Deepavali festival witnessed brisk sales in commercial establishments selling garments, sweets, and crackers in the city. And the Prison Bazaar run by a group of convicts was no exception.
Dishing out a variety of snacks and lunch for its customers every day, the bazaar clocked robust sales in sweets and savouries prepared by the convicts in the run up to the festival. This was the first Deepavali sales for the Prison Bazaar which was inaugurated in February.
The sweets and savouries preparations started a few days ahead of the festival of lights at the bazaar upon getting bulk orders from different agencies.
A host of sweets, including laddu, mysore paak, jangiri, and badhusha, besides savouries such as mixture, kaara boondhi, and kaara sev were prepared by the convicts in addition to the regular food stuff. Sweets and savouries in bulk were also sent to the Central Prison at Puzhal in Chennai. The Deepavali sales alone touched Rs. 1 lakh, said a senior prison official adding that sweets and savouries were completely sold out on October 21 evening.
Customers made a beeline at the prison bazaar to buy sweets and savouries on the eve of the festival, the official said. A portion of the profit amount would be apportioned to the convicts working at the bazaar.
Buoyed by the brisk sales, prison officials are hopeful of generating more business in the next Deepavali.
