Losing the bustle of houses, Teej moved to hotels and restaurants.
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As the festival of Teej approached, the markets of the Far West, including Dhangadhi, were full of colors and crowds. From gold and silver shops to sari-suits, from cosmetics to boutiques, the market was bustling with customers. However, this year, the market is deserted even though there is only one day left for Teej.
During the season of Teej, the merchants who are also visiting for food are free . They wait for customers from morning to evening but there is no expected business . The customer shows the photo on the mobile phone and says, 'Isn't the product as shown online?' All traders do not have the same product as shown online. Customers come back saying, 'Now I will order online'. It has a direct impact on traders.
A trader who has been trading sarees and suits in Dhangadhi for 36 years said that he had never experienced such a decline in the market. He used to sell up to 40,000 clothes a day, but now he is finding it difficult to cut 5-7,000 a day. Having taken two shutters in the main market, he has to pay a monthly rent of 45,000. However, the business is in loss . He said that the market, which is returning to the rhythm after the corona epidemic, has now slowed down again. Businessmen are disappointed with the heavy decline in business in the main season. Traders in the market area complain that they are not even able to collect the rent.
The business of gold and silver is even slower
After the corona, all the businessmen are complaining about the loss of business and not getting the expected profit. Traders say that there has been a continuous decline in the gold business over the past few years. They say that the number of customers who buy gold has decreased significantly due to the increase in taxes and price increases by the government.
Vivek Sop, the owner of New Pashupati gold and silver jewelry shop located at Hulakarod in Dhangadhi, says that business has decreased during the main season of gold and silver consumption. According to him, this year only sporadic customers come to the gold shop which is full during Teej. Now, during the season, hardly 6-7 customers come in a day . "Customers get excited after hearing the price of gold, online business has also affected," he said.
Another gold merchant from Dhangadhi said that although some orders are received through online, not many customers come to the shop. Pushpa Kunwar, President of Kailali Industry and Commerce Association, says that the main reason for this decline in gold business is the luxury tax on gold.
Shopping is moving online
Lately, online business has also given a big challenge to the physical market . After the customer started viewing the goods and ordering easily through the mobile phone, the traffic in the shop has started to decrease .
Salma Kunwar, the owner of Salma Boutique located in Dhangadhi Lnchowk, considers online transactions to be the main reason for the slow business in the market. Her boutique, which has a high turnover during Teej, is now in losses. During Teej, the boutique used to have 150 customers daily, now only 25-30 customers come. Among them, see more and buy less . She said that it was difficult to collect the 85,000 shutter rent per month.
She said that the business has decreased since customers started shopping from home instead of coming to the market. Although the possibility of fraud is high in other than reliable online means, customers still order online . "Showing online is another thing to send, the possibility of being scammed is also high." However, customers consider it easy and shop online," says Salma. Her boutique also gets 5-6 online orders a day . All the traders say that the physical market has been greatly affected by online.
Another reason for slowing down the business of Dhangadhi market is the open border crossing. Indian goods are easily accessible in Dhangadhi. According to traders, Indian goods tend to be cheaper but the quality decreases. But local business has been affected as customers prefer cheaper goods. Along with this, a trader complained that the traders who brought goods from India were taking them and selling them in the toltoll. "We have to pay the customs, they easily deliver the goods to Toltol". It affects us," he said.
In Dhangadhi, the Indian market Bangauwa and Gouriphanta and Suna market are directly affected. Most of the people of Kailali, Kanchanpur go to the Indian market because it is cheap. Even if you bring more than 100 worth of goods from the border, the customs duty is not charged for the goods brought for home consumption. Therefore, the revenue collection and the local market have been affected, says Kunwar, president of Kailali Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said that the border crossing should be tightened to prevent this. One person carries goods ten times a day for household expenses. He doesn't charge customs . It's tough for traders . This has affected the market, he said.
is missing the originality of Teej
Earlier, when Teej was approaching, the village would be buzzing with house-to-house preparation, song-music and group dancing. But now that tradition is gradually disappearing . Now it seems that Teej's activity has shifted to the halls of hotels and restaurants and not in the courtyard.
60-year-old Belu Baisya of Dhangadhi Pushpalal Chowk laments that Teej's originality is disappearing. She says, "In our time, all sisters used to gather in the school ground or in the big square and dance and sing." Now there is a program in the hotel to celebrate Teej. According to Baisya, first Teej is an opportunity to meet, share joys and sorrows and share intimacy between sisters. But now that culture is also changing, she said. When the first sister-in-law met, there were happy and sad things. Now, when meeting, it is only about who wore how much jewelry, who wore how expensive a sari . Teej was made a festival of appearance and competition,' says Baisya.
