Grahak Panchayat exhibitions offer some respite to shoppers

Dadar resident Niyati Chitalia recently did her Diwali shopping at the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat's Grahak Peth exhibition at much lower rates than what she would have found elsewhere.

Dadar resident Niyati Chitalia recently did her Diwali shopping at the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat's Grahak Peth exhibition at much lower rates than what she would have found elsewhere.

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While market prices are a cause of worry for most Diwali shoppers, regulars to the exhibition claim to find quality products for reasonable prices.

"These exhibitions signify quality and creativity in products that are also quite affordable," said Chitalia, who picked up cotton saris and artificial jewelry at the Grahak Peth exhibition held in Dadar last month.

Organised in the city for the last 35 years, these exhibitions held in different areas in the city a month prior to Diwali see hundreds of buyers lap up the reasonably priced products.

"The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat's exhibitions are popular with shoppers as they can find good rates without being cheated on the quality," said Anuradha Deshpande, who organises the exhibitions. "Last year, we sold items worth Rs4.75 crore through a month-long exhibition before Diwali," she said.

"Shoppers can buy items at over 20% lower rates than what they would find in the market," said an official from the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.

This year, the exhibition began in Dadar on October 1 and is currently being held at Borivli's Babhai Naka till November 9. This year's exhibitions also feature workshops for young buyers on how to reuse waste creatively for Diwali.

"We are teaching them how they can use coconut shells to make diyas and waste paper to make decorations among other things," said Deshpande.