International pavilions at the trade fair are giving tough competition to desi retailers. Neeti Nigam reports
She has everything that a woman would want. Deep black eyes, spotless complexion and an hour-glass figure. But alas! We aren’t talking about reality here, for such perfection can only be artificial. This was a doll that was a major crowd-puller at the Thailand pavilion of the 34th India International Trade Fair (IITF). Thai head accessories are a major hit in this canopy.
A walk at the ongoing fair reveals that technology has certainly taken over tradition and even regional stalls have gone a step ahead in their presentations. like a fat Indian wedding or Durga puja pandals, the decorations are becoming more and more lavish each year. While Tamil Nadu rides high on the exquisite stone work, Odisha’s sand artiste is a head turner with his creations.
Though the state pavilions have a fair share of buyers, the real surge is at the international pavilion (hall number 18).At the Thai pavilion, Jessica, a salesgirl is busy responding to the queries, mostly of senior citizens, about the multipurpose herbal oil.
“It has menthol, eucalyptus and other herbs to relive you from pain,” she says breathlessly. While hair accessories, bags, artificial flowers, gems and jewellery are selling like hotcakes, Thai’s deep wood carving is eye-catching, too (the range for a small jewellery box starts from Rs2,000 and goes up to whopping Rs80,000).
As we enter the Iran stall, sweet and woodsy aroma wafts into the way. The Iranians have mostly rich dry fruits to offer along with saffron which is selling at a price of Rs300 per gram. While Thais could speak in broken English, Iran sellers take help of Indian salesmen who were efficient enough to bargain with the buyers.
About 25 countries have participated this time. Turkey, as usual, is the centre of attraction. The stall is jazzed up with mirror-studded lamps and plates. A few years back, their customary evil eye was limited to jewellery, now it is in the lamps and dresses too.
The next hot destination is Pakistan. Call it the channel Zindagi’s impact or the exhibitions by Pakistani designers, the import from across the border is a smashing hit. The suits range from Rs1,500 to 80,000! Their cotton dresses’ demand has been growing. Crowds are particularly asking for outfits shown on television.
Fashion designer Seema says, “I showcased my work recently at Alishan Pakistan exhibition and the response was so encouraging that I had to come back. My palazzo pants are appreciated the most. Because of the channel, people know what is in vogue in my country,” says she. While she has got an amazing audience, for designer Afsana Salam, it is all about “window shopping”. “I see no purchasing power,” she says adding, “Women are just taking pictures and copying my designs. I wish I could block photography here.”
While Salam can’t help avoiding curious buyers and their smartphones, South Africa pavilion has already banned photography.The country has come up with limited items of wooden handicraft, glass and steel showpieces. What is worth picking up is their traditional figurine that represents Xhosa women who adorns colourful beaded jewellery.
We walk towards the last stall which should be credited as the real showcase of the country. The one-horned heavy and three feet long wooden rhino is attractive, but its craftsman is probably far more interesting.
“Most of this work is done on iron wood or lead wood,” says lameck Gold Mlingo who finds difficult to justify price to most customers. “There are a lot of intricacies involved in this work. We try to get close to nature by using tools, I try to carve the layers of their skin,” he says.
The price of the rhino is Rs1,50,000. He points out at a piece which he has named the marriage bond. “In 1996 I was disturbed by the news that President Mandela was getting divorced. I felt the pain as if it was my marriage. I read a lot on this subject and I came up with the idea of carving a marriage bond. The outer circle of this art shows a man protecting the woman who is in the inner circle. If a man does not protect his wife anybody can trespass and bring a separation between them. Even though he protects her, he must not suppress her because she is not under his feet. The man must put a three layer foundation and then the woman builds on this foundation,” he says.
photos Sanjeev Kumar