Booze sales up ten times for Holi,but city meat sellers fear poor biz

Patna: Unlike Holi every year, this Holi has failed to bring cheers to mutton sellers. With the festival of colours this year falling on Thursday when many turn vegetarian and the Holi eve being a full moon day, again a sacred day for many, mutton, chicken and fish sellers are expecting a dip in their sales.

Mukhtar Ahmed, whose mutton shop on Bhattacharya Road is quite famous, said he has bought a good number of 'khassis' for the purpose as usual, but is prepared for poor sales this year. "I hope against hope foodies would turn up on Friday, also a holiday, for their buy and celebrate, what they say, 'Basiaura Holi'," he said.

Mukhtar's shop is more than 60 years old. "We sell muttons of 160 to 170 'khassis' every Holi. That is, around 1,600 to 1,700 kg of meat for Holi as against something like 100 kg on a normal day except Tuesdays and Thursdays when the sales plummet. While it's Rs 450-500/kg on normal days, the mutton at Mukhtar's place is sold at Rs 600/kg on the Holi day. Such is the rush at his shop that the district administration deploys forces to manage the crowd.

Unlike mutton, chicken sales do not go up significantly. According to Nizam, who runs a shop on Boring Canal Road, chicken is purchased only by those who find the mutton unaffordable or by those who detest the goat meat. "While chicken is sold at Rs 100/kg on normal days, it's Rs 120/kg on the festival day," he said.

Like chicken, fish sales are also not affected. Bacchu Sahni continues to sell Rohu and Katla for Rs 250 and 350/kg respectively even on the day of the festival of colours.

However, liquor sellers will laugh all the way to the bank as Holi for many revellers simply means Bacchinalia -- Thursday or no Thursday. "Booze sales go up ten times in the run-up to Holi, especially on the day just before the dry days to be declared for the occasion," said an IMFL (India-made foreign liquor) dealer.