The IITF 2011 - through my eyes

As the curtain rises on the India International Trade Fair - popularly known as IITF - this year, I present the reader a few facts, figures and fiction about it.

The IITF is an annual feature that has been taking place at the Pragati Maidan every year. The literal meaning is "progress grounds"; and that is exactly what it stands for. The IITF is not just a major tourist attraction which is visited by lakhs of people very year. Over the years it has also become a venue of an outing for the entire family like a picnic ground. It is also a showcase of the produce of our country for the purpose of trade within the country as well as trade with foreign nations.


Turkey

The start of the IITF dates back to 1980. The 31st India International Trade Fair started this year on the 14th of November and ended on the 27th of November - as always. These 14 days literally change the face of Delhi as far as traffic and commuting is concerned. The metro also played an important role in the traffic manangement by helping millions to visit the fair from distant places like Rohini, Dwarka, Gurgaon and the like, so much so that even tickets for the fair were being sold at all metro stations. The Pragati Maidan metro station had over a dozen counters selling the IITF tickets and a direct entry point from the station into the trade fair was really a convenience that was not there in the previous IITFs. As per the reports - Delhi metro had sold about 7 lakh tickets - the number had to be curtailed and stopped on the weekends in both weeks of the fair and the crowed would have become unmanageable in case the sale of the tickets was not curtailed.

The ITPO authorities say that the total footfall this year was of only 11 lakhs this year as against the estimate of 15 lakhs. Invariably the tickets earmarked for the day got fully sold off on the week ends. The weekdays were relatively deserted especially in the morning hours. Possibly that fact that the fare is open for public for full days after the first four "business days" was never advertised well enough to reach the masses.

The sea of humanity - weekday afternoon

The last day of the fare was a mess. the crowds kept swelling, enough to drive anyone berserk - including the cops on duty - who were not trained enough to handle such situations. They started wielding their lathis on the hapless citizens.

The pattern of the trade fair had changed this year. Earlier the morning hours - up to 2 pm were business hours, after that the fair was open to the masses every day except on weekends when it was open to the general public for the whole day. This year the first 4 days were marked aside for business visitors - ticket value Rs 400/- (unless of course you had an invite from a stall holder) for the full opening hours (09.30 to 20.30 hrs.) and the next 10 days were kept for the general public - ticket value Rs 40/- . I could not utilize the free pass I had got during the business days and I went for the fair after it had bee declared open to the general public. However, I did take a wise decision and went early on a Monday morning. The crowd was still quite less around 9.45 am; the parking spot was a breeze - got it on Purana Quila Marg - just about 100 yards from the Gate No, 5 of the grounds.

 

Maharashtra



The security was tight, the queue appeared quite long, but I have to admit that the waiting was not too long and within 7-8 minutes I was inside the fair. I have to admire the efficiency of the security arrangements. I do not think that they would have successfully been able to prevent a person carrying - let us say - plastic explosives, however, they kept the queues moving at a reasonably good pace yet carrying out their duties with reasonable alacrity.



The Pragati Maidan is the largest exhibition ground in the country and it covers about 150 acres (approximately 0.6 square km). it is managed by ITPO (Indian Trade Promotion Organisation) which is the premier trade promotion body of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Indian government. Being spread on large grounds one needs to come day for a full day even if the ntention is to just see the stall of your interest. The stalls could be devided into the following broad categories:

1. State or Union Territory Pavilions.

2. Foreign stalls.
3. Government of India or Public Sector Corporations like Railways, Defence, Ministry of Steel etc.
4. Food or eateries and restaurants.
5. Theatres etc.

The Ancient Caste System - displayed at Maharashtra



This annual event provides a common platform for the manufacturers, traders, exporters and importers. The fair displays comprises a wide range of products and services including Automobiles, Coir Products, Jute, Textiles, Garments, Household Appliances, Kitchen Appliances, Processed foods, Beverages, Confectionery, Drugs, Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals, Cosmetics, Bodycare & Health care products, Telecommunication, Power sector, Electronic Sector, Furniture, Home Furnishings, Sports Goods, Toys, Engineering Goods etc.

 Apart from that, the masses throng the fair for the change. the ticket values in the multiplexes are high (Rs 250/300) where as a family of four could come to the fare and just spend about the entire day here in that much amount in which the kids could enjoy the chhola bhature plus a kulfi or some chaat etc. The film at the Shakuntalam theatre would be free. Thus the fair becomes an attraction for the middle class and the lower middle class. You not only get to see the entire Panorama of the entire country and a bit of the show window of the other countries, you could also pick up a lot of trinkets and do some shopping of goods from any part of the world.

Award Winning Kerela Pavilion


Most of the state pavilions concentrated on their handicrafts, clothes, costume jewellery and other innovative home gadgets like face steamers, heater packs for the back and the knees, magic slates and the like. The individual food stalls of most pavilions were missing but you could get all the different varieties of the cuisines of the entire country at the food court. Prices were reasonable and in about Rs 300/- the family of 4 could indulge in this luxury. Maharashtra stole a march over other state foods and a full food bay was organised for Maharashtrian food.facing the Hall no 1. The best state pavilion award this year was bagged by Kerala.

Another notable feature this year was huge hoardings at the state pavilions depicting the respective chief ministers. Mayawati looking down upon you and from the opposite side you get the massive Jaylalitha. Mahrashtra pavilion had the hoarding of the twelve caste categories at its entrance titled "The Bara Balutedars", this was not only informative but was also unique in its own way. The Best International Stall Award was bagged by South Africa. 

Birds eye view - Foreign Stalls

Most of the foreign stalls were nothing great. Burma had a good display of precious and semi-precious stones - set into 18K gold. The prices of some items were as high as 3 to 6 lakh rupees. AND can you beat it, you had to pay cash. no credit cards. These stalls had a good array of jewellery for semi-precious stones. there was costume jewellery, dry fruits, and of course lots of textiles and clothes. Most of these stalls were housed in Hall 18.

Hall 12A, was a show case of consumer goods, electronics, gadgets, consumer durables and the like - nothing very impressive though - was as if you are walking through a mall. You could see a lot of LED and LCD TVs, Fridges, Washing Machines, GPS systems, Furniture, Storage equipment etc etc. Hall 1 was a smaller and a down market version of Hall 12A.

Ahhh - the food options. The entire ground is dotted with various food joints. You have kiosks for cold drinks, tea, coffee etc all over. There is sprinkling of restaurants too. However, the most sought after and crowded was the food court. It had cuisines from almost all Indian states plus a few other choices. There was a stall of Pakistan's curries and the kebabs too. The prices were reasonable along with a minimum acceptable quality level.

Delhi - exterior



The Pavilions of the Government Corporation, Defence etc were mostly quite colorless and of not much of interest to the common man. These pavilions, of course, had a wealth of information and knowledge for the discerning eye. The Defence pavilion had a redeeming feature - a dog show. There was an interesting poster that read, "You can be a dog's best friend!"

South Africa

The fair has reached such a gigantic size that it requires a few days of hard work to cover it fully - and unless I was being paid to do it ... no way. So dear readers - feel free to fill in all that I have missed in the comments columns.