As the sun goes down on the horizon, crowd of women begins to gather in Vaishali's sector 4 evening market. With the Hariyali Teej just around the corner, it is a festive time here. Women are seen in large numbers buying jewellery, crockery, clothes and more. Simultaneously, the business of cloth vendors and Mehendi artists have also doubled up.
The market remains open from 5 pm to 11 pm. Women from all parts of Ghaziabad have come here for shopping clothes, bags and cosmetics. Rakhi Gaur, One of the ladies at the markets says, "Teej is a great festival for married women. We get a chance to dress up with 16 Shringar, and apply henna, which is a family tradition."
The shopkeepers and mehndi artists of Vaishali sector 4 evening market are happy about the festival as they claim provides them with a chance to make a profit after a low turnout over the past 2 years.
Raj Singh, who runs a kurti stall at the market says, "I source the Kurti from Gandhi Nagar market in Old Delhi market and then set up my stall here. I am happy to see so many customers at my stall. This time, women and girls are going crazy over Chickankaari kurtis."
Rahul claims that his jewellery is unique and would not be found at this rate anywhere else. "I try to improve my collection so that my customers keep coming back," says he.
Many ladies were seen getting henna prints on their palms at Raj's Mehendi corner. While talking about the latest trends in henna, he says, "Most women are asking for Arabic Khafif mehndi designs. This year, we expect to earn better profits than in previous years."