Traditional Rural Retail Fairs

Traditional rural retail fairs are a very big attraction to foreign tourists. We have the Pushkar fair in Rajasthan which brings in a lot of revenue both from domestic buyers and buyers from abroad. In the Pushkar fair live stock like camels, horses, cows, goats, and sheep are sold as well as bought. A range of exotic items are also available. The traditional items here are handmade jewelry and other colorful memorabilia of Rajasthan.

Traditional rural retail fairs in India deal in a good number of handcrafts items which are mentioned below:

• Hand painted wooden chest drawers
• Wooden wall brackets
• Embossed wooden table
• Hand painted chairs in chowki
• Wooden corner stand
• Wooden Hand painted table
• Embossed wooden chairs
• Brown wooden stool
• Camel bone Jewelry
• Metal jewelry
• Snake charmer puppets
• Handmade candles

The Suraj Kund mela is also a huge galore of Indian traditional items. This fair is held at Haryana which is 8 kilometers from South Delhi. The fair has been held for the last 20 years. The fair deals in items categorized as

• Indian arts
• Handicrafts
• Heritage
• Culture and tradition

Traditional rural retail fairs have a typical rural set up like:

• Huts of mud
• Thatched platforms
• lamps of wood
• String cots
• Plainness ground

The small thatched stores are a vibrant display of handcraft items. The focus every year is on a particular State for instance, in 2006 it was Maharashtra. The other group of items representing the Indian Subcontinent available there are:

• Classical
• Tribal art
• Folk art

As such Traditional Rural Retail fairs involve credit worthy artisans and weavers of over 350 in number and they are selected from across the country. Along with the county's rich cultural heritage being showcased, the fair is open to foreign traditional goods as well. The more rejuvenating side of these fairs would be listed as under:

• Indian Sweets Snacks
• Indian folk music
• Classical dance
• Bengal tiger show
• Elephant rides
• Tiger show and rides
• Giraffe tricks
• Balloon and Clay items
• Painting
• Games

Therefore, traditional rural retail fairs are a never ending occupation and the key to it lies in the originality and attractiveness of the items.