Mysuru:  With Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, being celebrated from tomorrow, heavy rush was observed in city markets this morning with people buying puja articles. Rush was also seen in cloth shops and sweetmeat stalls. But not many were seen at cracker stalls in J.K. Grounds and other places as rains for the last couple of days have literally dampened the spirit of people. 

Also, people seem to have become aware of pollution by burning crackers and thus have refrained from lavish spending on crackers. Most of the owners of cracker stalls posed a pensive look, being apprehensive over poor earnings with rain playing spoilsport.

There was not much increase in prices of fruits and vegetables. Price of chrysanthemum (sevanthige) flower, the popular variety for the festival, saw a little jump with a standard length going at Rs. 50 or Rs. 60. The price of the same flower had nosedived recently to around Rs. 20 owing to a glut.