Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Yoga mats, T-shirts and scarves worth more than Rs 10 lakh were sold in the city ahead of International Day of Yoga this year. The big push to yoga by the government and the trend of organising mass yoga performance on International Day of Yoga has led to a big jump in sales of yoga-related items, say traders.
Madhya Pradesh Sant Ravidas Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation alone has sold yoga carpets and stoles worth more than Rs 60,000 in last one week.
Yoga mats made of cotton with Bagh designs were available at Mrignayani stores in Delhi, Noida, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jabalpur, Khajuraho, Gwalior and Raipur besides Bhopal, said Corporation official Sudesh Shrivastava .
Shivendra Singh, incharge of Mrignayani Emporium on Hamidia Road, said they sold silk scarves worth Rs 40,000 and 10,000 mats made of jute. “We got demand for silk scarves known as angavastra in bulk from a government office from Jabalpur to gift to guests,” he said.
Emporium incharge at Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited in Bittan Market, Om Prakash Oswal said that TRIFED got 34,000 yoga mats made by tribal artisans ahead of Yoga Day. “They are being sold through our outlets all over the country,” he said.
According to Mrignaynee Emporium manager at Gauhar Mahal Arvind Sharma, people bought cotton bedsheets measuring 4x6 feet as a substitute for mats. “People also prefer bedsheets for yoga exercises. We got its demand from a minister on Yoga Day,” Sharma said.
The manager of Kohli Sports Enterprise Jawahar Chowk said they sold 1,500 yoga T-shirts and 200 mats. Khempal of Haryana Sports, Jawahar Chowk, said police personnel bought plain white T-shirts from them. The shop sold 80 yoga mats. Gauri Shanker Yadav of Yadav Sports in New Market said they sold 300 mats and 10 pieces of T-shirts in a day.
