Imphal, December 22: If Christmas is near then can the Christmas shoppers be far away.

Ideally Thangal bazar and Paona bazar, the two main markets which boast of such upmarket shops as Mannikunj, Nannis and the eternal favorites Bluebell not to speak of the second hand markets or rather flea market should be attracting buyers by the minute.

But no, thanks to the acute financial, which has got a vice like grip on the State's economy for the last many years, though the Yuletide is knocking at our doors Imphal city rings loud with empty streets.

Proprietors of all fixed price shops sat idle surrounded by a few bored salesmen throughout the day as no customers came forward to make a purchase.

Owners and employees alike said that this year's sale has been pitiful not even touching fifty percent of the sale they made last year at this time of the year.

Shops selling electrical items and grocery too painted a very grim picture.

In years gone by, Imphal city, especially Paona bazar and Thangal bazar was choc-a-bloc with Christmas shoppers, especially from the hills who would come down to Imphal to purchase gifts for their near and dear ones.

However with Churachandpur and Ukhrul becoming nodal points during the last few years, it makes more economic sense for the hill people to shop at these hill capitals rather than venture out to Imphal for Christmas shopping.

This is not to say that no shoppers from the hill districts have not descended on Imphal city for their Christmas shopping.

It is an interesting sight to see the well dressed and the suited and booted class as well as the 'tillers of the soil' head for such upmarket shops as Mannikunj, Blue Bell, Passions, Nannis etc to make their Christmas purchase.

This perhaps more than demonstrates why it is so hard to define the class stratification in Manipur! Proprietor of Blue Bell, Jaspal Singh told this reporter that this is one of the bleakest winters they have seen since the famous shopping line was opened in Manipur years back.

"This is one of the worst times we have seen in recent years and even though Christmas celebration is within .shaking hands distance, we have not been able to notch up sales at all.

In fact our record is so poor that the sale this year has not touched 50 percent of the business we did last year," he added.

Mannikunj which specializes in Park Avenue and which managed to notch up decent sales at this time of the year has definitely seen better times.

Liberty, a popular shoe, house in Thangal bazar which was thronged by shoppers at this time of the year in by gone days was deafeningly silent today.

Butchers too are feeling the pinch of the economic recession as hardly anyone has come forward for bulk purchase for Christmas celebration.

One butcher, whose meat was going to waste said, "We have definitely seen better days.

There was a time when we managed to sell over 20 kgs of pork in a single day.

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