Chennai might be the diabetes capital of the country, but a quick check of sweet stalls in the city shows that sales of sweets have been on the rise.
With Deepavali festival fast approaching, sweet stalls are at their artistic best to woo customers. Even stalls offering sugar-free sweets say that patronage is good.
Several sweet stalls have come up with creative ideas right from mahaladdu to bakshanam.
“This time, we have planned some innovative ideas, like Deepavali lunch and continuous 48-hour sweet stalls, and mahaladdu is 1 kg and bigger than Tirupati laddu,” said an official of Krishna Sweets.
Buyers of sugar-free sweets have increased and many shops have brought in varieties like sugar-free rasgollas to attract even the diabetics.
“This time, more customers are asking for sugar-free sweets, and varieties like dry fruits and honey are popular,” said Bhavin, a staff of Mansuk’s sweets.
Even homemakers in the city turn nostalgic when asked about home-made sweets “Though we buy sweets from shops, home-made sweets are always the best. Nothing more can bring happiness than making it for family and friends,” said Ms V. Nandhini, a homemaker.
Office-going women say that they prefer to buy sweets as it saves time. “Making sweets is a laborious task and needs great care; a good selection of sweets is all that is needed to set the celebration mood,” said Ms A. Geetha Vani, a banker.