Hyderabad: City markets abuzz with Eid shoppers

Hyderabad: People in the City have begun their shopping for Eid-ul-Fitr. Most shoppers are those who purchase cloth to get clothes stitched later on, while some buy it or ready-made garments.

The cloth merchants say the business picks up as there haven't been any disturbances so far.

Each year from the first week of Ramzan, Muslims purchase clothes and dress materials for the entire family and give them to tailors to get them ready by the second week. Tailors by the second week stop accepting any new orders with as they are already flooding in. While men indulge in purchasing materials for kurta-pyjama, safari, shirts, trousers; women and children shop for suits, frocks, dresses for stitching.

According to the Hyderabad Wholesale Art Silks Cloth Merchants' Association president Govind Agarwal, each year the textile industry makes turnover of crores, as Muslims shop for Eid. The association, which comprises 325 members, used to procure stocks from traders in Mumbai and Gujarat and sell them in the markets. For traders, Ramzan fever begins at least a month early. "We stock clothes a month in advance," says a trader of the Old city. A majority of stores is known for its designer wear. For this year, customers have hundreds of new design clothes to choose from. He says this time it is different from the last few years.

There is an increase in competition; these days people tend to buy branded and designer dresses in the Old City too; people love wearing designer and branded clothes. In the last few years, there used to be a few hundred shops in the stretch, but now there are thousands; the competition has doubled," explains Shaik Kaleem Quadri of a SK Garments in the Old City. "For some years ready-made clothes ruled the roost but people are now preferring tailor-made clothes because they can choose their colour and pattern more freely."

Rakesh Sharma, owner of Sri Devi textiles, Sultan Bazar, said the showroom is ready with entire new collection of dress materials and suits for Ramzan. This Ramzan we are starting with a fresh, and also procured the dresses from Mumbai, Gujrat, Ahmedabad and also local," he added.

The wholesale textiles markets in the city witnesses a huge rush during Ramzan, apart from local customers, several retailers, including from districts, will also procure materials worth lakhs of rupees.

Meanwhile, tailors are busy working overtime as demand for dresses remains high. Many tailors employ dozens of workers in Ramzan. As the period of stitching in Ramzan will be for the first 15 days, after that no tailors will receive new clothes for stitching. Khaja Pasha, owner of Modesto Men's Tailors, said he has been in the market since 1972. "The Ramzan season is the busiest time for us;each worker stitches about five- six pieces every day. Workers do their work till late night." Youth wear kurtas not only for Eid, but also wear kurtas for other festivals nowadays, he pointed out.

Apart from catering to the locals, Ramzan shopping in the Old City is also a big tourist pull. Several foreigners are seen thronging the narrow streets every year.