Sweetmeat shop owners, flower vendors and fire cracker sellers in the city were a happy lot on Friday, with many of them registering a sharp increase in the sales.
“There was almost a 25 per cent increase in sweet sales,” said Ranjit Singh, manager, Gangotree Sweets and Snacks, Cathedral Road. S. Palani of Archana Sweets had more details. “We got a call around noon for a bulk order. We are making packets of mixture and laddus to be distributed tomorrow,” he said.
For smaller vendors, even a few party members at their doorstep meant a lot. “I am running the inverter today. With most people not preferring to eat sweets during summer, the sale is usually low. Today we hope to have bulk orders,” said T. Saraswathi of Atchaya Sweets, T. Nagar. Many are expecting the sale of sweets with dry fruits to pick up from Saturday.
Flowers and crackers were in great demand. Vendors on Pondy Bazaar were happy that party workers who came weren't bargaining. “It is 4 p.m. and I have already sold 10 big bouquets worth Rs.1,000 each. These people order, give advance and come back to collect them in bulk. I have not left my shop for even five minutes today,” M. Mintoo, who deals in bouquets and garlands.
Flowers and history
For A. R. Azhgarswami, the day was also a reminder of many instances of the small yet significant role his flower business played in history. “Be it Kannadasan's funeral procession or Amma's victory, my flowers have been a part of many a historic event,” he said. “Politicians do not buy garlands with leaves, so I have ones with just roses. And AIADMK cadres prefer yellow flowers,” he said.
Sale of fire crackers on Bunder Street gathered momentum as early as 11.30 a.m., said Abdur Rehman, a wholesale dealer. “Prices have been increased by at least 30 per cent. I have sold over 120 ‘thousand-wallahs',” he said.
Roads wore a deserted look, with many showrooms in popular shopping destinations preferring to shut doors once the celebrations began. Parades of various sizes with spirited green-clad men and women carrying flags, drums and banners enlivened many streets.
Social Media
Bloggers and netizens were active too playing around with symbols, speeches and pictures. From taglines, including ‘Celebrating women's day today,' to messages on ‘Friday the 13th' and the invoking of popular memes, the internet contained a sea of opinion.
“It has been the most internet-active election so far. I just hope we had comprehensive alerts. I wanted to know the performance of independent candidates,” said blogger and banker R.K. Selvam.
