The market lanes, mehndi stalls, street vendors, bangle stores are bustling with buyers busy prepping up for the festival of Karwa Chauth in the city.

The most sought-after buying destinations including Hazratganj, Bhoothnath, Aliganj, Alambagh and Aminabad markets saw the largest turnover of buyers throughout the evening before the festival.

“Karwa Chauth followed by wedding season fetches us good business. We get the highest footfall. At times because of the rush, we try to wrap clients offering simple yet chic designs. For now, it’s ₹250 per hand and till evening the prices will go up,” Virendra Kashyap, mehndi artiste at Aminabad.

“Traditional Karwa bangle sets including the basic ones are priced at ₹450 whereas the designer sets go up to ₹1,400. Khoob acchi sale hoti hai yeh do-teen din. Hume toh abhi hi kamana hai as I have stocked fresh stuff. The good thing is that glass bangles from Firozabad have made a big comeback as compared to last year,” says Priyank Gupta of Bangle House Aminabad.

Mohd Sharif, a puja-samagri vendor at Narhi, says, “We have procured raw material from the city outskirts. Women and children from humble background have painted these karwa pots this makes them more special. They are selling like hot cakes, and I believe by Sunday noon nothing all my stock will be cleared.” Many jewellery shops and clubs have come up with free mehndi camps in the city. Oudh Gymkhana Club is organising a two-day mehndi event on the premises of the club. “We hired a group of mehndi artists for our members so under a roof they can get together and get mehndi applied. Festivals are a great way to connect with each other and this is a big occasion for all married women,” says club’s secretary Umesh Agarwal.