Budget shoppers in Noida are turning to the city’s very own ‘Majnu Ka Tila’ for their winter shopping. This winter, the Tibetan Market set up in Sector 33 is registering a high demand for traditional Himalayan woollens. From shawls and coats to mufflers and cardigans, the market offers a variety of winter clothes that the sellers claim are made of authentic Himalayan wool and are selling like hot cakes . The Himalayan Buddhist exhibition-cum-sale is being set up in Noida for the past 13 years. The sellers come specially from Himachal Pradesh for the sale, which is set up from December 1 till February 12, every year.The market is hosted by two groups – Lhasa Tibetan Association and Himalayan Tibetan Association. While the items on display at the Lhasa Tibetan part are more of western wears, the ones at the Himalayan Tibetan side are more of authentic Tibetan woollens.A Tibetan woolen shawl ranges from `310 to `710 while ponchos, cardigans and pullovers are priced between `500 and `1,100. The woolen caps and gloves can be bought for prices as low as `150. “I generally shop in bulk from this market as the clothes are available at cheaper rates here. I get a good bargain here. While the styles and patterns are unique, materials are of good quality and keep you warm,” says Vishal Kumar, a resident of Sector 27.Tsewang Dolkar, a seller, says, “A traditional yak wool shawl costs anywhere between `1,500 and `2,000. Here, we have shawls made from yak wool mixed with synthetic wool, which makes the prices go down to `500 to `1,000. The quality is almost the same but the prices are low, which make it a popular choice among shoppers.”“Earlier, we used to sell more jackets and pullovers made out of synthetic wool since they were cheaper. The woollens made of authentic Tibetan wool was limited to caps and gloves only since they were not selling much,” says Cherin Lamo, a seller from Shimla, adding that since the last year, the demand for traditional Tibetan shawls, cardigans and coats has increased. “The ponchos are a hit too.”“The number of young shoppers has increased. Many come from the nearby PGs. A lot of students also come to our stalls,” says Pema Phunstok, another seller. “The younger crowd uses more of credit cards rather than paying cash. After demonetization, we have started to keep card swiping machines and accept payments through apps, making it easy for the shoppers,” adds Tsering Pa, another seller.The spike in the number of youngsters coming to the Tibetan market in Noida can also be attributed to the popularity of tourism at Tibetan colonies in Dharamshala and Leh Ladakh. “I was waiting for this annual market to come to the city, ever since I went to Ladakh last year on a trip. We could not do any shopping there because of the time crunch but I had planned to do it here and was not disappointed at all,” says Shubhra Dogra , a resident of Sector 19. “When I had gone to McLeodganj last year, I was fascinated by the bright abstract prints on the woollens available there. However, as it is a tourist spot, the prices were much higher there, so I didn’t shop much from there. But, at the Tibetan Market in Noida, I have found what I was looking for at a fairly cheaper price,” says Renu Gupta, a resident of Sector 49.Chwang Nugdup, a seller, tells us, “A shopper came recently with the picture of a Tibetan woman wearing a colourful poncho and asked for a similar cardigan. We gave her a couple of options and she selected accordingly.” Geetika Bharti, a resident of Sector 36, adds, “I have been coming here for the past five years to shop for winter clothes. I feel the collection available here is very different from what we get in the malls.” Another seller Lakh Pa from Dharamshala, says, “There are a couple of shoppers whom I know since the past ten years. We give them discounts and keep some of the best designs for them. Since we know them for so long, they are almost like family.”

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