Selangor Journal

Sombre festive mood for Deepavali at Klang’s Little India

KLANG, Nov 10 — Deepavali is just three days away, but the atmosphere at the Little India enclave in Jalan Tengku Kelana here is rather sombre.

Checks by Bernama found the iconic shopping place normally congested with shoppers preparing for the festival of lights, was now quiet and largely empty with some traders seen patiently waiting for customers.

With the increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases nationwide and the enforcement of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in almost all states in the Peninsular, people are thinking twice to leave their homes and go shopping.

Most of the traders when met said that even though Deepavali was round the corner, many people choose to stay at home. Only a handful of people were seen doing their last-minute shopping.

The owner of a textile and clothing store, S Navin Kumar, 34, said that usually before Deepavali, not only the townspeople shop there, but also people from outside Selangor enlivened the location.

“There are not many people as in the past. But there are few who come to buy sarees or kurtas but in small quantities, probably due to financial constraints. Some families come to buy clothes for the children only.

Usually, those from outside Selangor also come in groups by bus for prayers at the Perunal Temple, here, and will shop around. But now, only people from around Klang buy goods here,” he said.

Traditional cake trader Jeswind Sunder, 34, said she had to incur losses as many of her customers cancelled their orders following the announcement of standard operating procedures (SOP) for the Deepavali celebration by the government recently.

“Many ordered traditional sweets and delicacies to be served to guests at home and taken to the temple, however, when house visits were restricted and SOPs at temples were tightened, many people cancelled their orders.

“Now, I depend on daily sales of the sweets and cakes even though not many people buy them,” she said, adding that she had to throw away those which have expired.

Henna artist, G Kisnawe, 20, said her henna business in conjunction with the Deepavali celebration this year had declined and was not as lively as before.

“Usually, when the school holidays start for Deepavali, many girls will come to draw henna designs but this time, the atmosphere seems a bit gloomy. In the past, almost 20 henna artists provide similar services along the row of shops, but now I am the only one still here,” she added.

On November 5, the government announced that inter-district and interstate travel was prohibited for those in the CMCO and enhanced movement control order (EMCO) areas, to prevent people from returning to their hometowns and villages in conjunction with Deepavali.

Hindus in CMCO and recovery movement control order (RMCO) areas will be allowed to attend temple prayers at nearby temples only on the first day of Deepavali with strict SOPs in place. Those in the EMCO zones are not permitted.

For celebrations at landed homes, the number of close family members allowed to gather should not exceed 20 people at a time, whereas for strata residences with an area less than 1,500 square foot, a maximum of 10 people are allowed and those living in units 2,500 sq ft and above can have a maximum of 15 guests at one time.

— Bernama

 

 

 

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