Patna, April 23: Food, fashion and fun stood out on the inaugural day of the India-Pakistan cultural festival.
Christened Aman ke Saat Rang, an Indo-Pak Trade Fair and Food Fest organised by The Planners, Lucknow and Lahore, in collaboration with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the event was inaugurated today by PHD chairman Satyajit Singh.
Inaugurating the five-day-long fair, Satyajit said: "This is our second year, we received a very positive response from people. We wish to make it as successful as the Delhi Trade Fair."
The united show of cultural, culinary and ethnic diversities of India and Pakistan was attended by a large gathering. Around 55 stalls were put up by the entrepreneurs, including 20 from India and 35 from Pakistan. From garments to home decor and tongue-tickling delicacies, everything was available under one roof.
A stall with various home decor displays of onyx stone from the mines of Quetta, Balochistan and carved in Karachi, received a lot of attention. Vases, bowls, candle holders, animals, chessboard, fountains and fruits had been skilfully carved out of the stones. The wares ranged between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 50 lakh.
Garden furniture and decorative plantation pots, too stood out. Sunita Singh, a resident of Boring Road said the cushioned deck chair appealed to her the most. "I am buying this stuff as it would look very nice in my balcony. The price is also affordable," she said.
Huda Nadeem, an entrepreneur from Punjab province brought large collection of gota work on crinkle, cotton and georgette fabrics. "Chandi patti work is very famous in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, and people appreciate my work especially young girls. It is the first time I have showcased my products and I got a good response from customers," Huda said.
Embroidered stoles, chunri, Punjabi style lehenga and kalamkari suits were the most sought-after items. Those ranged between Rs 1,000 and Rs 7,000.
Apart from dresses for women, boys, too, have lots of option in clothes.
Mohammad Yusuf, who is from Multan, has set up a stall having a wide collection of kurtas and shirt-style kurtas for men. "The positive response from the people of this city drove me to put up my clothes at this fair for the second time. This time, I have brought kachcha buna, blochi, ribban, shadow and mukaish work." A resident of Anisabad Colony, Namrata Shrey said: "I bought three embroidered stoles, motikari batuas and an antique showpiece. The one thing that I like about this fair is that the quality of the product is rich and better than other fairs which are held in the city."
The festival has a delightful range of platters with mouth-watering cuisine from both India and Pakistan. Food connoisseurs from all over Bihar appreciated delicacies from Lahore, Lucknow, Karachi, Islamabad and other places.
"We thought the heat would deter people from coming out. But we received a very good response. People thronged our stalls in the evening and night," said Mohammad Shafique, a chef from Lucknow. People are enjoying the Pakistani cuisines. "It was pretty crowded but it was worth the wait," said Aakash, a resident of Bailey Road.
