S Divya from Sulur is thrilled. She has just got off a ride in the Giant Wheel at the Government Exhibition at the Coimbatore Central Prison Parade Ground. “This is my first time on this ride. It is beautiful to see the city from a height. My sister who sat next to me was scared and held my hand tight throughout. Next, we are going to try the trampoline and the merry-go-round,” she laughs.
The exhibition is organised by the Information and Public Relation Department. There are fairy lights twinkling and old Tamil film songs playing in the background. Vendors are calling out to people to visit their stores.
Bakya Fancy, a jewellery store from Pudukottai sells hair clips, bangles, chains and cosmetics. “We sell our items only at exhibitions. This is our fourth exhibition in the city,” says Venkaeanathan M, who manages the shop.
AS Shopping Centre sells kitchen utensils for ₹50 and ₹100 and there are many takers for this impossible-to-resist offer. “We are from Salem. We have a physical store there. We source our products from Chennai, Mysore and Coimbatore and have been participating in exhibitions for the past 20 years. Here, we sell everything in the wholesale price,” says the sales person Yethiraj R.
Elsewhere, Sadakhulla is busy explaining what ingredients go into his pest-control products. He says many of the products on display are made by the tribals in Wayanad. They are plant based and include tulsi, neem, lemon-grass, eucalyptus, gooseberry and lemon leaves.
Unique Handicrafts from Bihar has footwear and bags. “The footwear is sourced from Rajasthan and we manufacture the bags ourselves. We have around 20 people working in our company and it takes four people to make a bag,” explains S Rashid Razan.
There are many stalls at the fair that are government ones. Such as the Tamil Nadu Khadi and Village Industries Board one that is selling hand-woven cotton and silk saris.
- The exhibition is on till June 10; 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm
- Entry fee is ₹15 for adults and ₹10 for children below 10 years of age
- At Coimbatore Central Prison Parade Ground, Gandhipuram
The Veterinary Department exhibits livers, foetus and brains of goats and cows. The Fisheries Department has an interesting collection of Fighter fishes in blue, brown and golden colours for sale. “These are imported from Thailand. These fishes tend to fight with other fishes, so they should be kept in individual bowls,” says the stall manager Vijayakumar G.
Coimbatore City Police has a collection of guns and bomb detection and disposal equipment. Vithal J, Head Constable explains the working of the different guns on display.
Hot bajjis , freshly fried appalams , popcorn, icecream and cotton candy complete the family experience and Arumugam R from Peelamedu, a daily wage labourer, says “I have come here with my wife and two children. I like it as it is affordable.”