Heavy rains in north Andhra- dampens Ganesh festive spirit as traders worrying over poor sales of puja materials

VISAKHAPATNAM: The heavy rains since Monday night disrupted preparations for Ganesh Chaturthi in Vizag, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anakapalle, and ASR districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP), leaving markets dull at a when they are usually buzzing with festive shoppers.

The traders said that the rains had stalled the expected footfall as the heavy showers have dampened the mood of buyers and also the Ganesh pandal organizers.The Ganesh festival will be celebrated from August 27 in the region.The major markets in Vizag city and surrounding districts, which are usually packed during the festive build-up, remained with very few buyers on Tuesday.Wholesalers in Vizag city, Vizianagaram town, Anakapalle town, Srikakulam town and few others places in the north Andhra Pradesh, who had invested heavily in Ganesh idols and puja materials and fruits, reported poor turnout despite expectations of brisk business.We have invested around Rs five to six lakh for Ganesh festival season (idols, flowers and fruits), but so far we sold only 20 percent of the goods. Day before the Ganesh festival is the busiest for us, yet the continuous rainfall kept people indoors. If the rains continue till Wednesday, we will incur losses, said Nani, a wholesaler in Vizag city.The continuous rainfall from Monday evening spoiled the excitement of the festival.

We had planned for puja shopping on Tuesday morning, but the heavy rainfall kept us indoors. The rainfall may continue till Wednesday (Ganesh festival day), so we have no other option than to go to market despite rainfall to purchase the materials. I felt the whole festive mood had slipped away, said M Radha, a housewife in Vizag.The organizers of the big Ganesh pandals in north Andhra region said the heavy rainfall has halted the final works at the pandals. It is very difficult to carry out some pending works at the pandal during the heavy rains and we are waiting for some relief from wet weather to finish the final touches to the pandals, they added.The traders said that few people came out on Tuesday morning to do some urgent shopping, but the festive spirit is missing. The rains at the wrong time broke the rhythm of the festival, they added.