DEEPAVALI is barely two weeks away and more of the festive bazaars are slowly starting to open up, joining the few that are already in full swing.
While there are new locations in the Klang Valley designated for Deepavali bazaars, shoppers can still look forward to the traditional sites such as Brickfields and Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
Here is a quick round-up of the choices for folks in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to shop for clothes, decorative items and other festive needs.
KUALA LUMPUR
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has allocated 235 lots for the Deepavali bazaar this year.
There are 110 lots along Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman and 125 lots in Jalan Masjid India.
The bazaar, which started on Sept 18, will continue until Oct 17.
A DBKL spokesman said there was a significant decrease in the number of lots compared to 350 lots last year, because some areas were used for the River of Life project.
“The lots are managed by Masjid India Kuala Lumpur Petty Traders Association, which has paid a security deposit of RM10,000. Each lot is 64sq ft and comes with a fee of RM479.70 that includes the licence and cleaning fees, as well as the security deposit.
“Another 111 temporary licences for promotional lots were also issued. Five of these are in Jalan Masjid India, 69 in Brickfields, 17 in Jalan Ipoh and 20 in Lebuh Ampang.
“These lots are mostly taken up by shopowners who would like to extend their business premises during the festive season. The size of each lot depends on the available space. Fee is RM15 per day, with a security deposit of RM500.
“Allowed items for trade are food, dry goods, accessories and clothing. Operational hours are between 9am and midnight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bukit Jalil Stadium will once again be the venue for the annual festive bazaar organised by Agenda Suria Communication. This year’s event is the 16th Deepavali Carnival.
There will be some 400 booths selling clothes, Indian kitchenware, decorations, food and costume jewellery by Malaysian and international traders.
There will also be daily shows and activities that visitors can look forward to.
The carnival starts today until Oct 17 at Open Car Park B, from noon to 10pm daily. Admission is free.
PETALING JAYA
There will be 49 stalls set up in three areas of Petaling Jaya from now until Oct 17 in conjunction with Deepavali.
The locations are Jalan SS9A/13 Sungai Way with 11 stalls, Jalan Othman with 18 stalls and PJU 10/3, Damansara Damai with 20 stalls.
“We have received overwhelming response for the Deepavali bazaar this year, especially at the Sungai Way and the Jalan Othman ones,” said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Corporate Communications assistant director Abdul Hakim Khiruddin.
He said MBPJ had received applications for bazaar lots since early September and the spots were snapped up pretty fast.
Similar to last year, traders at the bazaar will not be allowed to use plastic or polystyrene packaging.
RAWANG
The Deepavali bazaar in Rawang has been scaled down this year, with the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) designating a site in Jalan BCH1/1, Bandar Country Homes, Rawang.
Previous Deepavali bazaars had been held in town but 75% of shopowners along Jalan Welman and Jalan Maxwell had objected to it with reasons of traffic congestion and safety of traders as well as customers.
There are two stalls in the given location, where the traders have been operating since Oct 1 from 6pm onwards.
Meanwhile, Selayang MIC chairman M.B Raja said that he would need to look for an alternative area to hold the Deepavali bazaar next year.
“MPS should consider the welfare of traders and the Indian community here,” he said.
Former MPS councillor Gunarajah R. George said MPS should invite traders for a meeting one month before the Deepavali celebration, suggesting areas such as Batu Caves, Selayang and Kepong for a Deepavali Bazaar instead of holding it only in Rawang.
KLANG
KLANG’S Little India is getting busier each passing day with Deepavali drawing closer.
While shoppers are just now warming up by window-shopping to check out the latest trends on offer and compare prices, traders are eager to catch the early birds.
StarMetro visited the area and found that the spirit was high among the retailers, because although business appeared to be slow during the weekdays, the shopping frenzy was evident during the weekend.
Chennai Silk Centre managing director V. Thanasegaran said the shops here stayed open till late on weekdays to cater to the big crowd in the evening.
“We are excited to see so many people including those who come in just to compare prices and check out the new trends.
“People are often drawn to the busier shops that are crowded with customers,” he said.
Kids Zone manager N. Segar said the outlet specialised in children’s attire.
He said Kids Zone offered clothes for girls and boys of all ages from newborn to teenagers.
“We have numerous designs of mastanni suits, gowns, lengha, salwar kameez, kurta, boys’ shirts and pants,” he added.
Although business had yet to reach its peak currently, Men’s Choice properietor B. Thiyananthan said he was confident that this year’s sale would be better than ever.
He said the mood had been good and customers were always willing to spend for new trend so that they could look fashionable.
Thiyananthan said mastanni jacquard silk shirts that came with matching dothi were among the popular new arrivals.
He also said that Modi kurta with shirts of various designs remained one of the most sought-after for this year’s Deepavali season.
“Raw cotton and cotton silk shirts, shervani suits and even wedding suits are the other hot-selling items at our shop,” he said.
Sri Rasi Silk Centre managing director S. Kumar said there were new arrivals of saree, lengha, Punjabi suits, kurta and men’s shirts.
Customers, he said, would be spoilt for choice with the variety of designs and colours.
“Kanjeepuram cotton silk saree with mixed motifs and contrasting borders is among the new trend for this year,” he added.
Hare Krishnan Silk’s S. Batumalai said the unique three-piece bajirao mastanni suits were very popular.
He said the fact that the third piece that came in various forms had caught the attention of customers.
“The bajirao suits come in various designs and colours while Punjabi suits, lengha and saree are the ever green items available,” he said.
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