E-bikes from China, selfie with Gandhi and Aiye Baniye Udyogpati, to encourage Make in India initiative, are few of the unique highlights of the 35th India International Trade Fair. Riya Sharma took a tour and discovered that this year’s focus is to attract investors and traders from all over India
If you’ve been a Dilliwalla since forever, it is that time of the year again when you can’t stop reminiscing about the kiddie days when the mothers would dress you up and the family would embark on a round of the new stalls set up at the Pragati Maidan fair. Many of us would await the day because it was sort of a mini-picnic if the cousins would join in or maybe you get to pick a fascinating toy, stationary or some other tit-bits from the stalls. The memory also remains intact thanks to the ever gorgeous looking pavilion which also enlightened us about the geography, culture and the tradition of various states even before we visited them.
Our excitement knew no bounds when we re-visited Pragati Maidan to have a look around the ongoing 35th India International Trade Fair.
While taking a stroll, we could hear beating of drums coming from a distant end. When we decided to follow them, we knew that we were somewhere near the Maharashtra pavilion. At least, 20 drum beaters, clad in orange kurtas, raised the temperature of the fair and turned all eyes towards them. For a second, we felt as if we had landed in Mumbai during the time of Bappa’s visarjan (immersion). After we were greeted by a grand welcome walking on a red carpet followed by quick lessons in the history of Indian cinema, we knew we had taken the right route.
Inspired by the Make in India initiative, Mohan, spokesperson, told us that the purpose of it is to provide opportunities. “We are focussing on Make in Maharashtra initiative, where we are we are inviting all traders and industrialists to invest in Maharashtra. We will provide them the infrastructure and space,” he shared. He added, “As Bollywood is the main source of revenue generation, the installation of the design illustrates the nature of entertainment industry as being manpower intensive and providing scope for employment. The 20th century also saw Bollywood’s transformation with upgraded technology and techniques using 3D, special effects and satellite technology.”
What we liked most about the pavilion was the setup of Kaun Banega Crorepati re-created as Aiye Baniye Udyogpati. The information regarding traders would be displayed on the screen.
The next thing which caught our eye was the demonstration of spinning yarn and charkha in the pavilion by Khadi and Village Industries Commission. While we were appreciating the efforts by the Ministry to bring various crafts and khadi from all over the country, we were stunned by the caption that read, ‘Selfie with Gandhiji’. The generation which is crazy over a single click of selfie looked surprised and was excited to get a selfie with the Father of the Nation. “The idea is to attract youth, to imbibe the feeling of nationalism and connect them with Gandhiji. We want them to know about khadi, charkha and the freedom movement,” said the pavilion in-charge.
After khadi, new technological innovations were on our must-see list and what better place than a quick tour of China’s pavilionIJ As we walked in, the final preparations were still in progress but there was one stall which was over-crowded. We were surprised by the size of the battery cycles which were on display. They looked somewhat like our battery-operated rickshaws but the difference here was that — these are used for transporting couriers in China. “It is called Quai di in China and through this fair, we are looking for traders in India. We hope to bring these e-bikes in India within two months. The price is affordable as less as `3,000 without batteries,” said Suo, Naiguang, sales manager.
Drained after walking around, we decided to hop into the Tripura pavilion at the last moment simply because of its majestic setup. It is a small pavilion but has everything — from furniture to their famous tea. While entering, we saw some uniquely-designed sofa sets and trollies carved out of bamboo and when we asked the director of the pavilion, S Chakrovorty explained, “We are focussing on rubber, bamboo and thermal power. The sofa set, chair and trolley is made using rubber, wood and bamboo. The base of the trolley is made of bamboo whereas the other parts have been carved from rubber and wood.” Showing one of the lamps, he told us, “These are also made up of bamboo but the bulb inside which works using thermal energy.” These are just few of the unique concepts that we came across. We are sure that there are many unexplored pavilion and stalls that you all can discover. But get into those walking shoes to save your feet from blisters due to all the walking around.
photos Sanjeev Kumar