Everyone in the city is gearing up for Diwali

Crowded, busy bazaars in Old Delhi, flower mandis on the city’s borders, sightless candle-makers – everyone in the city is gearing up for Diwali!

Kinari Bazaar (or Dariba Khurd) in Old Delhi never pauses for breath. The narrow lane which opens into the silver market of Dariba Kalan crawls with animal, vehicular and human traffic.

All that glitters: Kinari Bazaar in Old Delhi sells all things bright and sparkly at a cheaper rate than elsewhere. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times)(Hindustan Times)

(Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Chaina Ram claims to cut no corners when it comes to the ghee, milk and nuts used in its preparations. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Heavenly insistence: Chaina Ram’s insistence on maintaining quality could be one of the reasons of its inevitable demise. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Above: Hari Gidwani, one of the fifth generation of family owners running Chaina Ram (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

(Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Changing tastes: Dinesh Chawla of Lahore Dry Fruits says the demand for dry fruits has gone down with new kinds of sweets available. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

A goldsmith soldering gold in the frame of a necklace. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The young and the old: Umang Gupta, a trained gemologist, is the youngest member of his family to run Shri Ram Hari Ram Jewellers (which has no brances) in Dariba Kalan. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Queen Victoria on silver coins, a ‘different’ offering this season. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Last year the candles fetched ₹90 lakh at the Diwali bazaar that Blind School organises every year. (Photo by Ravi Choudhary/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

(Photo by Ravi Choudhary) (Hindustan Times)

Vendors spend the three days between Dhanteras and Diwali at the mandi itself, selling flowers 24x7 (Photo by Ravi Choudhary/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

(Photo by Ravi Choudhary) (Hindustan Times)