Pune: No glitter on Gudi Padwa as jewellers continue indefinite strike

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“Generally, we buy at least one small piece of gold as it is one of the auspicious mahurats. This year, it was very disappointing not to be able to buy. But we don’t have a choice,” said Deepa Bodhe, NIBM Road resident.

Some buyers have taken to purchasing gold jewellery online. “I had been reading about the jewellers’ strike and even knew they won’t end it. But my mother-in-law purchases every year and I didn’t want her to be disappointed. So we sat together, selected jewellery online and ordered it. I even suggested this to a couple of my friends,” said Anita Shinde, a resident of Paud Road. Meanwhile, jewellers accept that the strike has been hard on both customers and their business. Fatehchand Ranka, president of Maharashtra Rajya Saraf Federation, said that the loss of business to Pune on Friday alone was to the tune of Rs 100 crore. “There are online buyers but frankly, that segment is miniscule. Gold jewellery is such that people like to see and then buy which is why online sales are not comparable,” he said.

Saurabh Gadgil, chairman and managing director of PNG Jewellers, said even jewellers held a meeting to discuss if they could keep shops open on Gudi Padwa. “We know a lot of significance is attached to the date but later, it was decided to continue the strike. We are anticipating the strike to end soon as a meeting is arranged with the PM,” he said. Meanwhile, the buying sentiment in the real estate was ‘moderate’ at best, said industry experts. Satish Magar, vice president of All India Credai Association of Builders, said that the situation on Friday neither excited him nor made him dejected. “It’s been more or less like every year and while we were hoping for better sales this year, it has remained average across segments,” he said.

Rohit Gera, managing director of Gera Developments, said the situation might be a little better for ‘reputed’ real estate companies as compared to newer ones. “Every year, we expect increase in both activity and buying since obviously, people put off their buying until auspicious days as purchases like real estate are not an everyday investment. But that is the case every year,” he said.

Automobile sector and white goods are two segments that seem to have seen a boost in sales on Friday. At Rohan Honda in Dapodi, owner Rohan Khinvansare said that Gudi Padwa has been especially good for sales. “We have registered over 12 per cent rise in sales on Friday alone and at least 500 vehicles were lined up for deliveries. However, with newer models being introduced and a smooth supply chain, sales over the last few months has been good,” he said.

According to figures shared by Regional Transport Officer Jitendra Patil, a total of 5,301 vehicles were registered on Gudi Padwa, of which 2,37 were bikes while the total tax amount collected was Rs 15,08,33,445.

An official at Vijay Sales said, “The store saw some rise in bookings for television sets and air conditioners in the days leading up to Padwa and on Friday too.” For electronics, even smaller goods saw some demand as most mobile stores were seen offering big discounts. “Overall, the market is slow so it wasn’t as robust but yes, compared to other days when sales are very slow, Gudi Padwa was better,” said Nagindra Singh Shekhawat, owner of JM Road’s One Touch Communication.