Au Revoir, Mahalakshmi Saras 2020.....

Au Revoir, Mahalakshmi Saras 2020.....

Mahalakshmi Saras, the annual exhibition and sale of products made by rural women entrepreneurs from the self help groups of the state rural livelihoods mission from all over the country and NABARD ended yesterday.
The 13 day extravganza stood out in its magnitude as it proudly displayed the various products made by women entrepreneurs in its 511 stalls.
Yes, the women from self help groups are known for the variety of papad, pickles, spices, masala they make. This certainly gives them recognition and an identity. And wouldn't life be dull without all these spices in our life ? And so Mahalakshmi Saras had a variety of masalas and spices from all corners of Maharashtra and the country. However, Ms. Vanita Trambake member of Priyadarshni SHG from Solapur took me by surprise when she conveyed her thanks and said that this would be the last time she came to Mahalakshmi Saras because this platform had established her as a brand and she no more needed our support. She represented the true spirit behind the exhibition which promotes marketing of the products made by SHGs. Ideally any SHG is allowed to participate only two times at the exhibition so that more and more groups get the opportunity to explore and understand the urban markets. They should then be ready to make it on their own. The entire cost of the exhibition including lodging, boarding, publicity, travel and transport along with space in the stalls and logistics at the venue is entirely borne by the government. The ideology behind this effort is exposure of the rural women entrepreneurs to urban markets twice in their life cycle so that they understand what sells and also providing a platform for the urban residents to purchase handmade rural products.
The women groups also practice organic farming so the varied grains like unpolished rice, dal, pulses are popular products for sale and attract many due to the their low residual chemical content. Staples like jaggery, honey, tamarind, ghee are absorbed quickly. The ready to eat foods like cookies, biscuits, including soya, bajra, ragi products,bhadang, chivda, baakarwadi are extremely popular . This year MSRLM made special efforts to introduce Nutri cookies in Ragi, Jowar and Bajra from Wardha, Solapur and Yavatmal in their Nutri Villa. These products had been made after taking technical support for research and design from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Amravati and Solapur and attracted a lot of customers. The noodles fortified with moringa - drumsticks leaves were a healthy alternative to the regular noodles. The papaya and fruit jam from Yavatmal stood out distinctly. However what stole everyone's hearts were the jaamun shots and the sitaphal( custard apple) rabdi from Gadhchiroli. Seeing women from the remotest villages of Gadhchiroli doing brisk business of these two unique consumables was heartening.
The livelihoods pavillion introduced the visitors to the phenomenal work being done by MSRLM. The strong pillars of social, financial and economic inclusion led them to sustainable livelihoods. These included over 10 lakh households practicing sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry and about ten thousand in the handlooms and handicrafts sector. The seed bank from Nandurbar having 125 varieties of seed of jowar and maize was an eye opener to the efforts being made by the mission to preserve agriculture. The pavillion of organic manure and vermi compost attracted people and specially children with its demonstration having live earthworms. 

Some SHGs had dared to innovate and make new products, for example  Hari Om SHG, from Gondiya district had manufactured LED bulbs with inbuilt batteries which would light up by itself during  power cuts. Kavitha Dhamale , the SHG member was happy to market the same. 

Asmita plus Sanitary napkins with super absorbency were competitively priced at Rs.100 for 5 packets with 8 Sanitary napkins in each pack. Having used them personally I could vouch for their quality against established brands like Whisper and Stayfree. 

The rural skilling sector was amply represented by the beneficiaries of DDUGKY, the popular skilling program of rural skilling department of the Ministry of Rural Development. Youth between the age of 18 to 35 could benefit from this placement based program of rural skilling through private agencies.
In fact the exhibition was a one stop shop for purchase of goods from footwear, to clothes, readymade garments, sarees, shawls, stoles, exquisite jewellery, decorative articles, artefacts, paintings, woodwork , bamboo work, furniture, furnishings, gift items not only from Maharashtra but from the 29 states of our country. Such variety under one roof is unheard of elsewhere. So thousands of people thronged the exhibition and found it extremely useful. 

They were particularly attracted to the food court which had 70 stalls serving mouthwatering delicacies from all over Maharashtra. They carried the distinct taste of various regions from where they came. So konkan was reflected in a variety of sea food like fish, prawns and crabs as also sol kadhi, Kolhapur was known for its tambdaa paandhraa rassa , Nagpur for its Saoji, Marathwada for its chicken and mutton, dahi dhapate,  Solapur for its chutneys and gul poli, Jalgaon for its Bharit and Shev Bhaji. The vegetarians feasted on Puran Polis, modak, thaalipeeth, bhel, misal, bhaji. For the first time Rajma Chawal from Uttarakhand, Gujarati food ,Rajasthani food, were also introduced.
The highlight were fresh vegetables , chicken , fish and mutton provided by the Women led Farmer Producer Organization of Palghar which gave it a distinct taste. The eggs were also provided by the women who are a part of the Yellow revolution project of MSRLM.
With food to chew on entertainment was not behind as artists like Suresh Wadkar,  Kailash Kher, Kalinathji Mishra, Avdhoot Gupte, Milind Ingle, Sanjeevani Bhelande and Dr. Rahul Joshi enthralled the audiences with their soul rendering performances. 

The pinnacle was the fashion show put together by the women of the SHGs displaying their own products. Walking confidently among them was a 75 year old lady speaking volumes about the transformation of women from being ordinary women to extraordinary achievers.
In short it was fun for shoppers with a variety to shop, food to eat and soul stirring music to unwind in the evenings.
The public conveniences like clean toilets and a play zone for children, trolleys for shopping and wheel chairs were add ons for families. So Mumbaikars, Navi Mumbaikars and the others including international visitors thronged to the exhibition. These of course included many regulars. Their repeated visits spoke highly about their satisfaction of the variety, quality, range and price of the products. That we were able to make business of about Rs. Fifteen crores in just thirteen days speaks volumes about the capabilities and capacities of women entrepreneurs. It also provides a glimpse of the efforts made by our team members to make this event a grand success.
As I left for home after making my last round in the exhibition, my heart missed a beat, the pavilions would be dismantled and only memories would last. However it was a solace to see the contended and satisfied faces of all the women entrepreneurs and stall owners. Each one was going home after doing good business, each one was happy with her own experience. It was the shoppers and the patrons who had made this possible. And of course to Goddess Mahalakshmi who had transformed herself into Goddess Dhanalakshmi and was going home with the women. I felt satiated and gratified and my head bowed in prayers for their everlasting prosperity. Mahalakshmi Saras, would surely be back again with gusto in January 2021. Till then Au revoir....