, who has been making different traditional hats and umbrellas for Navratri for the last 22 years, said, “Only two to three customers come in a day. In the hope that the government will permit 200 people for Navratri this year, we have also made masks in contrast with Chaniya Choli. However, with the ban on Garba, business is no longer possible.” Chaniya Choli trader Ravi Bhai said the business has suffered badly due to Covid-19. Before Navratri every year there was a business of Rs1-1.5 lakh every day; now we barely get even Rs 500 a day.”