• Less crowd in traditional markets in city that are usually teeming with buyers and animal sellers
• Traders report lack of sales during COVID times; even regular customers shying to come out for open trade

Mysore/Mysuru: With less than 10 days to go for Bakrid, bleating of goats has been resonating in the cyber world and WhatsApp groups these days where animals are being sold on various digital platforms. 

The festival that falls on July 31 (Government holiday on Aug. 1) is likely to be a low-key affair, thanks to COVID-19 pandemic. Bakrid is known as the ‘Festival of Sacrifice’. A week or a fortnight before the festival, sheep sale usually begins in city.

The road next to Bannimantap Grounds near the LIC Circle or Millennium Circle is usually full with flocks of sheep grazing on the green patches on the road edges and circles. The place turns to a sheep pen with traders coming from far off villages to sell sheep and buyers haggling with them to buy the healthiest animal for a the best price.  They then take the sacred animal to their homes, feed them well and sacrifice the animal on the day of Bakrid. Other sheep markets in city are located in Rajivnagar Circle, Shanthinagar and Milad Bagh. 

Buyers avoiding crowd

This year, however, COVID has changed the way Bakrid is celebrated. Sheep buyers are avoiding crowds and are instead trading virtually on social media platforms where images of healthy sheep is circulated along with the contact number of the sheep owner. With the authorities likely to restrict physical sheep sale due to social distancing norms, the online market is offering a platform for buyers and sellers. 

From WhatsApp groups to websites, the animals are available at prices starting at Rs. 10,000 and going up to Rs. 1 lakh. “Since a week is left for Bakrid, there are remote chances of physical sales this year due to the COVID crisis. There are fewer takers for traditional markets in Mysuru due to the pandemic. That’s why we have shifted to WhatsApp for sheep sales,” Pavan, a sheep merchant, told Star of Mysore last evening. 

Regular customer base

The animals are usually brought from places like Bannur, Srirangapatna, Maddur, Chamarajanagar, Chinakurali,

Pandavapura, Mandya, Kodagu and Vijayapura and also from neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Pavan owns 13 Bannur sheep. “Since there is no traditional market, I am dependent on WhatsApp. I have a list of regular customers and I send photos of sheep and the price too. I have already sold sheep for Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1 lakh. But the sale has been hit this year and I could sell only eight sheep so far. Last year I had sold over 100 sheep,” he said. 

As per norms, the sacrificial goats and sheep should be in good health and free from any disability, diseases and injuries and must be at least one year old. They must be purchased a few days before the sacrifice and must be properly fed and well cared for in the intervening days.

20 percent advance online 

Several dedicated WhatsApp groups have been created for the purpose and once the deal is finalised, the payment is made online and the animal is delivered to the doorstep of the purchaser. One can even book a sheep or a goat by paying 20 percent advance online and the rest on delivery.

The trade is, however, not completely online. There are a few takers for traditional markets too. Sheep trader Nasir Hussain from Doddabaagilu in T. Narasipur Taluk said that last year, he had sold over 300 sheep and goats in Mysuru and Bengaluru. 

This year, he has brought some of his animals to the Millennium Circle. “I have been here since the last one week and so far I could only sell only 20 animals. Last year, there were buyers who came to my sheep pen in T. Narasipur to purchase animals. This year the scene is bad,” he rued. 

Ravi, a trader from Mallegowdanakoppalu near Yelwal, said “I had sold 15 animals in just two hours at the Millennium Circle. So far there are no takers for my animals and whoever comes here bargains for half the price of animals. My sheep costs anywhere between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 40,000 but they are asking for Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 20,000. It is a loss for me,” he said.