Stall on popular Hyderabad buildings a big hit at exhibition

Hyderabad: A stall showcasing models of popular buildings in the city that opened on Tuesday was the latest crowd-puller at the All India Industrial Exhibition ‘Numaish’ being held at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds since January 1.

The R&B (roads and buildings) department’s stall has detailed models of Martyr’s Memorial, Anees-Ul-Gurba, Jamia Nizamia Auditorium, Raj Bhavan, Integrated Command & Control Centre and Press Academy, with the new Secretariat building being the biggest hit.

The expo, which is in full flow, continues to attract huge crowds throughout the week. However, stall owners had mixed feelings about the 2023 edition.

Hyder Ali of Rajasthan, who runs a stall that sells Rajasthani footwear, said that the sale was not up to the expected level this year, despite displaying around 180 types of footwear.

A few stall owners said that even as sales were low, they were satisfied with the regularity in timings when compared to the previous year, when Covid-19 curbs left them reeling from losses.

Rohit Sharma of Ludhiana in Punjab, who is running a dress materials stall, said that the exhibition remains a huge crowd-puller, especially during the weekend. But, he noted that most of them were just visiting the stall but not buying much.

A dry-fruits stall owner, Nazeer Ahmed of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, said he has been participating in the exhibition for over 30 years. Besides dry fruits, he sells varieties of spices and homemade honey, all from his hometown.

Newcomers like Pramod Pande of Lucknow were more enthusiastic in their responses. “I have come here for the first time and got an experience to understand the market and the demands of the people for clothing and designs. I will plan accordingly for next year,” said Pande.

Small-scale businesses said that the exhibition was an excellent platform to increase their outreach.

Start-ups under government-subsidised schemes, such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), helped shine the spotlight on small-scale business owners from Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, among others.

Sai Jyothi of Nampally in Hyderabad, who is selling handmade herbal soaps and cosmetics, said that the exhibition will increase her outreach and also help her understand the market demands to expand her business.

The exhibition will continue for another three weeks, till February 15.