Ramzan mart better than Numaish

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Hyderabad: Don’t be too surprised if there is a traffic jam at 3 in the morning at the old city. No, haleem is not the reason.
 
Ramzan is a festive time not just for people from the city, but for many traders coming from different parts of the country to set up shops in Hyderabad every year during this month.
 
Traveling all the way from Kashmir, Lucknow, Rajasthan and Gujarat, are small-time traders, who look forward to a bigger market in the Old City during Ramzan, when shopaholics are in the best of spirits.
 
The old city area transforms into a mini Numaish, as people flock to buy the best picks from different varieties of Kashmiri shawls, chikankari clothing from Lucknow and lots more. 
 
Siraj Ahmed from the Taiba Cloth Centre, Lucknow, said that it was always a pleasure to come to the city during Ramzan.
 
“We definitely make a better profit during this time, as people buy a lot of new clothes, furnishings and linen for themselves.
 
So, we do make profitable gains during this season as people come shopping till 3 in the morning.
 
Our working hours double, as the shops are open from 10 am. And it is not just business, people here are so warm, that we look forward to coming to Hyderabad every Ramzan,” Siraj said.
 
While Fayyaz Ahmed from Kashmir Handloom House said that the crowd this year is twice what it was last year. “Our shops are open from 10 in the morning to almost 4 am sometimes, and we do great business during Ramzan,” he said.
 
Equally happy with the variety available for them are local shopaholics. One such old city resident Syeda Sofia’s prized possession this year are her bulk set of Chikankari salwar suits.
 
“This time I bought some really trendy and authentic Lucknowi suits, which we usually don’t find in stores here. It is during this season that the traders come to the city and we get to see so much variety,” she said.
 
Another shopper, Abdul Raheem bought a pashmina shawl for his mother.
 
“We do get duplicate shawls in the city claiming that they are made of Pashmina wool, but the stuff that these traders bring is so authentic, it really feels like it is from Kashmir,” he said.