Once upon a time travelling overseas meant picking up souvenirs from the airports one transited to catch a connecting flight and, of course, from the country of stay. Today Shillongites no longer have to see the world.
The world has come to them, courtesy the trade fairs regularly organised by the Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam . As many as 19 stalls from Thailand graced the fair last time at Guwahati. Indonesians, Egyptians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis made up the rest.

The trade fairs have, in fact, become the business hubs for big and small companies and delegations of many countries to come in search of new markets.

At the Shillong Shopping Carnival this time, the Kenyan stall drew the maximum crowd. Stall owner Makame Idd Mariam from the Meshurap Company had to leave hurriedly for Calcutta to get customs clearance for more goods. She sold mainly Masai crafts such as the Masai couple carved out of a single piece of margon wood. Other artefacts include giraffes carved out of yellow wood, the famous African Callibas water bottles shaped like gourds but attractively decorated along with a plethora of necklaces, bracelets and earrings that are typically African. Soap stone handicrafts sculpted into various shapes were extremely popular.

India is not new to Mariam. She has visited other places in India as part of the trade fair entourage but this time made it a point to give Bangalore a miss, choosing Shillong instead, since she had heard so much about the place. Mariam was not disappointed. Within a couple of days her sales turnover exceeded all expectations. Here the weather is pleasant and people are kind and friendly, was her observation.

When the Kenyan left for Calcutta on Thursday, she had to close her stall. This was a big disappointment for the people who had come to the venue mainly to pick up stuff they had heard so much about.

Mr. Divya Aggarwal

Money Management Consultants Ltd

Senior Copy Editor, Money Management Consultants Ltd
New Delhi, India

Free Member, Joined :05/11/2007
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