Jamshedpur: Stalls after stalls have been lined up in bylanes of the steel city as women, young girls both lined up to buy dozens of sparkling bangles in every possible colour on the eve of Karwa Chauth. The market at Bistupur, Sakchi and Jugsalai.
According to most salesmen, sales of bangles is maximum during these days. Sometimes it exceeds three times of the sale during normal days. The other favorite time pass for women during Karva Chauth is applying henna.
�Going by the trend, Arabian, tattoed and ornamental designs are in for this year as young, single girls too have applied henna. We start at 11 in the morning and keep on working till midnight,� says Raj Kumar, a henna artist from Sakchi.
“There is a huge rush at our parlour and hence we have closed further bookings for the festival. Several orders have been placed by women who want to get ready at their homes but we could not take any,” said Jyoti Singh, owner of a parlour in Bistupur.
Apart from makeup and dresses, charm of matching accessories and fashionable footwear is also in the list of women. Hence, the city markets are offering large varieties of bangles and footwear for women in traditional styles for this Karwa Chauth.
Colourful bangles in plastics, glass and metal are available in the market this year but as per the shopkeepers traditional bangles are most in demand. Footwear are also available in wide ranges among which golden and black are most picked by the women.
Despite of drastic changes in the lifestyle and views, the traditions of fasting for well being of husband has not lost its meaning for women. The Karva Chauth tradition continues to thrive even among the women who are well educated and ambitious.
‘Karva Chauth is just a custom and I follow it in that way only. I am secure in my relationship with my husband, so observing fast for a day in a year is no big deal,’ said Niti Ahuja, a 26-year-old marketing executive in a private bank.
Veena Taneja, a corporate employee too feels that observing the festival hardly affects her relations with her husband but she does follow the tradition as others in her family. However, the women have introduced some changes in the festival as per their convenience.
‘At dawn the women are supposed to eat food cooked by the mother-in-law but I just prefer to have a glass of milk,” said Komal Sareen, a teacher.
For most women, the ritual which mark the beginning of the festive season are mehndi, shopping for puja material, dressing up in their finest Indian wear, and meeting friends and relatives. Many husbands also accompany their partners in observing fast to give a feeling of togetherness. “I am also keeping the fast with my wife,” said Aditya Saxena, a dentist married for two years.