CHENNAI : The first floor of Savera Hotel was buzzing with chatter and laughter on Monday. With many choices at the Duchess Utsav 2018, shoppers were moving from clothing and jewellery stalls to food and skin care stalls.The 17th edition of the exhibition, organised by the Duchess Club, was inaugurated by actors Suhasini Maniratnam and Ganesh Venkatraman. “It has been 17 years of success for the Duchess Utsav. It took me an-hour-and-a-half to see all the stalls, and I am amazed at the quality and number of the stalls. There are people from across India. This is a great way to spend an evening,” said Venkatraman.
President of the Duchess Club, Nina Reddy said, “This is a big step from our first Duchess Utsav. Many entrepreneurs work from home and they learn the skills here. Some have opened their own shops after being featured in the exhibition. This is a platform for them to grow.”
Among the many stalls, the Malaysian Consulate presented a stall exhibiting their rich cuisine, and offered samples to all visitors. “Malaysia is a tourist destination for about 5,77,000 Indians. Many Indians are familiar with Malaysian food, and often search for places where they can experience it again. We provide freshly made vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as we understand that many Indians do not eat meat,” said K Saravanan, Consulate General of Malaysia. He thanked the Duchess Club for their support.
There were brands from Jaipur, Kolkata and Ladhakh. KN Narasimhalu, an artist with cerebral palsy who paints with his feet, was selling greeting cards. He uses his feet to stitch beautiful renditions of nature and people, and it takes him four months to complete one piece.