14th CII fair held in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Oct 22(ANI): The 14th CII Chandigarh Fair- 2009, a premier shopping festival here, was recently held at the parade ground, which provided an ideal opportunity for people to shop during the festive season.

The 4-day event had everything from dry fruits, to swanky cars and glitzy gizmos.

It also had many foreign exhibitors, and was timed to cater to rush during Diwali.

"Main focus of the exhibition was to bring consumers very close to the companies. We also look at promoting handicrafts because we encourage a lot of state participation and by international participation, we try and bring the flavours of various countries into India, into Chandigarh," said Charu Mathur, Regional Director of CII.

"So, I think it's an attachment to consumer sentiments. It is a platform for companies to sell directly to the consumers, directly interact with the consumers and also promote what is good in India. So, you can say when we go out, we do a made in India exhibition outside, but I would say this is a made in India exhibition in Chandigarh," he added.

The exhibition was a success and an extravaganza for shopaholics, as it had 196 exhibitors--- a mega leap from last year's 125.

While exhibitors from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan made their presence felt, an international aura was lent by traders from Pakistan, Egypt, Thailand and Indonesia with their exotic range of products.

The traders from Pakistan had an overwhelming response from customers, as they were thrilled about buying suits, juttis and marble products.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani traders said that response that they had, indicated prospects for improving trade links between the two countries.

"Our standards are similar in comparison to other countries. India and Pakistan, both the countries understand each other's needs because our system, standards, quality everything is almost the same," said Khurshid Barlas, a member of Rawalpindi Chambers Of Commerce.

"Costs of freight to Europe and America are so high that we can't compete. So, we feel that we should pay more attention towards Indo-Pak trade. As our regional trade improves, I believe business in both the countries will prosper," he added.

To enthrall visitors, organizers had also roped in folk artists from Pakistan, who performed daily during the exhibition. By Sunil Sharma (ANI)