PUNE, Oct 11: ``What sale of Diwali cards? It is absolutely thanda, people don't seem to want to spend any money,'' say Prakash Thakur, propreitor of Neha, House of Cards in Clover Centre basement, Moledina Road. Summing up in a nutshell, why there's a distinct lack of euphoria in the air.Economic depression is of course the prime reason, chorus the greeting cards owners but thanks to the popularity of the e-mail, the demand for these attractive cards has further plummeted. ``People are saving money on cards and are sending their greetings by e-mail, especially to foreign shores. It costs Rs 25 to 35 to send cards abroad, but by e-mail, it's faster and cheaper,'' says Thakur, shaking his head. Most card shops had ordered new designs, like the Archies Gallery on Deccan Gymkhana, only to see a 50 per cent drop in sales, as compared to last year.Corroborates Bharat Shah, owner of this Archies outlet, ``There is a really lukewarm response and even corporate clients, from whom we get the largest orders are not forthcoming.'' Although e-mail was available even last year, it seems this year card-senders have woken up to cheaper options, even at the cost of sending an impersonal, black and white greetings instead of a warm, colourful card with a cute message.The distributor of Hallmark Cards, Dilip Gujar, is more optimistically inclined because their sales are marginally better than last year's. Their two shops, called Celebrations, one on FC Road and the other on General Thimmayya Road, have the latest in designer cards. ``The turnover from both has touched Rs 3 lakh, and we anticipate good sales in the future too. I think we are doing well, because we don't overprice the cards,'' he says. Their clientele includes students, industrial firms and ``even people from other faiths''.The situation isn't any different when it comes to corporate gifts. Affirms Sanjay Ghaisas, partner, at the Ghaisas showroom on Jangli Maharaj Road, ``it's slow, the slump is apparent, and as of now we are getting very few takers for large orders. Like every year, we have introduced updated items, but due to the overall recession, people are not showing too much eagerness to buy. The sale percentage is down by 50 per cent this year''.The showroom is choc-a-block with home appliances like irons, portable blenders, toasters, cookers, juicers and mixers, which they are hoping will find their way into the customer's kitchen, as soon as the bonus benefits are announced. However, Rajeev Kapoor of Kapoor Bros. in Bhavani Peth, does not expect sales to pick up soon. The key-chains, wall-clocks, cutlery sets, mugs and glasses will have to wait for another day.The majority of shopowners are of the opinion that it is early days yet to predict absolute doom. As Diwali draws near, the transactions are expected to perk up and the mood might get a bit upbeat. Nafisa Poonawala, manager of Bombay Store, MG Road, where beautiful hand-crafted articles are notching up brisk sales, has a more cheerful story to tell. ``We are doing fine. People come in and pick up what they want, whether it is decorative diyas or exotic perfumes. The response is as good as we expected, '' she reveals.Mithai is synonymous with the festival and therefore this is one area where things are not looking too bleak. Says Dixit Patel, partner of Karachi Sweets, ``Sweets are a consumer item, not a luxury item so people may buy less but they will buy. Though recession hits everyone, no one is going to stop buying.'' At his shop in Aurora Towers, the crowds are highly visible, and Patel has every reason to feel safe and secure.Another gentleman who perceives the situation pacifically is Shantanu Halwai, partner with the Kaka Halwai chain of Mithaiwalas. With no trace of worry on his face, he admits that the money market is tight, but he is sure that the trend of buying sweets will not change. ``Our business deals with perishables, so we do not really prepare the sweetmeats in advance. And a week before Diwali, people will start flocking to the sweet-shops, there is no doubt about it,'' he says.Sanjay Chitale, of the famous Chitale Sweets, too has no complaints, opining that, ``orders have started pouring in and we are expecting our sales to be be as good as last year''. And they are continouusly packaging the sweet-boxes to meet the increasing demand. HG Meghnani of Rahul Sweet Mart on FC Road, feels it is finally up to the customer, where he wants to spend money. ``I think inflation has not affected our business so badly. Last year also, when the gold prices plummeted and the share prices fell, people feared that nobody would buy sweets, but they did and this year also, if some companies are doing badly, the MNCs are doing well. So there's a balance and I feel everything levels off finally off,'' rationalises Hiten Parekh, proprietor, Bhavnagri Sweet Mart on Moledina Road.Parekh deals chiefly in dry fruits and this year, they have introduced new acrylic containers to make the package look attractive. Again, if some prices of dry fruits like cashew-nuts have gone up, the rates of some have dropped, he explains. And in true Diwali spirit, he says, `` Diwali is the Indian Christmas, nothing can happen to it''!An optimistic mood, which promises to soon engulf even the most pessimistic of people.
