Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Shoppers rush for last-minute buying

With only one day left for the beginning of the Bangla New Year, shoppers are pouring into the malls and makeshift shops in the Dhaka city to finish off their last-minute buying.
Shoppers and shopkeepers have told New Age that owing to series of hartals this year shopping for Pahela Baishakh celebrations is very dull though the city’s fashion houses and shopping malls had taken grand preparation to attract customers ahead of the celebrations.
Everyone, children and old people alike, will welcome Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla New Year 1420.
Shopkeepers at different shopping malls, however, have expressed disappointment over their dull business as every year it starts at least 15 days before the celebration but this year shoppers could not come for shopping because of political turmoil.
Dhaka Mahanagar Dokan Malik Samity organising secretary Shah Alam Khandaker complained about having a dull business in this year’s Pahela Baishakh celebrations compared with previous years.
‘Shoppers’ turnout was down. We think it was caused by hartals,’ he added.
Humaira Taifur, a human resource manger of a private company, told New Age that her family and she every year start their shopping for Bangla New Year at least one week ago but this year they could not manage time for shopping for hartal.
‘That’s why we will complete all the shopping for my family this Friday and Saturday. Every year  we celebrate Pahela Baishakh extensively decorating our house but this year I’ll only buy outfits for my sons and gifts for my parents and in-laws,’ she added.
Fashion houses at Aziz Super Market, Banani, Dhanmondi, Mirpur and Uttara passed a hectic day on Friday.
Keeping in view the occasion, they have brought to market attires manifesting Bengali culture and the spirit of the festival.
University student Ishrat Jahan said she preferred fashion houses for buying her Pahela Baishakh outfits because they collect dresses of festive mood.
They were seen buying punjabis, saris, shoes, sandal, home décor items and ornaments.
Female shoppers were seen buying matching ornaments and other accessories with their outfits.
Shabnam Aziz, student of a private medical college, was seen buying bangles in front of Chabir Haat. She said she also bought bangles from Shakahari Bazzar of Old Dhaka as they represent the spirit of Bangali festival and Bangali genuine culture.
Makeshift shops on the footpaths and roadsides in front of Gawsia and Chadni Chawk were also doing brisk business as people of middle and lower middle-income brackets buyers rushed there.
At Aziz Super Market, women can get Salwar-kameez at Tk 1,050-3,000 and Sari at Tk 1,000-2,500 where the traditional art motif is dominating the design.
To welcome the first day of the year, men prefer punjabis, short punjabis and fatuas.
The average price of a fatua is Tk 600-1,200, while the price of a short punjabi is Tk 750-1,500 at Aziz Super Market, which is the country’s one of the top markets popular among young people.
Popular fashion house KayKraft has also come up with new designs in sari, salwar-kameez, punjabi, fatua, children’s garments, ornaments, gifts and home decors on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh.
KayKraft has used potchitra, tribal motif, Greek arch motif and flower motif on red, merun, orange, off-white, magenta colour fabrics for drawing attention of the customers.
Fashion house Rang is offering salwar kameez, saris, t-shirt, punjabi, kurta, mug and gift voucher as Baishakhi items.
Rang has designed ‘Pakha’ (the symbol of Bangla New Year) this year on festival apparels. Besides, it has applied images of elephant, horse on clothing items.
The price of shalwar-kameez varies from Tk 1650 to Tk 2250, saris from Tk 1390 to Tk 13,000, Fatua from Tk 500 to Tk 1050 for each.
The kids’ shalwar kameez is being sold at Tk 1200-2250, saris Tk 550-1000 and fatua Tk 450-1100.The shop also has a collection of ornaments matching with the dresses.
Salesmen said the customers are mostly buying cotton clothes priced between Tk 1500 and Tk 2000.
The traders said owing to high price of raw materials, they had increased the price of dresses by Tk 100 to 200 for each.
Smriti, Ramani, Navilla, Ananna, Bailey Saree Kutir and other sari houses on Bailey Road also have brought Baishakhi saris in their shops.
Tangail Sari Kutir has displayed kuchi print, block and hand print being sold from Tk 700 to Tk 3000.
Gausia Market, Hawkers’ Market, New Market, Mouchak Market and roadside shops are also prepared for receiving hundreds of customers. Middle, lower-middle and low income groups are looking for festival dresses in these markets.

-With New Age input

Related News

GNB brings the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for the first time in Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Good Neighbours Bangladesh (GNB) is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development (8th Edition) in recognition of its outstanding contributions to teacher development through the GNB education programme. This esteemed global award is presented by UNESCO every two years to highlight innovative practices ... Read more

Admission Fest begins at Presidency University

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Admission Fest at Presidency University began on October 3, 2024 (Thursday) and will continue till October 18, 2024. The honourable Acting Vice-Chancellor of Presidency University, Professor A.H.M Faruque, inaugurated the fest. The event was attended by the university’s Principal Adviser, Professor Dr. Md. Anwarul Kabir, Deans of various faculties, the ... Read more

RU academic activities to resume on Sept 8

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The academic activities of Rajshahi University (RU) will resume on September 8 following a closure of more than two months. Classes of first-year students under the academic session 2023-24 are likely to start soon after the admission process is completed. The decisions were taken in a meeting held with all deans ... Read more

US Embassy, Brac University hosts first-ever Academy for Women Entrepreneurs alumni fair in Dhaka

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bren Flanigan, acting counselor for Public Affairs of the US Embassy, today (3 July) inaugurated the first-ever fair exclusively for Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) alumni in Bangladesh at the Brac University campus. AWE, a global initiative led by the US Department of State, equips aspiring women entrepreneurs with essential knowledge, ... Read more

