Bhaskar Exclusive: 5 lakh people spend Rs 25 crore in Porbandar's 5-day folk fair

The five-day long Janmashtami folk fair, joy fair and cultural festival at Chowpatty in Sudamapuri was also in full swing on the last day. The residents of Porbandar enjoyed Janmashtami amidst the sea waves, glittering wheels and the crowd at the Chowpatty. More than 5 lakh people thronged the folk fairs, chowpatties, food zones and anand fairs during the five days. Considering the expenses incurred on purchases, food and entertainment incurred by the people who came to the fair, the turnover is estimated to be around Rs 25 crore. While the increase in prices of petrol and diesel to food items is affecting purchases in the general market, the Janmashtami fair boosted the local trade for five days. People who came to the fair with their families bought items including toys, clothes, ice cream, cutlery. A huge crowd of people was also seen at various food stalls. Due to this, there was a boom in business from small traders to big stall holders. The economic benefits of the fair were not limited to the stall holders. Five days of employment and income opportunities were also created for the street vendors, hawkers, autorickshaw drivers, parking operators and other small businessmen. Apart from the fair, the nearby markets and small businesses also witnessed a rush due to the movement of lakhs of people. Heat and buffering were experienced during the day, but as the evening wore on, the crowd at Chowpatty and Mela Grounds increased. Even on the last night amidst the sea breeze, stalls of chakdal, food, ice cream and toys continued to thrive. The craze for selfies and reels among the youth also became an added attraction of the fair. At the same time, the increasing use of digital payments was seen from small traders to big circles. The five-day fair of Janmashtami turned out to be a big economic folk festival giving impetus to local trade and employment with faith and entertainment. Here is the economic math of the fair, more than 5 lakh people came to the Lok Mela, Chowpatty, Food Zone and Anand Mela in 5 days. Assuming an average expenditure of Rs 500 per person in the fair, then Rs 5 lakh × Rs 500 = Rs 25 crore. These expenses include food, snacks, entertainment, purchase of items including toys, cutlery, rickshaw-transport, parking and other services. Thus, it is estimated that an economic cycle of about Rs 25 crore has been turned around in various businesses associated with the fair in 5 days. This figure is estimated on the basis of an average expenditure of Rs 500 per person. After two years, the fair went on for five days without any interruption of rain. For the last two years, rains had disrupted the colour of the fair during the Janmashtami fair, while this time there was no rain for all five days, the fair lovers had a chance to enjoy the fair. Due to the absence of rain, there was a continuous rush in the business of chakdol, food stalls, toys and various traders. Especially from evening to 12 midnight, a large number of people thronged.