Falling mercury cheers up Tibetan market in Ahmedabad

Winter this year has been gloomy so far for the Tibetans who camp in city to sell woollen clothes. The market has witnessed fewer footfalls than previous years with the season being warmer than usual.

But, the dip in temperature since Saturday evening has brought the smiles back on their faces.

The Tibetan market behind the Navrangpura bus stand welcomed the highest number of visitors this season on Sunday. The president of the union, Tsewang Damdul, told DNA that this year due to late winter the response to the market was very low.

However, the sudden fall in mercury on Sunday has brought the crowd to the market.

"The sale of woollen cloths and products depends on temperature. Last year it was better as the temperature was low right from the beginning of winter. However, this year as the temperature did not fall much the response is not very great. The sales fell further during the last week of November and first week of December, when the temperature was comparatively higher for the season."

"We had expected less profit this season as sales were very low right from the beginning. But with the change in the temperature the response now is good," said another shop owner, Sonam Lakhpa, who sells blankets in the market.

Tenzin Jangchup who sells jackets said, "Till now, we had fewer visitors than previous years. Sunday has been the best day the season. We are expecting good days ahead."