Pune: As Ramzan comes to end and with Eid just round the corner, members of the Muslim community in Pune are busy with preparations. Places like Fashion Street, Camp, Khadki Bazaar and Pimpri Market are seeing a bustling crowd of people for the final Eid shopping. 

All the streets and shops are packed with customers. Every year, people see a spurge of new styles in how the women dress and this year too, ‘Pallazo Pants’, ‘Sharara’, ‘Garara’ and bright colours are a hit among women.

The Pune Camp is seeing crowds of shoppers every evening till 11 pm. Owner of Famous Cotton in Hazar Chowk said, “No one buys from just one place here, they go to different shops for different things. Here ‘Pathani dress’ is our most sold item.’’ 

With the days getting hotter, people are now investing in cotton garments than heavy materials. Amreen Inamdar, a housewife who came all the way from Akurdi, said, “This time around, I am looking for bright-coloured, comfortable clothes, nothing too heavy, as it can get hard to wear them all day long.” 

Stores keep a wide variety of goods to cater to different needs of different customers. Comfort plays an important role in this year’s Eid shopping, Amanda from ‘Aniva’ opposite SGS Mall said, “We have a special festive wear collection for Eid in both traditional, western and Indo-western wear. Most of our customers opt for practical outfits,” 

Vineeta, owner of Kalavati Store in Camp, said, “Our collection starts from cotton suits starting from Rs 900 and goes up to Rs 5,000 a piece.” Not just variety, pricing plays an important role too. Shiv, owner of ‘Sajni Fashion’, said, “This shop is for everyone who is on a tight budget. All of my suits range from Rs 650-850.”

IT professional Tahseen Jamdar is celebrating her first Eid as a married woman. She said “This being my first Eid, I am looking for something festive. Also most of my purchases are for relatives rather than for me.”