Cautious celebrations: Numaish opens amidst Covid scare in Hyderabad

The eagerly looked forward to consumer fair comes amidst reports of a spike in Covid cases.

Hyderabad: Hyderabadi’s can’t think of the New Year without the Numaish. It’s no different this year. But as the 83rd edition of the All India Industrial Exhibition got underway, there was a cautious jubilation. The eagerly looked forward to consumer fair comes amidst reports of a spike in Covid cases. Will it impact the Numaish? Authorities brush off concerns, asserting the show must go on.

However, it remains a worrisome point with visitors who flock the trade fair in thousands. Even on the first day the sprawling ground teemed with anticipation. Colourul banners, tastefully decked up stalls and old movie numbers seemed to cast a spell. At 40 rupees, it is the most inexpensive amusement which families don’t want to miss. Yet, beneath the festivities, a collective unease lingers. Would the virus disrupt the cherished celebrations? In 2022 the exhibition had to be indefinitely suspended amidst spread of the Omicron variant and sharp rise in Covid cases.

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IT Minister and Exhibition Society president, D. Sridhar Babu, has appealed to visitors to mandatorily wear masks while coming to the exhibition and strictly adhere to the Covid norms. The Exhibition Society has provided a Covid vaccination facility and a medical check-up centre for the benefit of visitors.

The first day passed off smoothly with laughter and excitement in the air. The annual carnival forges ahead, a symbol of resilience against adversity. However, an undercurrent of caution pulses through the attendees as not many are seen donning the mask. Few seem concerned about striking a balance between revelry and responsibility.

How the Numaish started

All big things have small beginnings. It is no different with Numaish, the most popular consumer fair of Hyderabad. But the grandeur of the present spectacle contrasts starkly with its humble origins in 1938. Back then, this vibrant gathering of commerce and culture was a modest affair. The ‘Numaish Masnuat-e-Mulki’ as it was originally called, was inaugurated by the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, coinciding with his birth anniversary in Public Gardens. The first Numaish lasted for just 10 days and the next year it was organised for 15 days. As its popularity grew, it was extended for a whole month. The annual show was shifted to its present location in 1946 by Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Prime Minister.

The idea of an exhibition was first mooted by the Economic Committee of the Osmania Graduates’ Association to raise funds for conducting an economic survey of the State. When the proposal was put before the then Prime Minister, Sir Akbar Hyderi, he liked it. As the Numaish gained momentum it grew both in content and coverage drawing visitors by the thousands. It was christened as the All India Industrial Exhibition in 1948. The then Governor General of India, C. Rajagopalchari, inaugurated it in its new avatar.