Thursday, 04 April 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
With the departure of the sangats (devotees), the locals have started thronging the historic Jhanda Mela. The Mela which commenced on March 30 with the hoisting of the flag mast has seen throngs of sangats (devotees) from different States like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Now, as the sangats are leaving, the local footfalls are rising.
Talking to The Pioneer, the assistant manager of the Jhanda Mela committee Vijay Gulati said that after the nagar parikrama concluded on April 1, the committee had bidden farewell to the sangats traditionally with prashad and pagdi in the evening. “It is worth noting that in a first, this year’s Mela has seen Sangats gathering here from several states. The number came down significantly in the past few years due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this year, the number surged considerably due to the early conclusion of the board examination,” he added.
He further said that with the departure of the sangats, local residents have started visiting the Mela.
A stall owner selling bangles at Jhanda Mela, Raju Kumar said that the initial sales of bangles were good. “This may be attributed to the surge in the number of sangats visiting the mela. As they leave, the locals are thronging the mela and the volume of sale is up to our expectation,” he said.
He pointed out that the crowd at the mela is larger in the evening than in the day. “This may be due to the pleasant evening climate. Besides, the children come to the mela in the evening as they attend school in the mornings,” he continued.
Another stall owner at the mela Vishal Devang claimed that his family has been pitching stalls at this mela for generations. “I feel proud as I am keeping up with our family tradition,” he smiled.
Queried about the volume of sales from his stall, he said that it is good so far. “The Jhanda Mela happens to be the biggest annual fair in the city. With the spike in the number of visitors, our sales look up proportionately. As it seems that this year the number of visitors will surpass the number of previous years, we hope to earn more than we did in the past,” he added.
