South Mada Street crowds up with Tamil New Year shoppers

The cloudy skies did not dampen the spirit of the Mylaporeans who gathered in large numbers around the mada streets to finish their last minute shopping for Tamil New Year tomorrow. South Mada Street was packed with vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to neem flowers (vepampu), plaintain leaves and thoranam.

A walk down the street revealed cars parked hapazardly and every possible space used up by vendors to sell their wares. A thoranam seller who set up his shop right under a street light says, “Not too many festivals are coming up in the next few months and so today is the best day to make a good sale. I am going to be here till after 9 and hope to finish selling all my thoranams by then”.

Elsewhere shoppers were seen strolling around with big bags in their hands stopping only to fiercely bargain with the seller. A shopper who came all the way from Thiruvanmiyur to shop says, “The prices are relatively cheap here and so I make it a point to come here during festival days”.