National Earth Olympiad (NEO) 2024 empowers 300 youth across 8 divisions

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The final leg of Green Day Training of National Earth Olympiad (NEO) 2024 was held at Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) on Friday, 17 May after completing the divisional rounds at seven divisional cities of Bangladesh and the Cumilla Region. This year a total of 2000+ students participated in the preliminary rounds ... Read more

Canada Bangladesh Alumni Association celebrates ‘Acoustic Social 2’

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Canada Bangladesh Alumni Association (CBAA) hosted a remarkable evening of connection and celebration at Acoustic Social 2 on 15 May. With over 60 esteemed alumni from prominent Canadian universities such as the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Western Ontario, and more in attendance, the event exemplified the enduring ... Read more

Stockholm Junior Water Prize Bangladesh award ceremony held

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Stockholm Junior Water Prize Bangladesh (SJWPBD) Award Ceremony 2024, held on 10 May from 3:30pm to 5:00pm, at Ascott Palace, Baridhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh, dazzled audiences as it showcased the groundbreaking solutions crafted by the brilliant young minds of Bangladesh to tackle pressing water-related challenges. Set against the backdrop of a ... Read more

Uttara University’s ‘Infopedia’ poster competition: A spectacle of knowledge and creativity

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Department of English at Uttara University recently organized a vibrant and intellectually stimulating poster competition titled “Infopedia.” The event showcased the creative prowess and academic excellence of students from the 61st and 62nd batches of the department. The competition, held on April 30th and May 4th, 2024, featured themes centered ... Read more

DU to resume in-person classes from Wednesday

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The University of Dhaka will return to in-person classes starting next Wednesday (8 May). As the intensity of the heatwave came down to a bearable level following a drop in the city temperature due to downpours witnessed in the last couple of days, in-person classes will start again in the university ... Read more

BRAC University students win awards at OSUN film festival

News Desk : dhakamirror.com BRAC University students have recently won multiple prestigious awards at the Open Society University Network (OSUN) Film Festival. The festival was held online and featured 25 student-made videos, the final projects of the “Visual Storytelling for Student Engagement” course in the Fall 2023 semester. This collaborative course was offered at seven ... Read more

Professor Dr. Mohammad Ashik Mosaddik joined as the new Pro-Vice Chancellor of East West University

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Professor Dr Ashik Mosaddik joined as the new Pro-Vice Chancellor (Pro-VC) of East West University (EWU) on Monday, 4 December 2023. The Honourable Chancellor of the University, His Excellency the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed him as Pro Vice-Chancellor for four years, reads a press release. ... Read more

Department of Population Sciences at Dhaka University hosts farewell ceremony and freshmen reception

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The freshers’ reception for the students of the 2022-23 session and the farewell ceremony for the students of the 2017-18 session were recently held in the Department of Population Sciences of University of Dhaka. Professor Dr Zia Rahman, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka, was present as ... Read more

Youth festival held in Dhaka

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The premises of the Krishibid Institution echoed the energetic strides of more than 300 youths from across the country who gathered to participate in the Youth Festival on Sunday. Organized by the Right Here Right Now (RHRN2) project of Brac’s Social Empowerment and Legal Protection (SELP) Program, the purpose of the ... Read more

Cadet College admission test fee through bKash

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Like previous years, admission seekers of the country’s 12 cadet colleges can pay application fee for admission test through bKash. Applicants or their guardians can apply for admission test at the cadet colleges’ admission website till 5:00pm of 13 December and complete the application with fee payment through bKash. The applicants ... Read more

NSU Center for Business Research hosts seminar on applied business research

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Center for Business Research at North South University (NSU) hosted a seminar titled “Applied Business Research in the Digital Age” on Monday (16 October). ANM Ziaul Islam Mithu, a distinguished industry leader and managing director of KANTAR was present as the keynote speaker, reads a press release. Professor Helal Ahammad, ... Read more

Amazon Web Services shortlists 34 Bangladeshi startups for credit facilities of $10,000 each

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Following the jury’s evaluation at Amazon Web Services Startup Day Bangladesh 2023, 34 Bangladeshi startups were selected to receive credit facilities from the company worth $10,000 each. Amazon Web Services Startup Day Bangladesh 2023 was held for the first time in Bangladesh on October 5, says a press release. The day-long ... Read more

UIU holds seminar on youth development

News Desk : dhakamirror.com United International University organised a seminar on ‘Youth Development’ at the UIU campus on Madani Avenue in Dhaka on Tuesday. Nazma Rahman, mayor of Camden in London, was present as chief guest on the occasion. Mike Sherriff, charity trustee, author and former charity chief executive, Nayeem Hossain, president of Nagorik Dhaka ... Read more

Scholarship awarded for IELTS exam candidates at North South University

News Desk : dhakamirror.com North South University (NSU) and British Council jointly organized a scholarship award ceremony for IELTS exam candidates. The event was graced by Tom Miscioscia, Country Head of the British Council with his delegation of administrative and business heads, reads a press release. Professor Atiqul Islam, Vice-Chancellor of NSU led the events. ... Read more

NSU secures top spot in NASA Space Apps Challenge

News Desk : dhakamirror.com North South University’s department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has soared to new heights by making a splash in the prestigious NASA SPACE APPS CHALLENGES 2023. This marks a watershed moment for NSU as the challenge is a globally recognised hackathon spearheaded by NASA itself, said a press release. The team, ... Read more

ULAB holds CSE Freshers’ Orientation Fall 2023

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organised the Fall 2023 CSE Freshers’ Orientation on 5 October 2023, at the ULAB Permanent Campus, reads a press release. Russell T. Ahmed, the President of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), ... Read more