Subdued sentiments over RG Kar incident hits Kolkata retailers ahead of Durga Puja

Just as the horrendous Nirbhaya incident on December 16, 2012 cast a shadow over the entire country with protests and call for justice for the 22-year-old Physiotherapy intern, 12 years later the equally horrendous killing of a PG trainee doctor at the RG Kar Hospital on August 9, 2024 has shaken the country. While the situation in West Bengal, specially Kolkata, has returned to near normal with the protesting doctors partly resuming work after two meetings with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the overall sentiment amongst the people in the state remains subdued.

Durga Puja, West Bengal’s biggest festival, is beginning with Mahalaya on October 3, while the idol installation and pujo will happen from October 9 to 12. The festival sees massive spends by consumers and ad spends by brands to woo the consumers. Markets are full chock-a-bloc by shoppers weeks ahead of the pujo festivities, giving a much needed boost to local retail, brands and local artisans.

However, the year 2024 is turning out to be an exception, with the usually overcrowded markets witnessing thin attendance of shoppers. West Bengal, especially Kolkata, continues to grieve for the young doctor killed so ruthlessly and that has cast a shadow of gloom, dampening the pujo sentiments.

Ever since the incident took place, the entire month of August saw intense protests not just by medical professionals, but people from all walks of life, and frequent clashes with the police who fought to control the massive crowds. September, too, saw protests continue across Kolkata.

These protests have also been proving as a deterrent for shoppers from venturing out to shop in market places due to the possibility of clashes breaking out between the protestors and the police.

A woman shopping with her daughter shared the strong sentiments of the people over the RG Kar incident, when she affirmed, “There should be justice. Those who are really responsible for the RG Kar incident should be held guilty of the crime they committed. If the perpetrators don’t face the repercussions of the crime, more people will get the opportunity to harass girls and women who go out of their homes and this kind of incident will happen again and again.”

Subdued market sentiments

A walk through Kolkata’s Gariahat market on a Sunday just three weeks away from Pujo came as a shock to this reporter. The market, which is usually so overcrowded during this time of the year that there is hardly any space to walk, just had a smattering of shoppers. The shops were all decked up and full to the brim with fresh products, but there were no crowds thronging each shop.

According to a report by Queen Mary University London & IIT Kharagpur, the worth of the creative industries around Durga Puja stands at around Rs 32,377 crore ($4.53 billion), equivalent to the size of the economy of many small countries worldwide. The festival accounts for nearly 2.58% of the GDP of West Bengal and employs around 2-3 lakh people across West Bengal.

As per sources this year, many Durga Puja committees have turned down the honorarium of Rs 85,000 granted by the West Bengal Government for the festivities, standing in solidarity with the victim who lost her life and her family as a mark of protest against the ghastly incident.

“I think people will not celebrate much this year during Durga Puja. We ourselves don’t feel like celebrating,” confessed a shopkeeper selling mobile phone covers.

“Gariahat market is empty this year. Earlier, the sales would range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, but now not even Rs 2,000 worth of sales are happening,” rued another shopkeeper.

A shopkeeper selling novelty items had another take on the subdued sentiments. He said, “The sales have reduced a bit. But the reason behind this is the fact that it has been raining very heavily and people don’t have much money and work in their hands. So, how will they buy things?”

An apparels shopkeeper lamented, “If the sales were 100% the previous year, this year it is at 30%. All the markets are in a bad situation. There are no people on the roads this year in Gariahat and things are not expected to improve much as there are just a few days left for Durga Puja. And even if sales do pick up, it’s not going to make much difference.”

Another shopkeeper shared how he has faced a loss of around 50% because of the ongoing protests for the RG Kar incident as the number of buyers visiting his shop has dwindled this year, resulting in a reduction in revenue.

“In comparison to last year, sales are down this year,” is the common lament of the small retailers.

A shopper also noted how it would usually be extremely difficult to find a parking space near the Gariahat market during Puja shopping, “but this time I could find a parking space easily. This year it is relatively emptier and the crowd is much less”.

