Eid shopping frenzy is intensifying in Sylhet as Eid-ul-Fitr approaches – shoppers are crowding at the malls and markets to find the perfect attire for the biggest religious festival in the country.
The sales have increased significantly especially after Ramadan 15, and the shops are catering to customers from morning until the time of sehri, several salespersons told the Dhaka Tribune.
Both local and foreign-style clothes are in demand among shoppers, especially young girls and women, this correspondent found while visiting several shopping outlets around the city.
This year, Kiranmala, a salwar-kameez dress inspired from Indian TV show of the same name, is the most popolar choice of attire among young girls and women in the city. Other top choices include Arundhati and Behula three-piece kameezes, also inspired by Indian TV shows, as well as “floor-length tops” especially favoured by young women.
Locally-made traditional clothes are among the favourites as well. People are buying kameezes made by jamdani, benarasi, taant and cotton materials in bulks, shopkeepers said.
“People are attracted to the flashy Indian clothes, but our local kameezes are equally good in quality and designs. I have always preferred our local traditional clothes, and those are what I am getting for my family this Eid,” said Senjuti, student at Sylhet MC College.
However, there are complaints about fake clothes being sold in the markets.
Rafiqul Islam, resident of Sylhet’s Mazumdari area, said: “I bought a Kiranmala kameez for my sister from a store the other day. When my niece saw it and wanted the same kameez for herself, I went to the same store but could not find it. I looked for the dress in other stores as well, but the Kiranmala kameezes the salespersons showed me were completely different from what I had bought earlier.
“It seems the shops are selling different clothes under the Kiranmala brand. This is fraud.”
Terming this year’s Eid sales better than previous year’s, Mahi Uddin, owner of the biggest shopping mall in Sylhet, said: “People’s taste in clothes is changing with time. There is a demand for Indian-style clothes, but there is a huge demand for Bangladeshi-style clothes, too. And we are catering to our customers’ demands.”
Police has tightened security around the city during the Eid shopping frenzy. All vacations have been cancelled for police and around 1,700 personnel have been deployed around the city to ensure safety for the shoppers as well as people during Eid, said Assistant Deputy Commissioner Rahmat Ullah of Sylhet Metropolitan Police.
