DADAR REMAINS one of Mumbai’s most sought-after markets for Diwali shopping—and this year is no different. Over the past few weeks, weekends have seen barely any space for people to walk, and weekdays leading up to the festival aren’t much calmer either. Shoppers from across the city throng the lanes to buy decor, pooja items, rangoli material, mithai, dry fruits, flowers and clothes. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO

Catering to them are not just Dadar’s permanent shopkeepers but also hawkers and temporary stall owners who travel far and wide for the season.

Among them is Jyoti, a woman in her late 20s who has come all the way from Solapur to stay with her paternal aunt in Virar. Every afternoon, she takes a train to Dadar with a basket full of decorative items balanced on her head. She pa

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