Another shopper, Mousumi, was more pragmatic in her views. She felt that protests would happen along with the festivities this year during Durga Puja. She said, “We can’t protest by taking away someone’s right to livelihood. So, protests will speak through the festival. Durga Puja is the source of livelihood for many businesses, artisans, and others. Protests and festivals both will happen. For so many years, injustice has been happening in various departments, sectors, places, we are protesting against that, saying ‘Er Protibad Chaichi!’, but not by stopping the festival, thus the festival and protests will take place simultaneously.”

An person employed as a salesperson in a shop shared, “We are not facing any problem as we are getting our salaries on time. However, our shop owner is facing issues this year before Durga Puja because of a decrease in overall footfalls, given the ongoing protests all across Kolkata.”

Larger malls more upbeat

On the other hand, a manager with Style Bazaar Mall maintained that the crowds at their outlet were more or less the same as last year.

Subhadip Basu, GM, Acropolis Mall, shared, “Acropolis Mall, which reopened in August, has witnessed a huge response from guests and patrons in terms of footfall. However, the footfall and corresponding sales witnessed a slump in mid-August. Generally, the weekend footfall remains above 20,000, the mall witnessed a 30% slump in footfall compared to the corresponding period last year. Sales also went down. The political turmoil in Bangladesh also contributed to this downturn as we used to get a lot of patrons from Bangladesh before puja. However, the footfall and sales are picking up steadily as we announced a puja campaign, where puja shoppers can win a cabin trolley bag if they shop from the mall. The footfall went up last week.”

Acropolis Mall

He further said, “Though the footfall and corresponding sales are still lower compared to the corresponding period last year, we have been witnessing a significant rise in shopping as families are realizing the expectations from children who eagerly wait for new clothes and shoes every year before Durga Puja. Our marketing campaign has witnessed a significant surge in winner numbers which crossed 500 in the last 10 days testifies to this trend. The overall footfall in the mall is better than before, but still it has not surpassed last year’s figure, whereas sales are 15% lower than last year. In a nutshell, we are witnessing a significant surge in serious shopping – shopping for apparel. We are expecting this to go up next week as schools will complete half-yearly examinations and parents will flock to the mall to buy clothes for their kids.”

Commenting on the consumer sentiment this year during Durga Puja as observed in South City Mall and whether footfalls have increased or decreased, Dip Biswas, Head - Operations, South City (Projects) Limited, Kolkata, said, “As we all know, the city is not in a great mood, people are not in a mood to celebrate Durga Puja and other festivals, but still as we know Durga Puja is a festival not only for people, but is the bread and butter for several people, many of the masses, professions. So, if we think from that perspective, if we don’t celebrate Durga Puja, how will these artisans manage their lives? People ranging from Dhakiwala, Feriwala, and others – their entire year’s livelihood depends on Durga Puja. Forget about the small or organized shops, I think we should think about their side of the story too.”

“When it comes to mall culture, definitely it has gone through changes, because of the things that people are asking or demanding, I don’t think there is a person in this state who will deny that. So, protests will be in the protests line, and shopping and professions will be in the professions line. But yes, there is a lack of footfall because of the sentiments and the overall mood. The footfall has decreased by 25-30%.”

South City Mall

He further added, “Every year we deck up our mall in Durga Puja themes. This time we have brought forward our mall decor by one week. Normally it happens one week before Mahalaya, but in a couple of days our mall will be decked up in Durga Puja freshness, Puja vibes, Puja look, so people should come and feel that Durga Puja has arrived.”

“The city’s mood is a little dull currently. While we do the protests, we should also think about the business,” Biswas maintained.

Quest spokesperson noted: "Quest’s performance as we transition into an ultra-luxury destination. Here are the key highlights from August 2024 and September 1st to 22nd, 2024:

• Footfall Ratio: Notable increase in audience quality, with a ratio of 1.5:1 compared to September 2023.
• Focus on Engagement: Despite ongoing renovations, revenue remains steady, showcasing stronger conversions and a more engaged shopper base.
• High-End Clientele: The evolving visitor profile aligns with our strategy to cater to luxury consumers, setting the stage for future growth.
• Sales Performance:
  • Luxury and Bridge to Luxury sales remain on par with last year.
  • Fine dining performance mirrors last year's results.
  • A slight decrease in the premium segment; however, we anticipate recovery as the pujos approach."