The Bihar capital is gearing up for Holi with spray guns and colour brands, named after famous politicians, already hitting the market.
PATNA: The Bihar capital is gearing up for Holi with spray guns and colour brands, named after famous politicians, already hitting the market.
While 'Susashan Babu' the nickname given to Nitish Kumar by the Leader of the Opposition Rabri Devi, is one of the popular brand name for colour powders, Lalu 'pitchkaris' (sprayers) are also equally in demand.
The demand for these brands have already outstripped supply leaving shops out of stock and parents a harried lot.
Neelam Kumari, whose daughter studies in a convent school here, had to run from one shop to another to purchase a sprayer named after Lalu and a few packs of colours named after 'Susashan Babu'.
"I paid extra money to the shop-owner to purchase two pitchkaris and few packs of colours as my daughter insisted that she would not play Holi if the sprinklers and colours named after the two leaders were not provided to her".
"The Lalu pitchkaris and Nitish colours have fallen out of stocks and despite our best efforts, the supplier expressed his inability to make the supplies on time," said Raju, a colour vendor in Pataliputra colony.
Raju said gone were the days when children used to clamour for fast colour like 'Mohan ka Jadoo Rang' and brass 'pitchkaris'.
The demand for the regular brands have gone down sharply and children are insisting on the pitchkaris and colours of the leaders of their choice, Murataza, a vendor on busy Fraser Road roundabout, said.
Murataza, ruing his fate, said he purchased only 100 kgs of 'Nitish colours' which he sold within two days. "Now that the children were making a beeline for Nitish brand of colours, I would have made a fortune if I had enough stock of the colours. I failed to gouge the popularity of the two leaders," he said.
While Lalu 'pitchkaris' are sold for Rs 500 a piece, Nitish colours have a price tag of Rs 150 per kg. However, because of their shortage, these brands are sold in the black market at a premium.
Dolls, toffees and sattu named after Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, launched earlier, made brisk business in the markets here.
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