LUDHIANA: If ever, any more proof was needed to establish that the economic meltdown has not touched prosperous denizens of Ludhiana even a bit, a visit to this city of Mercs and mega-malls during the festival season would do. The items listed above are but a small sample of what residents of Ludhiana are picking up this Diwali as gifts for their near and dear ones, besides for the ‘influential’ who need pampering and cajoling through expensive gifts in the name of Diwali greetings.
It is again that time of the year when splurging is the norm and everyone wants to outdo others in giving other people lavish gifts.
Besides jewellery, costly electronic items, shawls and warm clothing, cars are now appearing on the wish-list of our die-hard shoppers for gifting this season.
Busy in handling crowds of shoppers, Sonam, a manager at Nilkamal Jewellers, manages to mutter, “What slowdown? I don’t see even 1% of its effect here. The other day, an ornately dressed customer walked in to place an order for 20 Rado watches, each costing over Rs 80,000.” Market sources reveal that expensive watches brands have always been a favourite when it comes to gifts for highly-placed government officials and business barons.
“People are spending as much as they can. A few days back, a woman walked in and picked up a Rs 5 lakh necklace for her daughter,” an employee at the jewellery shop revealed, without breaking her concentration while handling customers. A couple of diamond bangles, each costing Rs 1 lakh, is another favoured item for gifting this season. Orders for gold coins are also pouring into jewellery shops like never before and there is nothing to suggest that businesses have taken a beating due to slowdown here, as most of the orders are being placed by businessmen.
In a city where almost luxury automobile giants are setting up shop in times of slowdown, could cars stay out of the gift-list? RS Uppal, dealer of Radiant Toyota, comments, “If 3,600 cars are sold in the entire state in a month, 1,600 of them are bought in Ludhiana, but on Diwali, people prefer to gift small cars, particularly to their family members. Expensive clothing is a must-buy too.”
Sonu of Nilibar Bridal Wear swears by the trend and reveals that apart from the wedding season, this year, there has been a nearly 30% increase in sale of items meant for gifts. “Pashmina shawls are preferred by corporate houses as gifts for their contacts. Even intricately embroidered Phulkari is becoming a rage these days,” he revealed. The shawls carry a price tag that ranges from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000.
High-end cellphones, particularly the touch series and music editions, are a hit as gifts for business acquaintances and government officials, reveals a shop owner in Ghumar Mandi. “Anything priced over Rs 25,000 is picked up as gift by corporates and businessmen,” he revealed.
The profile for chocolates and candles as gifts is also undergoing a change, when it comes to their looks and price tags. Business-houses have placed bulk orders for Belgian and Swiss chocolates while spending anything between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 on gift-packing alone.
Seema Vij, director of Cesta Chocolates, believes that the concept of gifting chocolates has picked up further this year. Reports of recovery of spurious ghee, khoya and stale sweets coming out months in advance are helping the trend further.
Candles shaped as aquariums and even chocolate-scented ones are drawing a good response, especially from the younger crowd, reveals a shop owner in Sarabha Nagar market.
Ritika Kapila, a dealer who markets hand-made candles, said she had been selling candles with themes ranging from Ganesha to love-birds, besides those that were chocolate-scented and sequined-decorated. “You could get candles for as cheap as Rs 100 to Rs 2,000 according to your budget,” she stated.
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