You may have noticed that some of the fizz is missing from the festive fervour this Navaratri. Blame it on price rise what with vegetables, fruits and flowers threatening to become luxury items.
Even though Bangaloreans know that rates climb on festival eve, they were still in for a shock when they went to the markets to buy fruits and flowers for Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami.
Ayudha Puja, also known as Astra Puja, is the day when people worship their tools of trade, vehicles and so on, with Vijayadashami being the culmination of the Navratri festival.
Pricey flowers
Even unstrung flowers are expensive with one kg of jasmine priced between Rs. 500 to Rs. 600, Rs. 200 for chrysanthemum, and between Rs. 60 and Rs. 100 for marigold. A yard ( maaru ) of stringed chrysanthemum was being sold for Rs. 150, while a small length of strung jasmine was not less than Rs. 25.
Not surprisingly, the price of ash gourd and lemons, vital for Ayudha Puja, also saw an increase. The price of a full ash gourd ranged between Rs. 50 and Rs. 150, depending on the size while lemons' prices have doubled to Rs. 4 or Rs. 5 each.
Spirited haggling
The crowded markets saw some pretty spirited haggling. Not that the vendors were giving in easily as they knew it was a seller's market on Tuesday.
Gopi Mariappa, a vegetable vendor in Seshadripuram, said that the prices had increased by at least 15 per cent. “The cost of some vegetables has risen due to the heavy rains. The price of vegetables, fruits and flowers have increased in the wholesale markets also and we are forced to charge a little extra from our customers. It is only then can we make some profit,” he said.
Anitha Naveen, an area resident, said that with the price rise, she was forced to cut down on her festival purchases.
Echoing her, Pushpa Ashok, who lives in Rajajinagar, said she chose vegetables and fruits depending on the price. “Though we were expecting the prices to be a little high, we did not expect them to skyrocket like this. We had to make do with less,” she said.
