Hyderabad: Approximately 20 lakh visitors turned up for this year’s ‘numaish’, the curtains for which came down here on a jam-packed Saturday. Although the popular year opener was to conclude on February 15 as per traditional norms, it was extended by three days this time around by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, much to the delight of eleventh-hour buyers and stall owners.
The All India Industrial Exhibition (AIIE) organised the 83rd edition of everyone’s ‘must visit’ numaish with patented diligence and acumen. It is an event that is filled with nostalgia for the city folk. As Ahmed Mirza, a resident of Mehdipatnam, recalls “for the past several years, one of the most exciting events on my annual calendar has been visiting the numaish. In fact, I wait the whole year for this 45-day extravaganza. I make around 15 visits each season. Going there with family and friends adds to the unique experience year on year.”
The organisers create platforms for new entrepreneurs and women, who are allotted a substantial number of stalls. This year, a group of students from Kerala approached the organisers seeking a stall for selling fresh chips from whose earnings they wished to pursue their education in the city. Incidentally, a new dimension was given this year by the exhibition society’s new president, D. Sridhar Babu, the minister for industries. Ameer Sarkar, a dress material stall owner from Kolkata, said “We had eight stalls in this exhibition. Most of us will stay back in the city till we sell all the material. Hyderabad gives us a lot of business each year.”
Incidentally, a good thing about numaish is that vendors selling wares outside the premises, mostly at the entrance, also do brisk business. This is especially for those selling popcorn, mirchi bajji, Agra peda, junk jewellery and toys.
