Kashipur gears up for Dhanteras-Diwali shopping: jewellery pre-bookings begin, demand for gold and silver coins and Lakshmi-Ganesh idols; steel, brass and copper in vogue for utensils

Markets in Kashipur are getting busier ahead of Dhanteras and Diwali. According to Amar Ujala, traders have started ordering Diwali goods, and since Sharadiya Navratri began customers have been coming to shops to ask about Diwali shopping; many people have pre-booked jewellery for Dhanteras. Jeweller Sameer Kumar Agarwal said there is demand for gold and silver coins, silver utensils used in puja, and Lakshmi-Ganesh idols, and the coins and idols were ordered two months ago. According to utensil trader Veer Arora, the craze for 'silver' utensils is over; homemakers now prefer tri-ply stainless steel, brass and copper utensils, and steel dinner sets, pressure cookers and brass puja utensils are in greater demand. Traders expect business to be better than last year. (Source: Amar Ujala)