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A customer checking out decorative items at a shop in Shivajinagar in Bengaluru, as part of the Christmas celenrations. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.
From ragi and sorghum cakes to customised gifts for Secret Santas, Bengaluru’s festive offerings are getting healthier and personalised this season with shops across the city catering to changing tastes.
Pavan Maurice, representative of one of the bakery chains in Malleswaram said, “This season, we are specifically focusing on millet-based alternatives. This Christmas, we have made cakes with ragi, sorghum, and jaggery. The customers are also careful about artificial colours, relying rather on simple cakes.” He added that preference is for alternatives that are healthy and wholesome.
Decorative items being kept for sale at a shop in Shivajinagar in Bengaluru, ahead of Christmas celebrations. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.
Sayyed Zabiullah, owner of Jingle Bell Christmas Store on Commercial Street, said the corporate culture in Bengaluru has significantly amplified the festive spirit. “Christmas celebrations have become all-pervasive, in offices and corporate spaces all decorate and celebrate,” he added.
While demand for items like plum cakes and rum balls remain high across the markets, vegan cake varieties like dates, walnut and almond cakes are also picking up, apart from eggless and wineless cakes, shopkeepers told The Hindu.
Gifting options
Premium stores on Lavelle Road, Jayanagar, and Indiranagar, on the other hand, report high demand for items such as bundt cakes, gingerbread, cookies, and cinnamon rolls, alongside homemade chocolates, making them popular gifting options this season, Mahesh B., manager of a shop in Indiranagar, said.
Malls, including Orion Mall in Rajajinagar, Mall of Asia on Ballari Road, Forum Mall in Koramangala among others in the city, are also decked out in festive grandeur, with gigantic Christmas trees, snowmen, reindeer, Santas, and elaborate lightning decorations. Many cafes, meanwhile, have revamped their menus for Christmas through New Year’s Eve, to attract the city’s youth and increase footfalls.
Green Christmas
Churches around Bengaluru are joining in the celebrations in their own distinctive ways. The Mar Thoma Church, known for sustainable festive decorations for over 10 years now, has a 25-foot Christmas tree made entirely from old and torn sarees collected from church members this year.
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