Tirupati: Pilgrim city immerses in festive atmosphere

Tirupati: Ahead of Diwali festival on Sunday, the pilgrim city wore a joyous atmosphere, marked by bustling markets and a significant influx of enthusiastic shoppers, elevating business activities to new heights. Residents have enthusiastically embarked on a shopping spree, acquiring an array of items such as flowers, diyas, firecrackers, clothing and notably, the highly sought-after traditional sweet ‘Ariselu’.

Since many families perform Kedareswara Vratham on this festival, the prices of the required puja materials were skyrocketed with the soaring demand. But people went ahead and purchased all the required items. Streets in various neighbourhoods were filled with enthusiastic women seeking diverse designs and shapes of clay diyas and lamps. Particularly, TK Street witnessed an overwhelming influx as individuals queued up to savour the delectable ‘Ariselu’. In anticipation of the escalating demand, shopkeepers have mobilised additional staff and set up makeshift counters to efficiently cater to the surging requests.

The textile industry is also experiencing a boom this Diwali. In addition to numerous showrooms, even the bustling Gandhi Road sidewalks are teeming with people eager to purchase new clothes that align with their budgets. To entice customers, popular showrooms have rolled out various discount schemes and enticing offers.

No Deepavali is complete without the vibrant bursts of firecrackers and the city echoed with their cheerful sounds from early Saturday morning onward. However, the exuberance of children celebrating is tempered by parental complaints about the exorbitant increase in cracker prices. On the flip side, the festival fervour has cast a shadow on the city’s traffic, leading to harrowing experiences for its residents. In several instances, vehicular movement ground to a standstill in key commercial areas, testing the patience of the populace.