Page 18 - Festivals

People revel in Diwali spirit after two years of muted celebrations

Colourful lights illuminated buildings and earthen lamps dotted houses as people across the country celebrated Diwali with pomp on Monday after two years of muted festivities due to the pandemic. People, dressed in their finest, exchanged sweets and gifts, visited temples and greeted each other. Some restrictions on bursting of firecrackers, particularly in the national capital, however, remained in force. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of the country and hoped the festival will bring happiness, wellbeing and strengthen the spirit of mutual cooperation and harmony. Like previous years, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers. This time it was in Kargil. Addressing the soldiers, he said India is against war but also underscored the need for strength to ensure peace and asserted that its growing power boosts the chances of global peace and prosperity. India stands for peace and has always ...

Ayodhya Deepotsav makes new world record by lighting over 1.5 mn diyas

A new Guinness World Record for the 'largest display of oil lamps' was set when more than 15.76 lakh earthen lamps were lit at the 'Ram ki Paidi' during Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya

Diwali an occasion to strengthen harmony, says President Droupadi Murmu

On the eve of Diwali, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday extended greetings to fellow citizens

Delhi, Bengal consume most sweets in India; Rajasthan top consumer of papad

In 2021, the sweet market in India stood at Rs 58,900 crore

Long-term investors should invest in gold through SGBs, say experts

Those who desire liquidity should opt for a gold ETF having low expense ratio and high volume

Shoppers Stop posts net profit of Rs 18 cr in Q2; revenue jumps 59%

Shoppers Stop reported a 60% jump in its second-quarter revenue on rebounding demand for clothes and shoes even as its move to spend heavily on fresh stock ahead of the festive season pressured profit

Festivities push FMCG sales up 11% in first two weeks of October

Sales were down in September due to weak rural demand

Bank of Maharashtra slashes home loan rate to 8% as part of festive offer

State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) on Sunday announced a cut in interest rate on home loans to 8 per cent as part of its festive offer. The bank currently offers home loans starting at 8.3 per cent. The rate varies depending on the borrower's credit score. The Pune-based lender has also slashed interest rate on personal loans to 8.9 per cent from the existing 11.35 per cent effective Monday (October 17, 2022), BoM said in a statement. The lender has already waived processing fee for its gold, home and car loans under the 'Diwali Dhamaka' offer. By introducing this offer, the bank is offering one of the lowest interest rates in retail loans, especially home and personal loans, in the banking industry. Market leader State Bank of India (SBI) and mortgage lender HDFC Ltd are offering discounted interest rates on home loans beginning at 8.40 per cent. At a time when interest rates are rising across the spectrum in line with the rising policy rates, BoM is making retail loans cheap

India festival spending booms despite inflation worries, global slowdown

Online and offline sales during the Hindu festival period starting in the last week of September and lasting until early November are estimated to cross $27 billion

Liquidity slips into deficit on high credit growth, festival loan demand

Banks face pressure to raise deposits; weighted average call rate highest in 3 years

Understand conditions that can render warranty void before buying a product

Buy an extended warranty only if there is no duplication vis-a-vis manufacturer's warranty

Festival season may bring cheer to IPO market, say investment bankers

Rs 9,000 crore worth of issues lined up over the next six weeks

Railways set out special trains to manage extra rush till Chhath Puja

Major destinations throughout the country would be connected by 179 pairs of special trains on rail routes including Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Bhagalpur, Delhi-Muzaffarpur, and Delhi-Saharsa

Realme announces festive days sale, discount on smartphones, laptops, IoT

Realme Festive Days sale is live on its website, Flipkart, Amazon and mainline channels. Here are the details

8 dead, several missing after flash floods during idol immersion in Bengal

At least eight persons drowned and several others were feared missing, after they were swept away due to flash floods in the Mal river in Jalpaiguri district during idol immersion on the occasion of 'Vijayadashami', a senior official said. The incident took place in the evening when hundreds of people gathered on the banks of the Mal river to participate in the immersion ceremony. "All of a sudden, flash floods struck and people were swept away. So far, eight bodies have been recovered, and we have rescued around 50 people," Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Moumita Godara told PTI. "The search and rescue operations are underway and being carried out by teams of the NDRF, SDRF, police and local administration, she said.

Scarred by boycotts, ad industry treads cautiously this festival season

Experts say brands must evaluate if their social messaging is only oriented towards catching eyeballs

What impact does culture have on an economy? A paper tries to answer

And what is the impact of economic policies on culture? The paper calls for more research

Stock market closed today for Dussehra; all trading holidays for 2022

The stock market in India will remain closed today for Dussehra

Banks divert gold supply from India to China, Turkey ahead of festivals

Gold-supplying banks have cut back shipments to India ahead of major festivals in favour of focusing on China, Turkey, and other markets where better premiums are offered

Bank holiday: In October, banks will remain closed for total 21 days

Starting today (October 3), the banks in some cities will remain closed for the entire week because of festivals