Delhi: Cautious start to first trade fair of Covid era

NEW DELHI: On the first day of the 40th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan, exhibitors from across states and a few countries saw a gradual influx of visitors.
However, due to the pandemic, only nine countries turned up against the 23 participants in 2019. For the exhibitors from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and UAE, the event is of a major significance as it is being held after a one-year gap.
The key highlight was the participation of artisans at the Bihar stall, the event partner state, and at SARAS 2021 being organised by NIRD and Panchayati Raj.ITPO, the event’s organising agency, claimed that the fair would see the participation of over 1,500 artisans and 130 self-help groups (SHG) in sync with its theme “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
Artisans and SHGs from across 28 states displayed their items at the SARAS mela. Silk and cotton sarees from Odisha, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, bedsheets from Uttar Pradesh, Kantha sarees from West Bengal and bamboo art and water hyacinth products from Assam were displayed there by MSMEs.
Inside the newly inaugurated exhibition hall, the Bihar stall presented its traditional Madhubani, Manjusha and Sikki art forms on terracotta and textiles. “We have 41 stalls representing Bihar this year against 34 in 2019. We will have a live demonstration of Madhubani paintings by Dulari Devi, an artist from the lowest strata,” said Ashok Sinha, organising director.
Uttar Pradesh, a focus state at the fair, had 124 exhibitors from across its districts representing it as a brand. Among the 30 states and Union Territories, Nagaland and Karnataka did not turn up. Jharkhand was another focus state.
A few visitors were seen confused at the Hunar Haat pavilion of the ministry of minority affairs. All state and country stalls were scattered across the new exhibition halls 2, 3, 4 and 5. “The four halls are interconnected and appear like one big hall. It is difficult to figure out the stalls without any help,” said Seema Kumari, a visitor.
An exhibitor at the Turkey stall, Harulla Karpus, who had put up a display of handmade ceramic items, said, “The exhibition is hardly seeing visitors on Day 1 compared with past years. There are only three exhibitors from Turkey this year.”
There were 20 exhibitors from Afghanistan displaying dry fruits. The country’s exhibitors didn’t travel to India because of the travel restriction amid the political turmoil in their country. Maria and Khaliza, exhibitors at the Iran stall, were hopeful of selling their traditional gold-plated jewellery, but sale was low for them on Day 1.
There was a live performance of Fusion Yoga by practitioners from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, free medical consultation by experts of various Ayush streams and display of various food items promoting nutrition and good health at the pavilion of the ministry of Ayush. The activities revolved around the theme of holistic health. Various institutes and research bodies of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy streams had set up their counters in hall number 10.
While there were boards on display reiterating Covid-19 precautions, thermal detectors and sanitisers were not available at the entry gates. Many exhibitors and visitors were seen without masks.
Till Friday, the fair would be for B2B participants and open for the general public from Saturday. The price of entry passes would reduce to Rs 80-120 from Friday against the current Rs 500. More crowds are expected on the weekend.