VIJAYAWADA: Starting from numerous cuisines from other states to apparels and items for home decor, the ongoing Sale of Articles of Rural Artisan Societies (SARAS)-DWCRA Bazaar is offering the Vijayawada residents a lot of products that not only look elegant, but are also budget-friendly.
Malabar, Maharashtrian and Rajasthani dishes, which are available at the exhibition, are giving Hyderabadi biriyani, Shimla bajji and Araku bamboo chicken, which are some of the extremely popular delicacies in the region, a tough fight; stalls selling Assam shawls and Cauvery crafts are also major crowd pullers.
While expressing his surprise at the huge turnout of people at the fair, T Sreelaja, owner of a stall that sells delicacies from Kerala, says, “It took us by surprise that Vijayawada residents are aware of popular delicacies from Kerala. Along with appam and fish curry, chicken and ragi puttu are also popular with people.”
Counters selling contemporary jewellery and apparels are also noting good footfalls. Women are often seen thronging the stalls that offer saris from Pochampally,Uppada, Mangalagiri, Gadwal, Venkatagiri, Narayanpur and West Bengal.
Around 200 stalls from the total 300 are offering products from across 20 states; 100 others are set up by traders from Andhra Pradesh. V Sudharani, a visitor at the expo, says, “A variety of handicraft items, apparels and accessories are available at the expo, which is providing us, the locals, a unique experience.”
K Malleswari, another stall owner, says this is the third time the organisers have put up DWCRA products for sale in an exhibition organised by a state government.
“Last time, we had set up a stall during an exhibition in Visakhapatnam, which received good response from the public. Our products include khadi and village crafts, jute bage and products made of fibre. The prices of items range between Rs 10 and Rs 3,000.”
Earlier, Krishna Joint Collector Vijaya Krishnan had said security and safety arrangements were put in place to prevent any untoward incident.
Dishes from many states
DWCRA products are priced between Rs 10 and Rs 3,000
Around 200 stalls, of the total 300, are offering products from 20 states
Dishes from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Kerala are also available at the expo