Are festive deals on the Internet stealing the thunder of traditional festivals? Most agree that they are, but whether this development is good or bad, is a matter of debate
JAY JOSHI
After the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations we are now awaiting the arrival of Diwali. But even as the festive season unfolds, what if the excitement around us is not because of the festivals, but other phenomenon that has come to be associated with them in the modern world? Special sales, especially online, have been making regular appearances around festive seasons, so much so that it is the sales and deals that people eagerly await rather than the actual festivals. To some, this looks to be the heralding of a cultural change. To others, it is just another interesting colour that our festivals have taken on in modern times.
“Yes, it seems that a kind of cultural shift is indeed underway,” says Nisha Tupkar from Panaji. “Festivals are losing their soul and being dominated by eye-dazzling sales deals, not just online but offline too. I personally think this is not a good change, but there is little we can do to stop it. Nothing is permanent and this too shall change in some time,” says Tupkar.
On the contrary, Snigdha Fadke, an IT professional from Vasco, who now works out of Hyderabad, is neutral about sales dominating traditional festivals. “Yes. I do look forward to online sales and I love shopping on jaw-dropping festive deals. When it comes to celebrating festivals, I have mixed feelings. Firstly, owing to a busy professional life, many of us do not get time to go to the market and haggle with shop-owners, going from shop to shop. Most of our time is spent in office and we can squeeze in a quick online search,” says Fadke.
Poorva Shepal, a marketing professional who now works in Pune also stated that she looks forward to online festive sales. “Buying something new in festival season has always been a tradition in India. So, I don’t think there is anything strange or unwelcome in festive sales dominating the traditional festivals. The urge to splash money during festivals was always there. In the past, people did not show it openly and now they do. Also, such sales bring some happiness to those who have relatively low salaries. Personally, I am considering buying a new smartphone this festive season. The model that I want costs a little on the higher side, but I am sure it will cost less in the festive sale season,” says Shepal.
While young professionals such as Shepal and Fadke are neutral or supportive of festive deals, Damodar Athlekar, a radio programme executive from Ponda avers that the nature of modern life is responsible for both the online offers and the frenzied consumer behaviour witnessed today. “To be honest, our festivals have been increasingly commercialized in recent years. The popularity on online festive sales in indeed growing. What’s more serious is that technology has made life easier in material terms, but has pushed people apart mentally. Earlier, people used to exchange gifts and sweets by going house to house, but today, we just order the gift online and send it directly to the address of the person we seek to give it to. Not just festivals, but other transactions in daily life too seem to be losing the human touch that we took for granted all these years,” says Athlekar.
Online festive sales also affect business in real life and businessmen who spoke to TG Life stated that business is down by as much as 40-45 percent during festivals. “In the past, when occasions such as Diwali and Chaturthi came around, I used to make a brisk business of around Rs 50 lakhs,” said Mahesh Desai, from Priol who owns a shop of electrical appliances. “Now however, I barely touch around 30 lakhs,” said Desai. He further added that online shopping does not give him business, but does add to his work. “Electronic products sold online are often faulty and people face problems when it comes to installation. Many people then approach us requesting to repair or install products that they bought online. We can’t charge much for such installations too,” said Desai.
Alisha Fernandes, who works as a salesperson at an establishment selling cosmetics and accessories in Panaji also expressed the same issues. “With the emergence of online markets, people do not shop at shops. This year monsoon has affected the business, and we were hoping to recover the losses from the festive season, but it looks difficult,” she stated.
Individuals who spoke to TG Life admitted that online sales offers are stealing the excitement from traditional festivals, but these deals are welcomed by the consumers as they provide opportunities to buy at unbelievably low prices, things that one would think twice about buying.
