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Times Global Village 2007

Posted by Yashika Totlani Khanna on 4:50 PM in ,
29th April 2007 5:30pm: Sitting idle after the exams, the idea of going to the ‘times global village’ hit me as an excellent one. For the uninitiated, this ad in the Times of India should throw some light on what it was all about:

“16 countries. 50 food stalls.
150 dancers. 900 shops.
1 entry ticket.
TIMES GLOBAL VILLAGE
Delhi hasn’t seen anything like the Times Global Village before! A month long extravaganza showcasing the best of the world in Delhi. From Czech crystals to African bead necklaces, from Pakistani cuisine to the best of the Thai fare, from Chinese dragon dancers to African drummers, this mega event has something for everyone. The centerpiece of the Dubai Shopping Festival for the last decade, it gives you food, shopping, dancing, entertainment, music, joyrides, arts and crafts, masti and magic, from all around the globe.
Adjacent to DND flyway, New Delhi
30th March-30th April 2007. 2pm onwards.
TOI, Delhi Tourism”









Being a foodie and shopoholic by nature, I grabbed my jingling money bag and cell phone and we were on our way. As we arrived the destination, the eyes glazed with the shimmering array of cars parked outside the venue. It was a cloudy Sunday evening and it seemed like the whole of the NCR was here to join in the festivities. Clutching the passes, we pushed our way through the crowd into the main grounds. The entrance was embellished with imitations of the many wonders that the world has seen. Taj mahal, Eiffel tower, the Pyramids of Egypt, Petronas towers, et al--- it was all there. “Good job” we say and move on. Right next to the entrance were three humongous stalls called Lifestyle, Interiors and Delhi. ‘Lifestyle’ was stocked with high-end stuff that only the upper strata could afford. The many sub-stalls were actually shops scattered all over the country clubbed together for this mega event. ‘Interiors’ dealt with the complex aspect of interior decoration/designing and some of the pieces, though prohibitively priced, were plain exquisite. ‘Delhi’, as the name suggests, was a huge conglomeration of Delhi’s most famous shops brought together under one roof.



Enough with the merchandize and we decided to eat. The food was a feast for the taste buds with Hyderabadi biryani on one side and Rajasthani food on the other. International cuisines were also available but people’s aversion to try out new food was apparent. I tried ‘tamarind juice’ from outside the UAE stall and the bittersweet taste (more bitter than sweet) lingered on even till the next day! After a whole round of biryani and kebabs and jaljeera and gol-gappas, it was time to check out the international good stalls.

African, Turkey, Czech Republic, Pakistan, UAE, UK, Thailand and China were some of the many countries showcasing their products. Each was trying to cash in on the things that made them unique and gave their country an edge over the others. Due to time constraints we were forced to miss out on a lot of stuff, but of the few things that we saw, something from Philippines caught my eye. The whole filipino idea revolved around customization and tailor-made goodies to please the customers. At Rs.120, one could get a colorful name-plate done with his name on it to be hung outside his private haven (read:room). An idea brilliant to the core… I wasn’t surprised to see the huge flock of ready customers willing to dish out the money and take back this customized piece from the other side of the world to flaunt in their respective homes. I got some name-plates made too… and went on to check out the other stuff. Well, if I go on to talk about the wares that were on display, blogspot would ban me for data redundancy! But in a nutshell, what I deduced was that for anyone with enough money in his hands and sufficient willingness to try out new things, this place was like a dream come true.

The event was laced with joyrides for kids and stimulated cricket pitches for the cricket buffs. Fun and merriment were almost tangible in the air. When we finally had to push off after it was quite late, we entered the mode of self-reprimanding for not coming here earlier. Like always, the blame was conveniently shifted to the ongoing exams. With hands full of shopping bags and tummies full to the brink, we slowly made our way back to our parked car…












Musing:
Though I don’t really like ‘the times of india’, this initiative deserves a virtual standing ovation. With enough advertising in their newspaper and glaring billboards at all major metro stations, the team ensured a heavy visitor inflow and an eventual rollicking success. Hats-off to the times team for a job (very) well done :)

20 Comments


gusshow with teh post... i have heard a lot about this place... good and bad... but got a comprehensive review, thanks to u... great work with all the pics... now ill make sure i visit thsi place atleast once, of not more!! awesome post!


Brilliant man...
my friend showwed me thepics and told me about the visit last week...
now this must have been an amazing global village...
cool


@sugar&spice: thanks!! yeah, it indeed was awesome fun... although im afraid u wont be able to see it, it ended on the 30th :(
oh and now im wondering what 'bad things' you heard abt the place... i only draw a blank on this front!

