Every year, Rajesh Negi hired a dozen temporary workers to handle the throngs of customers that come to his shop to buy kitchenware on the eve of Diwali – a major Hindu festival.
But this year’s festivities are dampened by the Covid-19 pandemic and so too is business.
“I can actually count the number of customers on my fingertips,” said Mr Negi, who runs a multi-floor family shop in a densely populated area of south Delhi.
“There is hardly 15 to 25 per cent sales [compared with previous years]. Coronavirus has ruined everything,” he said.
Diwali – the five-day festival of lights that started Saturday – is the most important holiday in the country and is celebrated with elaborate feasts, huge parties, firecracker displays and countrywide mass shopping spree.
There is no plan for celebrations or to socialise
But the mood this year is subdued because of anxiety surrounding the raging pandemic that has infected nearly 8.8 million people and claimed 1,29,000 lives in India.
Mr Negi not only rues the financial losses, but also the cultural and social havoc it has caused on festivities.
“There is no plan for celebrations or to socialise. Normally, this was the time to reconnect with friends and relatives, but no one wants to take a risk,” he said.
India imposed the world’s biggest months-long lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic in March before gradually relaxing all restrictions on gatherings and public movement but still advised social distancing and the use of masks.
But that has not lured many people to the streets to mark the festival that is associated with wealth and prosperity.
Most markets in cities across the country were forlorn, seeing half the usual footfall that would mark the festival season.
Diwali has traditionally been a boom time for business and the economy as millions splurge on cars, gold jewellery, home appliances and clothes. But the economic distress caused by the pandemic has changed these age-old shopping traditions.
Gold sales that top around the festival season were down by 30 to 35 per cent, including on the Dhanteras Day, an auspicious day for Hindus to buy metals products before Diwali, the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council reported.
Even car sales in October were down by 8.8 per cent and motorbikes by 26.8 per cent from a year ago, one of the biggest indicators of consumer liquidity, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association said.
India’s Gross Domestic Product contracted almost 24 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 following the strict lockdown that shattered its economy and caused job losses.
Coronavirus around the world – in pictures
The Central Bank this week predicted that the economy will further shrink 8.6 per cent in the second quarter, pushing the country into a “technical recession”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has announced stimulus packages worth billions of dollars in a bid to rescue the faltering economy.
But many continue to suffer financial distress.
Robin Gupta lost his three-year-old managerial job in June after a Delhi-based marketing firm suddenly closed its business, leaving the 37-year-old to survive on fast depleting savings.
“I used to spend around 100,000 rupees ($1,350) on buying clothes, gifts and products around the festival time,” Mr Gupta told The National.
“But because of the uncertainty, I just spent like 10 per cent,” he said. “The pandemic has dealt a double whammy … There is no economic certainty and then there is always the fear of contracting the disease.”
In New Delhi, that has witnessed a sharp spike in the number of cases before the festive season, authorities were using megaphones in public places to urge people to use masks and maintain social distance.
The city government has warned a further spike as it struggles with the third wave of infections. This week alone there has been more than 500 deaths and nearly 50,000 cases.
For Mukul Arora, 36, a new father, this year’s Diwali has been isolated.
Six members of his family, including his elderly parents and two nieces, have contracted the infection.
"Diwali was the time when the entire family would meet and celebrate together, but this year I have decided to stay at home because I have a one-year-old son and I cannot take any risk,” Mr Arora told The National.
Every year, Delhi sees a spike in air pollution with millions of highly polluting firecrackers traditionally set off to mark the festival. It produces thousands of tons of toxic gas.
Doctors have warned that additional air pollution from firecrackers could lead to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, particularly because it could expose vulnerable people with underlying health conditions to the dust that could act as a carrier for coronavirus.
India’s environmental court last week stepped-in and imposed a ban on firecrackers in Delhi and adjoining areas, stating that they cannot be used to “celebrate deaths and diseases".
Several other states have followed the suit and banned firecrackers or restricted their use.
Despite a ban, people violated the order by bursting firecrackers. In capital Delhi and adjoining areas, the air quality plunged to hazardous category. In some places, the AQI touched 999 marked – the maximum levels.
But many see the ban as another dampener in the already sombre festival.
"Firecrackers have been a hallmark for Diwali for me since childhood but because of the looming threat of the pandemic, even that has affected this year's celebration," Mr Arora added.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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