GUWAHATI, Dec 26 � Despite the rapid inroad by SMSs, e-mails and social networking sites among large sections of people in the past couple of years, the traditional way of conveying New Year�s greetings through cards has not lost its appeal.
Suffering a few years� downfall, the card industry is gradually showing some signs of resurgence, thanks to the new strategies adopted by the card makers, the preference of people is shifting from e-card and messages to the paper-cards which has physical existence.
The card shops of city are bedecked with varieties of greeting cards weeks before the Christmas. The new graphics, designing, vibrant colours, and embossed patterns are attracting the young and old alike.
The Archies Gallery of Silpukhuri has seen many ups and downs of the card industry in the 20 years of its existence. The persons associated with the gallery feel that whereas the past decade brought about a lean period for the New Years� greeting cards, the trend of card-giving is gaining popularity once again with the beginning of the new decade.
�This year, the sale is even better than last year. People of all the age groups are buying greeting cards weeks ahead of the New Year. In terms of designing also, the cards have improved a lot to cater to different sections and age groups of people,� said Dharani Das, manager of the gallery.
The gallery has New Year�s cards ranging between Rs 35 to Rs 175. Whereas the youngsters go for colourful Archies� cards, the corporate houses, social organizations and senior citizens prefer the charity cards from Help Age India, CRY and UNICEF, among others.
�The cards convey more warmth in comparison to emails and messages, though they are more expensive in comparison to the electronic options. I prefer to spend some time and money to wish New Year�s greetings to my closest friends and relatives,� said Purabi Kalita, a student.
The card companies are also targeting different sections of people through designing special cards with beautiful messages for them. �We have New Year�s cards for mother, father, grandparents, teachers, friends, spouse, brother, sisters. In a nutshell, anyone and everyone would find a card for expressing his or her feelings,� said Manasdeep Baisya, a card shop owner of Ulubari.