@standbymind: thanks dude!! unfortunate that u couldnt see... though there's always a next time :)


ur post simply made me wish i was there, and regret that i missed it. i have always been the one for such events... and feel india could do with more of them.

just like u wrote in the beginning, govts of countries like dubai, singapore and malaysia r so proactive in organising such events... and here, some private org has to take the lead.. its kinda sad i feel...

Anonymous says:

it is really awesome. the style of describing n more than that the choice of words is indeed very nice. carry on.........


u always go to all the nice and happening places all alone!!!
and dont even tell me abt it!!

btw im surprised that the biryani stall ppl dont knw how to spell hydErabad!!
The "E" in Hyderabad is missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow!


This is my first visit to ur blog & i m impressed!!!
The way in which u hv described the "global village" is simply exhilarating. So much so that i really feel like going there. The only problem is that ur a trifle late in posting. So i wld miss it this time around. But wld make sure that i catch it up next time.
In a nutshell, this post was simply awesome.
Hope to be a regular visitor of ur blog now....

& i almost forgot, i reached "Reflections on cyberspace" through arunabh & richa.


Woww!! Sounds like a whoopee treat :D

I specially love to buy these dainty personalised stuffs...quite a steal!! Long time since I visited such fairs...How I wish!!

:))


i want a camera!
the pics makes the post so much more lively and tempting!!! though there was no way i could have managed to be there but i had a virtual tour of the place thru your words n pics!
just lovely...i was trying to imagine how the name plates would be like n bingo! there was the snap...
i want a camera!!!


awesome post..thanks for peek into it sittin back home in mumbai..we dint evn know things like this were takin place..yeah trust me times is spending shitloads of such kinds of advertising tactics..


@gags: oh no no no!! with campaigns like 'atithi devo bhava' and 'incredible india'... i thing the govt of india is leaving no stone unturned to get us tourists!! the cash inflow from tourism is also on an upswing. although it is sad that u missed the show :(

@arun: thanks!! keeps visiting :)

@exclusively_me: first things first, big THANKS(for u know what ;))
second, how could i have possibly POSSIBLY taken u with me?!?!?

@jitin: arunabh n richa are making me famous!! anyhow, thanks thanks n thanks. i dont see how anyone could have missed it with so much advertising! u from delhi??? n keep visiting :)

@aneesha: at rs.120, i really thought it was a tad overpriced... but worth all the pleasure!! n whoopie treat indeed!! you keep visiting :)

@samhita: ur comment starts n ends with a "i want a camera!". if u need one so bad, go buy it gal!! as for my cam... its a silly 1.3mgpx phone cam! anyhow... thanks! didnt know the post would prove to be a 'virtual tour' for the ppl who havent seen it. 'm glad! keep visiting :)

@sweet angel: wow... iv got many readers in bombay, huh?? well yeah, things like these ARE taking place n they are a hell lotta fun!! watch out for ur share in bombay!! n keep visiting :)


Damn!

I didn't go because I'd heard that there is nothing much to see except mosquitoes.

But thanks for taking me there... I've got a pretty complete mental picture now!!


nice compilation as always :)


@the cynical consultant: well mosquitoes there were... and tonnes, to be precise!! got two big elephant toes cause id made the blunder of wearing my floaters to the venue. but other than that... im glad that im doin this great social service of giving people virtual tours of the place ;)

@sai: thanks, as always :)


i missed it


@sid: awww... but there's always a next time :)


The Times Group did a pretty good job marketing the event. I didnt manage to see it myself but from wat i saw(pics) n heard...it was pretty good!!


@lunatic python: you bet!! and keep visiting :)


heeee.. supercool ! Well documented and well the cellphone camera of urs aint all the bad :P
Reminds me of the disneylands and all. Btw there is a desi version of this called Sonepur mela - Sonepur is a small town in the hinterlands of Bihar but the mela is something tht is world famous. The fame is attributable to the fact tht it is the world's largest animal fair. But apart from tht, there are lotsa stalls tht are put up by the different indian states dishing out their speicialities. And the shamianas and pandals put up there might not be as gaudy but are nevertheless innovative :)


@arunabh: thanks! but whoever said the phone cam was bad?? it was, is n will always be good!
abt Sonepur mela... have you ever visited it? 'states n specialities' reminds me of dilli haat :D

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