Hawkers turn marketing gurus during IPL

Kolkata, April 20 (IANS) After heavy marketing of branded merchandise, desserts and drinks themed on the sixth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) hawkers selling flags, headbands and caps have also taken to advertising their wares with a twist.

Bollywood songs, catchy slogans and face paints form the arsenal of the mobile salesmen trying to entice cricket buffs heading to the Eden Gardens Saturday.

Waving flags of home team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) atop mounds and railings, hawkers were busy doing it all to make the swaying flags visible to the throng in order to do decent business aided by renditions of "Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re", Kolkata's anthem.

These street-smart sales gurus also made it a point to paint their face in purple and gold while selling the flags.

With dark purple headbands wound around their forehead, the vendors strategically placed around the Eden Garden prior to the match between KKR and Chennai Super Kings captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, attracted fans of the home team making a beeline for the stadium by shouting out slogans like "KKR ko khareedo, Dhoni ko dho daalo" (Buy KKR products, wash out Dhoni).

As the crowd stopped to inspect the flags and headbands, face-paint artists sporting KKR and CSK logos approached the enthusiasts armed with an arsenal of paint brushes and bottles of colour.