Bargain-hunting time of the year is here
The Hindu
Madurai is awash with vendors and shoppers ahead of Deepavali
Madurai’s festivals are synonymous with boisterous crowds, revelry and a carnival atmosphere. If it is religious zeal during Chithirai festival, it is shopping, rather bargain-hunting, that attracts people during the run-up to Deepavali which reaches a crescendo on the festival eve.
The shopping hubs are Vilakkuthoon-South Masi Street area, Nethaji Road-West Masi Street area and commercial streets leading towards West and South towers of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. While all big shops sell white goods with attractive offers, it is the small shops and pavement ware the crowds are after. Just a folding cot, table or a cart and you have your shop ready. And there are stands with 50 or so hangers with dresses which can be moved around. Even shoulders become display stands for a few, and stationary bikes too.
A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.