Gandhi caps a hit in Pune, sales up

As Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption gains momentum across the country, the sale of Gandhi topis has swelled by almost 70% in Pune alone. 

And as demand for Gandhi caps and Indian flags shot up, so did the prices.

Murudkar Zendewale, a shop at Electric Market in Budhwar Peth, has sold 4,000 Gandhi caps in the last two days.

“Usually, we sell four or five caps a day. After Hazare was taken into custody, people have been thronging my shop for Gandhi topis to wear at protest rallies and marches,” said Girish Murudkar, whose grandfather had opened the store 80 years ago.

“People have also placed bulk orders, but we have not taken any advance from them. This is a small gesture to show our support for Anna.”

Eight to 10 workers are working 24x7 at a workshop in Dhankawadi to meet the increasing demand for the caps.
“The workers print the tag line ‘Me Anna Hazare’ in Marathi and ‘Mai Anna Hazare hun’ in Hindi for people supporting the movement,” added Murudkar.

His shop has also designed special posters with slogans supporting Hazare. “We have printed 25,000 posters of constructive patriotism and are distributing them for free across Maharashtra. We appealed to people to paste the stickers on their vehicles to spread the word against corruption.”

LG Gosavi Kapadwale located at Budhwar Peth, too, is struggling to meet the increasing demand for Gandhi caps.

“Our sales have increased by 50%. In one day, we sold 400 caps,” said Sunil Shinde, one of the salesmen at the five-decade-old store.