Mini Numaish – 'Festival Mela' is on in Nampally

Hyderabad: Following the 80-year-old tradition, the All-India Industrial Exhibition (AIIE) is organising a 20-day Mini Numaish named 'Festival Mela' at Exhibition Grounds, Nampally, from October 11.

Every year Numaish is held from January 1 to February 15 with around 2,500 stalls displaying items like textile, handlooms, handicrafts, healthcare products, home appliances, food and Kashmiri dry fruits. The stall holders are from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and West Bengal to Gujarat.

At the beginning of 2021 the AIIE had decided not to conduct the exhibition until things get back to normal. Speaking to The Hans India, AIIE society secretary Prabha Shankar said, "as things have got back to normal, we have decided to conduct a 20-day exhibition named 'Festival Mela' coinciding with Dasara and Diwali festivals. Our original stall holders are being invited to participate in small numbers. Around 300 are expected to participate in the mela." Many things have been taken into consideration to avoid the spread of Covid like 'no mask no entry'. Sanitisation points are installed at the entrance and digital temperature meters have been put up. Wide space has been provided by expanding roads for people to walk freely while following social distancing norms.

"There will be no reduction in rent of stalls as it is observed that the stall holders are capable of coping up with amounts. In fact, they are waiting for Numaish to begin because their entire livelihood of one year is based on the earnings from the exhibition. Thousands of people get employed at the exhibition, which help them survive," he added.