BANGALORE: It’s an extravaganza at Bengaluru International Airport. With offers and discounts on various goodies, a dash of the cultural heritage of Karnataka, the festival which is on till June 14 is definitely a not-to-be-missed show for those who frequent the airport.
Inaugurated by G Janardhana Reddy, Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development, the Governmentof Karnataka, the event was a great display of the folk culture of the state, with drummers and lively dance performances to celebrate the shopping festival.
The decorations are the highlights here— a carriage replica of the Golden Chariot coach, with one side depicting the restaurant area and the other a typical bedroom of the luxurious train — outside the terminal building is sure to interest all. Additionally, a stone chariot has been specially created representing the Stone Chariot of Hampi and it is placed inside the terminal. It provides information and booking services for the Golden Chariot and is a first class teaser to foreigners who have not had a chance to visit the tempting tourist destinations of the state.
“This shopping festival, which is the first shopping festival in an airport in the country, intends to propagate cultural vibrancy and also to give a message — that an airport must be viewed as to represent the economy of the city it is in, rather than being graded in isolation,” said Marcel Hungerbuehler, CEO of Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) at the inauguration.
The airport does look like a reflection of the many cultural stories that the state has to tell. Besides the festive look that adorns the airport inside, at the common plaza area outside the terminal building, one will feel as if he or she has been transported to the Hoysala age, which has been replicated depicting Karnataka’s beautiful history.
A typical village scene has been created that houses five state government companies including Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation with its beautiful sandalwood artifacts, Coffee Board with its tempting coffee products, Leather Industry of Karnataka with leather jackets and bags, beautiful and traditional sarees from the Mysore silks, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited and Karnataka Tourism. Of the many offers at the shopping festival, the most attractive includes shopping for Rs 300 or more and entering a draw, where one may get a free international return ticket by Jet Airways or a series of trips on the Golden Chariot around Karnataka.