PRADEEP SWEETS, a sweetshop in Pune since 1970, offers a special kind of delicacy just at this time of the year. It is the "Tiranga Barfi" (tricolour sweet). This year, there are relatively fewer takers of the sweet. An increase in the costs of ingredients and other raw materials has resulted in the sweet being priced at Rs 70 per kg against Rs 50 the last year. On a pavement opposite Pradeep Sweets, sits Ratni Bai, a young migrant from Rajasthan, with tricoloured balloons, flags, toy windmills and other items to sell for the Republic Day. “I travelled around 12 km to get these at a good price to make a better profit,” she says and hopes to sell all. As customer footfall is less, electronic stores such as Pari Computers are offering a five per cent cash-back on credit card usage along with a six-month low-cost EMI. Croma has announced the “Constitution of Joy” sale by offering a 50 per cent discount on electronic appliances like wireless earphones, tablets, refrigerators, ACs and table fans. Republic Day is also a time for decorators as clubs, political parties offices, institutions and various organisations get decorated in the spirit of patriotism. But they too are facing hardships. Event managers and decorators in the Chakan area, for instance, reported a Rs 200 hike in the cost of service, citing the rising cost of balloons.
