SEREMBAN, Oct 19 — With Deepavali just around the corner, many customers are flocking to the Seremban carnival to get sarees, costume jewellery and snacks to usher in the festivities.
Tents with loud music are being played to attract last-minute shoppers at the carnival in Seremban town which has been operating for many years.
Vendors sell a variety of items — from firecrackers, prayer items to savoury snacks.
The stalls are set up along one of the main roads, Jalan Lee Fiong Yee, from October 14 and will go on till Deepavali eve.
At night, the road is lit up with fairy lights to add to the festive atmosphere.
Costume jewellery seller Murugan Sivalingam who has been selling bangles and the latest jhumka earrings recorded that a total of 300 to 400 customers have visited his stall since last week.
“Most times, customers would only buy either bangles or a pair of earrings that would cost from RM10 each. Imagine if 20 customers bought from me, that would translate to RM200 for us.
“During the Covid-19 lockdowns, my wife and I couldn’t operate our business and had to survive using our savings and money from EPF (Employees Provident Fund)
“It was tough times but I’m glad my wife and I were able to pull through and to be able to join the carnival this year. It’s our 10th time being vendors for the carnival, “he told Malay Mail.
Murugan aso plans to go for a short getaway to Penang after the festivities with his wife to take a short break from work.
Deepavali isn’t complete without its sweet and savoury snacks.
For Suria Sweets enterprise owner Puspanathan Gunasegaran, he is confident that people will come to his stall to get their usual murukkus, or ladoos.
While Suria Sweets has its physical shop in town, they have also set-up a small stall at the carnival to sell their savoury snacks such as the omapodi and murukku packets.
“We get about 20 to 150 customers per day and most would buy the murukkus and omapodi mixture.”Our ghee urundai, ladoos, and murukkus have been selling like hot cakes, because we make our own snacks and have a steady stream of loyal customers each year.
“We can also count on our customers to continue buying from us until Deepavali eve because we’ve created a name for our Indian sweets in Seremban,” he said.
For Punjabi suit seller and single mother Saraswathy Sangaran, she was forced to close her physical shop last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic
“Sales were down as compared to pre-pandemic, but I’m hoping that this Deepavali, more people will come to my stall.
“The designs and styles that I have are not as elaborate as other stalls, but that’s what my specialty is — simple Punjabi suits and its styles.
“Plus, the younger generation are choosing to wear lengha or kurtis compared to wearing sarees,” she explained.
This year, her family members such as her children have been lending a helping hand at the stall by helping to promote the outfits.
In a shop near the carnival, family-owned business Thilagesh Centre owner Saravanan Karananedi, 34, said that business has been slow as compared to pre-pandemic days.
The business selling sarees, lenghas and other traditional Indian wear has been in operation for the past 45 years.
“In fact, sales last year were better than this year as more people were out in the streets ready to be decked out in the best outfits after being trapped at home for so long.
“Although business is not as good as it used to be, we pride ourselves for our tailoring service and free alteration service,” he said.
To cope with the evolving trend, the shop owner has ordered ready-made lenghas for the younger generation who prefer wearing something simple as compared to sarees.
“If you look at the youth today, they prefer wearing lenghas while their mothers are more used to wearing sarees — so I have to cater to that trend or else I’ll lose out in the market,” he said.
