GEORGE TOWN: With one week to go before Deepavali, Little India here is a hive of activity as shoppers seek out the best bargains.
Checks by the 'New Straits Times' today showed the place was abuzz as people shopped for the Festival of Lights.
Vibrant decorations adorned every corner of the road, including the textile shops, confectionery stalls and jewellery stores.
R. Tinesh Pillaay, 28, a full-time tutor and master's student at Universiti Sains Malaysia here, said his family started preparations two weeks ago.
He said they had finished cleaning and painting their house, and were now baking an assortment of biscuits.
They have also bought some from shops in Little India.
He, however, said things were more pricey now, owing to inflation.
"For example, I had a glass of ice milo for RM2.80 two months ago. Now, I am paying RM3.30.
"We also see sweet items have increased in price.
"Nevertheless, this is Deepavali and a celebration is a must. So, we make do with whatever we can," he said when met at a stall selling murukku and Indian sweets.
The stall appeared to be a hit with many shoppers.
Its owner, T. Ravi, 33, said he anticipated bigger crowds in the last few days leading up to Deepavali due to the two-week shelf life of the food items.
Having managed the family-owned stall for the last two decades, Ravi said the murukku and sweets were homemade with the finest ingredients.
"We sell at least six to seven types of sweets, preparing about 30,000 pieces for this Deepavali celebration. Our three top-selling items are the ladoo, ghee balls and kuih keras (otherwise known as kuih batu). We prepared a total of 10,000 pieces of these three items alone.
"We are also preparing 50,000 pieces of murukku for sale this festive season.
"Our customers come from all walks of life, including non-Hindus," he said when met.
Ravi sells his famous sweets for between 60sen and 90sen.
He said despite the increased cost of raw materials, he has tried not to raise his prices so as not to burden shoppers.
"I increased the prices of some of the sweets by 10sen in the beginning of this year and that is it.
"I don't mind bearing the cost as long as my customers are happy," he added.
At Sivasamy & Sons textile store, director P. Aditya, 25, said walk-in customers this year had reduced by 30 per cent compared with last year.
Additionally, he said sales has dropped by 40 per cent as many have opted to shop online this time around.
Not wanting to miss out, Aditya said they too were selling online.
"To attract the walk-in customers, we are offering special discounts," he added.
The store mainly sells materials but also has in-house tailors to fulfil orders.
Aditya said it would normally take two to three days to sew a saree blouse.
However, for those who want their order immediately, certain charges apply.
He said the prices of materials were the same as last year, although there has been a slight increase in labour costs.
This year, Deepavali falls on Oct 31.