On the eve of Karwa Chauth, shopkeepers and mehandi artists were seen making a fast buck by increasing the price of their products and services to maximise their profits. And the affluent residents of the city happily paid the amount on the festival which married women celebrate by holding fast for the well-being of their husbands.

At Grace Beauty Clinic, the mehandi design ranged from Rs 1000 to Rs 10,000. “We are already booked for the two days preceding the day of Karva Chauth and have a long list of clients to look after. Some special mehandi design packages cost up to Rs 10,000 and the women are liking the designs,” said Indira Ahluwalia of Grace. At Westend Mall, the cost of mehandi designs went up to Rs 20,000 with Rajasthani mehandi artists using their expertise to apply unique mehandi designs.

On the other hand, on this auspicious ocassion, sweets, fenia, matthi and articles like suits, sarees, karva, jewellery, bangles are also selling like hot cakes.

The festival of Karwa Chauth is never complete without mehandi designs. With women queueing up to get the best mehnadi designs on their hands, the menhandi artists are raising the stakes by increasing the prices for their services. Besides, dozens of mehandi centres each have come up in almost all the localities of the city.

Mehandi artists have also been brought from places like Rajasthan, Kanpur and Bihar to exploit the business opportunities during the festival season. The cost of mehandi which, on normal days is around Rs 25 to Rs 100 has soared to Rs 250 to Rs 5000 during this festival.

Apart from applying henna on the palms, Karwa Chauth preparation includes putting on their best dresses, wearing beautiful jewellery and spending a lot of money to enhance their looks and get-up.

Archies Gallery is heavily crowded by women who visit there to buy bangles and accessories. Laakhi and AD diamond bangles are much in demand whose cost starts from Rs 1500 onwards, said a salesman at Archies.

Priyanka Sharma, a newly-married women, who was enthusiastic and upbeat about her first Karwa Chauth, said that she had happily spent Rs 3,500 on mehandi, Rs 5,000 on her dress and Rs 6,000 on her beauty and hair styling to deck up for the big occasion.

“It is believed that women who get dark mehandi colour on their palms, get lots of love and care from their husbands,” she smiles, showing her dark mehandi colour.