Mohammad Nahian
Sales of sarees have peaked sharply in the capital a few days ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims, amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Even after the detection of a double-mutant Indian variant of the novel coronavirus in Bangladesh, a bustling crowd was witnessed at various saree houses on Monday, the 27th of Ramadan, according to shop owners and salespeople of different malls in the capital.
Sohrab Hossain, owner of Shamata Sharee Museum at Mazar Cooperative Market in Mirpur 1, said, “Our saree sales have increased ahead of Eid. Now our average sales are around Tk 80,000 to Tk 100,000 per day. We have new and unique Eid saree collections for our customers.”
“People of all income groups are our targeted customers this Eid. Even someone with a budget of Tk 350 can buy a saree from us,” he added.
MA Halim Sarkar, proprietor of Sarkar Bastra Bitan, said, “Due to the second wave of Covid-19, we were worried about our sale ahead of Eid. Fortunately, sales are now gathering pace as customers are buying sarees for themselves as well as for their loved ones.”
“Locally made low-cost sarees are currently selling better at our showroom. Besides, Indian katan, silk and chiffon sarees are also in demand among the customers,” he said.
Redowan Hossain Hridoy, a salesperson at Rong Joie Mega Mall, said, “We have a huge collection of sarees for this Eid season. At our shop, customers can buy a saree at Tk 950 to Tk 12, 000. We are receiving more customers, especially women, after iftar.”
“We’ve already experienced huge business loss due to a prolonged lockdown. Now we are trying to recover before Eid,” he added.
The showroom of Grameen Check Saree at Mirpur 1 Zoo Road was full of customers on Monday. Muslin, half silk, cotton and silk sarees are available at this showroom.
Shahroza Nahrin, a customer at Mirpur New Market, said that she preferred chiffon saree for this Eid.
"I’m here today to buy a few sarees for myself and my relatives. I’m happy to see such diverse collections of sarees," she said.
Tanin Alam Nil, manager of Adi Mohini Mohan Kanjilal at Bashundhara City shopping complex, said, “Benarasi sarees are extremely popular among Bangladeshi people. Saree sales are better ahead of Eid at our showroom and we are satisfied with it.”
“We are also getting positive responses online. Many customers prefer buying sarees from our online store. I expect that the customer turnout at our physical store will continue to rise till the last day of Ramadan,” Tanin added.
Shop owners mentioned that a variety of sarees, such as cotton, khadi, linen, sheer, silk, velvet and chiffon and sarees with georgette embroidery were available in the markets this Eid-ul-Fitr.
