The timeless Hyderabad Numaish gets off to an unrushed start Premium

Hyderabad's Numaish exhibition draws diverse crowds, but vendors express disappointment with low sales this year.

“Shopping hote rehti, mask pehenna zaroori hai” (Shopping can continue, but wearing a mask is important), emphasises a face mask vendor stationed outside theAjante 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.

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.