“Shopping hote rehti, mask pehenna zaroori hai” (Shopping can continue, but wearing a mask is important), emphasises a face mask vendor stationed outside the Ajante Gate at the Nampally exhibition grounds urging customers waiting to attend the ‘Numaish’ to mask up.
Even though many buy the masks from the vendors outside the exhibition, once they got hold of the entry tickets and set foot inside the venue, most of them discard their masks in the dustbins nearby.
Numaish, or as it is officially labelled, the 83rd All India Industrial Exhibition, is the annual shopping carnival of Hyderabad that draws buyers and sellers from across Telangana.
Such is its fame that families are known to plan their visits to the city during this month-long shopping fiesta. It is a routine that regulars know, like the back of their hand, the exact location of the shop selling saffron, the best stall to buy bedsheets, or the place to find piping hot snacks.
Shoppers’ trick
A unique trait of the regular shoppers at this expo is that they do not rush to the venue during the first few days when the traders race to set up shop amid the clamour of many labourers working on erecting the stalls.
Ashok, a visitor, says, “We make it a tradition to attend Numaish three times during the 45-day fete. Initially, we come to soak in the experience. Then, make a round of visits for window shopping and to explore potential purchases. And finally, during the exhibition’s closing days, when vendors provide discounts to clear their stock—that’s when the majority of our purchases happen.”
“The experience has always been good in Hyderabad, but this year, until now, the purchase has not been up to the mark. The public is coming, but they are not purchasing,” says Rizwan of ‘Bollywood Suits’ from Chandigarh, who has seen the business boom over the past decade.
The diverse crowd, spanning from late teens to late fifties, explored the products exhibited to savour the Numaish experience.
One visitor mentioned the improved mobile network and internet this year, allowing seamless UPI payments. However, another visitor expressed dissatisfaction with Numaish still not accepting UPI for the entry ticket purchase.
Delving deeper into the exhibition, one could discover the Makhdoomia dry fruits stall, with Makhdoom, the owner coming from Kashmir, sharing a rich legacy.
He says, “About 60 years ago, my father was the first person from Kashmir to set up a stall at the Numaish, and we have been continuing the legacy.” Makhdoom adds that in those days, visitors were unfamiliar with dry fruits and saffron, but now, customers specifically seek out their stall to purchase these items.
History of nearly nine decades
The exhibition began as a two-day event on October 14 and 15, 1938, in Hyderabad. Sir Akbar Hydari, then Prime Minister of Hyderabad State, while inaugurating the Mulki Industries Exhibition at Public Gardens, urged students to contribute to national reconstruction.
‘Be prepared always to advance the interests of the State without any distinction of caste or creed and to leave no stone unturned to explore the economic resources,’ said the then Prime Minister.
The first exhibition had 100 exhibitors, attracting about 50,000 visitors, with sales exceeding one lakh rupees. Today, the exhibition boasts of hosting 2,400 stalls.
