Clothing stall owner C. Krishnaveni (left) recommending some traditional Indian outfits to customers Katrina Tiew, 38, and her husband Edwin Lau, 43, who were shopping for their two young children at a Deepavali expo in Taman Sutera Utama, Johor Baru.
JOHOR BARU: Ready-made saree and Punjabi suits are some of the Indian attire that are a hit among other races who want to join in the Deepavali festivities.
Katrina Tiew, 38, and her husband Edwin Lau, 43, were some of the shoppers seen browsing from the wide selection of colourful outfits at a Deepavali expo.
“This is our first time buying traditional Indian clothing for our six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter.
“We have bought them traditional Malay outfits for previous Hari Raya celebrations and decided to dress them up for the Festival of Lights this time round.
“We want to expose them to the various cultures we have in Malaysia and take this opportunity to teach them about why Deepavali is being celebrated,” said the housewife when met at a shopping mall in Taman Sutera Utama here.
After looking around at different booths, Tiew said she bought one outfit for each child, including the pattu pavadai, a traditional dress made up of a blouse and skirt.
“The stall owner was kind enough to show me how to put on the outfits for my children. It was a good learning experience for me, too,” she added.
One of the booth operators K. Dilasya said there was a large multiracial crowd at the expo as it was the final weekend before Deepavali, which falls on Thursday.
“We are always happy to see Chinese and Malay customers shopping for Indian attire and we will usually take time to give them our recommendations.
“Festive celebrations are a good occasion for us to learn about each others’ cultures and foster stronger ties,” she said.
