Bhopal News: Despite ‘Buy Swadeshi’ Call, Chinese Decorative Items Flood Diwali Market

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite the renewed ‘Buy Swadeshi’ appeal, Bhopal’s Diwali markets are once again flooded with Chinese-made decorative items. From plastic flowers and wall hangings to bulbs and string lights, nearly every product lining the festive stalls bears a “Made in China” tag.

This year, there are no visible ‘boycott China’ calls — a shift that has helped boost the sale of imported items. Shopkeepers say that even during years when tensions were high between India and China, the boycott calls made little difference.

“Earlier, finished products used to be imported from China. Then they started importing raw material and making the final product here,” explained Rajeev, a shopkeeper selling golden and earthen-coloured plastic diyas fitted with small bulbs.

At New Market, Ravi, another shopkeeper dealing in fairy lights and colourful bulbs, said customers focus more on appearance and price than origin. “No one asks whether any product is Chinese or Indian or Korean or whatever. People just want items that are decent to look at, are cheap and they work. In any case, Diwali decorative items are not meant to last for years. If they look and work fine for one season, it’s paisa wasool,” he said.

Praveen, who sells series lights priced at Rs 400 and Rs 600, openly admitted that his products were Chinese. “Ab to relations theek hain. Koi protest bhi nahin hai,” he remarked. About the ‘Buy Swadeshi’ slogan, he added, “Kitabon mein chal raha hai,” noting that buyers rarely ask about the origin of goods.

In contrast, Ajay, who sells 36-foot-long series lights for Rs 70, claimed his products were from Japan. “I keep neither Chinese goods nor Swadeshi items,” he said with a shrug.

At a shop in Shahpura, Arjun said sales of decorative and lighting items usually pick up four to five days before Diwali. When asked if his goods were Chinese, he smiled and said, “Same as past years… sabko sab pata hai.”

Honey, who sells plastic flowers and wall hangings, summed it up bluntly: “Goods are coming from China. There is no problem.” He added that only two in ten customers ask for Indian goods—“for others, it doesn’t matter.”