Marriage season, ahoy: 29 auspicious muhurats put AP in a wedding tizzy

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh is all set to witness a peak marriage season till December end at least. Going by the traditional calendars there are nearly 29 auspicious days and muhurats that would bring thousands of couples into wedlocks.

Seasonal festival mood interspersed with the joy of wedding moments is already thick in the air. Shopping has begun in earnest as indicated by the jewellers.

Ravichandra of Gurucharan Jewellers of Sivalayam Street, Vijayawada, a reputed gold merchant, is quite busy. He says "the season is peaking. After a lull of about two years, we are getting customers in good numbers. Post-Covid market is recovering well".

October marks the start of the Indian wedding season. AP is witnessing the gold rush befitting the seasons. Nationwide Coin and Bullion Reserve feels "thousands of weddings - at least around 50,000 - will be witnessed in each State till December end. Some even put the numbers at one lakh for AP.

According to wedding planners, the Andhra families spend as much as 25 per cent of the wedding budget on gold. Destination weddings, of course, are at a different level. "Nowadays even the Telugus have started flying to Dubai to purchase gold. Dubai's gold shops report an increase of up to 25 per cent in the months leading up to the Indian wedding season. Even counting the duty that Indian customers must pay, if they exceed the allotted amount of gold that can be imported duty-free, shoppers save approximately 6 to 9 per cent by shopping in Dubai".

"Last year, Indian gold imports grew by 67 per cent at 855 tonnes of gold. Traders are anticipating similar returns this year. Over the last 15 years, gold traders have enjoyed big wins during the wedding season 75 per cent of the time. Even during the 2008-2009 period, when the financial crisis was at its worst, gold traders saw profits," trade experts claim.

Gold is not the only commodity in demand anyway. Silks vie with it for a place of pride as gold in combination of exquisite silks adds to the lustre of the occasions.

However, the only dampening factor is still the virus. No one is sure whether it has gone for a long walk or is still lurking around the corner. The State Government has limited the number of guests to 250 now apart from putting curfew in the nights.

The government has appealed to the people to follow all Covid protocols and stay safe while celebrating wedding and festival seasons. Will they?