All big things have small beginnings. It is no different with Numaish, the most popular consumer fair of Hyderabad. As its 82nd edition is all set to be inaugurated on Sunday evening, it is interesting to know how humble were its beginning. Today it boasts of over 2000 stalls and an all-India status but when it started way back in 1938 it had just 50 kiosks and was totally local in nature.

When the idea took shape some eight decades back nobody thought it would catch on like wildfire. To the surprise of everyone it not only clicked but remains the most inexpensive entertainer till date. What’s more it is the only annual event to be organised year after year for 46 days at a stretch.

In its long history, the Industrial Exhibition could not be organised only on two occasions. First during 1947-48 when events leading to the merger of the Nizam’s Hyderabad State with the Indian Union made it impossible to hold the exhibition. And the second time in 2021 the trade fair couldn’t be organised in view of the COVID pandemic. On a few other occasions it had a delayed start as curfew was  in force in the city.

The Numaish Masnuat-e-Mulki as it was originally called was inaugurated by the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, coinciding with his birth anniversary in Public Gardens. The first Numaish lasted for just 10 days and the next year it was organised for 15 days. As its popularity grew, it was extended for a whole month. The annual show was shifted to its present location in 1946 by Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Prime Minister.

ow did the idea of an exhibition take shape in the first place? It all crystallised in the discussions of the Economic Committee of the Osmania Graduates’ Association. It was proposed to raise funds for conducting an economic survey of the State. When the proposal was mooted before the then Prime Minister, Sir Akbar Hyderi, he liked it. As the Numaish gained momentum it grew both in content and coverage drawing visitors by the thousands.  It was christened as the All India Industrial Exhibition in 1948. It was C. Rajagopalchari, then Governor General of India, who inaugurated it in its new avatar.

According to historians, the present venue in Nampally was chosen as it is nearer to the Hyderabad Railway Station.

The Numaish organisers wanted to give a boost to local industries and bring the manufacturers on a common platform. And this was possible only when the venue was close to the railway station for easy transport of goods.

What started off as a bazaar style fair has now turned into an open to sky exhibition. In recent years it has diversified into theme pavilions, food courts, recreation zones, amusement rides, on-site health care, well designed displays and carefully laid out relaxation areas. A few years ago the exhibition authorities decided to shed the All India Industrial Exhibition tag and promote it with the brand name ‘Numaish’. This is in order to distinguish it from the scores of exhibitions held round the year.

One can’t think of the New Year without the Numaish. So get set for the most inexpensive show in town.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Siasat Daily

Dated December 31,2022.

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Who doesn’t chat up with utter strangers during journeys? Everyone does and the talk usually runs around inane things which lead to nowhere. Imagine such casual conversation resulting in something big – even constructive.

It happened with Prof. Masood Ahmed of Hyderabad. Once he was travelling to Mumbai by train and struck a conversation with his fellow traveller, an engineering student. As the conversation progressed, he was surprised to learn that the boy had no inkling of what economy is all about and what inflation is. “This is not part of our syllabus,” the youngster replied when the professor expressed surprise.

That was the turning point. It led Prof. Masood to embark on a journey of lectures on the topic – Know Your Nation. This fruitful lecture series touched the 100th mark recently. “I never thought these talks would last this long,” says the incredulous professor.

Former president of Association of Indian Management Schools, Prof. Masood delivered his first talk on August 1, 2015 to students and faculty of CORE School of Management, Roorkee, UP. The 48-odd participants hung onto each word and were visibly satisfied with the knowledge gained. As word spread, there was demand for such lectures and Prof. Masood delivered ten more lectures that very month in the Master School of Management, Meerut, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, ICBM School of Business Excellence, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Business School, GITAM University, Birla Institute of Management and Technology, Noida.

There was no looking back. The lectures, which focus on India’s economic scenario, education status and employment opportunities, took him all over the country and even abroad. He addressed packed conference halls in business schools, engineering and medical colleges and other institutions. In 2016 he delivered a talk to Deans and Directors of Business School of South Asia, Sri Lanka and next year at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Dhaka. He delivered similar lectures in Muscat, Jordan and Qatar.  Prof. Masood’s 100th lecture was delivered on December 26, 2022 at the Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar.

Prof. Masood makes his talks appealing with power point presentations packed with interesting nuggets of information. What do 7 billion people do? He asks and then goes on to inform that 1.4 billion work in agriculture, 1.7 billion in services, 800 million work in industries while over 400 million are entrepreneurs and 430 million are unemployed. And 1.9 billion are too young to work (0-15 ages). He reels out quick data like South Asia being home to a quarter of world population, India fact sheet about population, health and literacy rate, Central government expenditure, growth projects, human development index, how India ranks in ease of doing business. There are a whole lot of other details too.

There is woeful lack of knowledge about these things both among students and adults. “You should know yourself, your organisation and your nation. This is the prerequisite for progress,” says Prof. Masood. And he believes that thirst for learning, consistency in relearning and adopting unlearning are the keys for professional growth.

What next? A health care management expert, he is now planning to launch 100 interesting lectures on the subject – Know Your Health. Those who want to avoid going to hospitals can look forward to them.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Siasat Daily

Dated January 2,2023

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