Hyderabad: With ban on Numaish, traders find their own ways

Over, Numaish has come to be the annual shopping festival with loads of fun for entire families from all strata of the society. Lakhs in the city and from surrounding districts eagerly look forward to the shopping bonanzas that the Nampally Exhibition affords them, right at the beginning of year. Businesses and craftsmen and artists from across the country come and set up shops vie with one another to sell at discounts much to the glee of shoppers.

Though everything is available in the city, visiting Numaish gives a different feel and gives sense of being Hyderabadi. Walking around the exhibition, trip in the train, purchasing some unique products etc., is something longed for by all. Children love enjoying rides and games. Visiting with family was a good time during Numaish.

The news that there would not be Numaish this time around and a call on this would be taken at month-end has left both sellers and shoppers in despair.

The huge vacuum left by exhibition is being quickly, and rightly, seized upon by savvy businessmen looking for ways to offset the setbacks dealt by the pandemic-induced lockdown. The small-scale organisers are even taking care to include eateries and children play areas, creating a sort of exhibition ambience.

People seem to be game for such an offering and making beelines to such venues to purchase handicrafts, Rajasthani and Kashmiri dresses and jewelry etc. This has caught on. Now, several small expos or shopping festivals are being conducted on weekends at various places in the city – Mallepally, Malakpet, Mehdipatnam, Tolichowki, Darulshifa and several other areas in the city.

"On Saturday, I along with my family visited the shopping expo which was held for 2 days at Tolichowki, where we purchased some clothes, allowed children to play games etc. Yes we missed the Numaish josh this time," said Mohammed Ahmed, a resident of Vijay Nagar Colony.

Shopping festival organisers are using social media for the inviting people to visit their exhibition. Usually, such festivals used to be held during the month of Ramzan, but as the Numaish has been delayed they are being taken recourse to.

In coming days, several expos are being held including a mega 3-day Family Shopping Expo with more than 100 exhibitors from all over India. Such exhibitions include Karachi and Dubai dresses, abayas, imported jewelry and items, food courts, stage shows, games, late night shopping etc.

"We shall be selling fastfood including chat, burger, pizza and bakery items in the upcoming expo in King's Kohinoor Convention centre on Attapur road from January 11," said Fouzia Hussain, a resident of Shaheennagar.

Some vendors are hitting the road literally. SAeveral Kashmiris are setting up small shops at road corners and selling dry fruits in areas like Tolichowki, Mallepally, Nampally, Mehdipatnam and Malakpet.

"I used to sell dry fruits in Numaish, but since it got postponed. We have decided to sell them anyway and make some money. Some of us from Kashmir are in touch with the organisers of small expos that are coming up over the city, and are hopeful of doing some business there," says Nazish Gul, a Kashmiri selling dry fruits at Tolichowki.