09-03-2010, 12:10 PM
SWABI: The business community and booksellers admitted here Thursday that the Eid greeting cards business has been dying down with the availability of the E-card service and sending SMS service by the cellphone companies. Both e-cards and SMS could be easily sent by the people to the members of their families and friends across the world. Frequently it happened that the people wait for the sighting of the Shawwal moon and soon after the announcement of the central Ruet-i-Hilal committee they continued to send Eid greeting SMS to their friends and families members. Eid greetings continued on Eid day and following day as well by the people and the SMS is the quickest and less expensive, using by the people for the last few years.* The booksellers said that usually it happened that they hired extra servant, especially for selling of the Eid cards. They said that the Eid cards selling gained momentum after 15th Ramazan and it had remained in full swing till the end of the Eid while the Pakistan post services gave special instructions to the people to dispatch their cards in time. Every body from the government to the people was involved. The booksellers said that gone are the days when the people were sending the Eid cards, keeping in mind that they should reach before the Eid and it came into seen that the people started receiving the Eid greeting cards about four/five day earlier of the Eid. "In fact there was great value of Eid cards. Any body received that was a genuine source of happiness," said Ihsan Khan, a bookseller. "Now, there is no such spirit among the people." The free SMS and low package offered by the cellphone companies has made it possible for the people to go for easy greetings. All the companies have offered massive discounts on SMS and they are expected to announce special packages for the Eidul Fitr. "I could send 2900 free SMS till next two week then why I should go for ending the greeting cards. I could greet my friends and family members without spending a single penny," Muhammad Aamir Khan of Maneri Bala. People said that the Eid cards are no longer having a special value among the people and they were replaced by the SMS and E-card service.