Arindam Ganguly
post news service
Cuttack, Nov 9: As the chill starts tightening its grip the winter clothing market set up by Tibetan refugees at Ranihat in Cuttack is turning out to be a hot shopping destination. The market, which opened October 23, has on offer a wide variety of winterwear, including jackets, sweaters, mufflers, rugs, shawls, gloves and stockings. The market is to remain open for three months.
The refugee market has been a regular, growing wintertime presence in Cuttack for the past 35 years. A large number of Tibetan refugees from Chandragiri in Gajapati district converge in Cuttack when winter sets in. “Earlier we used to set the market up near Badambadi. But over the past few years we have shifted base to Ranihat,” Chime, who heads the Tibetan Refugee Winter Market, said.
The Tibetans earn for the entire year from the business they do over the three-month winter market. Chime says he has found the people of Cuttack very friendly and is happy that the municipal corporation there was also supporting their business.
Tibetan refugee markets are common across the country. In Orissa, these refugees are known to set up markets in places including Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and Sambalpur.
According to Chime, the refugees also used to include handmade products at the market. But they no longer bring these products to the market “owing to the high production cost”.
“We bring fabrics from Punjab, Delhi and Nepal and also introduce designs from various parts of the state each year to attract buyers. Our products range in prices from `400 to `1,800 and the market this year has 57 stalls in all. Each stall makes `4,000 a day,” Chime said.
Many people visiting the market are regulars to such Tibetan refugee markets. “We prefer winter garments the Tibetans sell as they are of good quality and the prices are reasonable although there is no scope to bargain,” Sridhar, a resident of College Square, said.
Soumyaranjan Pattnaik, a visitor, said the market used to tolerate bargaining in the past but has transformed into a no-bargain zone over the years. Soumyaranjan believes these markets offer affordable fare for middle class people compared with malls.
Chime says all stalls in the market sell common products at the same price so that customers are not cheated. “We want to make a name for these products and build brand value,” he said.