{
  "id": 18233608,
  "title": "Singapore shoppers make a beeline for Johor's Little India bazaar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/singapore-shoppers-make-a-beeline-for-johors-little-india-bazaar",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-05T02:27:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/11/1571215/singapore-shoppers-make-beeline-johors-little-india-bazaar"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The annual Deepavali bazaar held in Johor Baru's Little India has attracted both local shoppers and visitors from Singapore in search of traditional snacks, clothing, and festive items. Situated in the city centre, near the Johor Causeway, the bazaar has become a favored destination for Singaporeans looking to stock up on a variety of goods ahead of the festival. Among the wide array of products available are traditional snacks, clothing, home decorations, and women's accessories.\n\nOne regular visitor, 78-year-old T. Murthy, commended the bazaar for offering an extensive selection of traditional snacks, such as muruku, which are made by hand and are significantly more affordable than those found in Singapore. Murthy and his family make a yearly pilgrimage to the city to purchase these snacks during Deepavali.\n\nThe bazaar also serves as a symbol of unity, with visitors from different communities utilizing the opportunity to shop and observe the festive preparations. Clothing trader S. Candrika, 39, noted that her stall selling Punjabi attire appealed not only to members of the local Indian community but also to shoppers from various ethnic backgrounds. She explained that some customers purchase traditional Punjabi clothes to wear when visiting Indian friends, while others buy them for events with an Indian traditional theme.\n\nTrader J. Sathis, 31, mentioned that unpredictable weather and occasional rain in recent weeks had impacted businesses somewhat. However, he remains optimistic that the number of visitors will continue to rise as the festival approaches on Sunday.",
  "summary": "JOHOR BARU: The annual Deepavali bazaar in Johor Baru's Little India has drawn local shoppers and visitors from Singapore seeking traditional snacks, clothing and other festive goods.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}