By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram
The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF), billed as the biggest shopping jamboree in Asia in terms of seller participation has begun.
A responsible shopping corridor stretching across the length of the mercantile hub of MG Road is coming up here to line up eco-friendly, organic and fair price products in tune with the southern state’s responsible tourism policy, organisers said.
The campaign, organised by GKSF partners Mflint, will run until the end of Season 6 and will consist of a series of promotional activities including a roadshow featuring ‘green’ transport, street cultural festivals, distribution of publicity material to visitors and creative displays.
KC Venugopal, the Junior Federal Minister for Aviation, kicked off the 45-day long festival, being held across the state and offering a whopping 101kg of gold, at a glittering function held in the northern city of Kannur yesterday.
UV Jose, director of the GKSF, said gold prizes won during the sixth season will be distributed from December 20 at designated branches of the festival’s title sponsor South Indian Bank (SIB).
Shoppers who win gold, including through scratch-and-win cards, anytime during the festival will be able to collect their prizes from the nearest authorised branch of SIB from December 20 onwards.
Prize winners will be chosen by judges designated by the GKSF district-level co-ordination committees. Nearly 300,000 prizes to be given out instantly on scratch-and-win are ready for distribution.
A whopping 101kg of gold will be given away as prizes during the sixth season of the GKSF. This includes one gram gold coins offered on scratch-and-win coupons, 10 sovereign prizes in weekly draws and mega draws where one lucky winner gets one kilogram of gold and two others get half-a-kilogram each.
“Season 6 also offers prizes including sponsored high-value gifts, sponsored gift vouchers and GKSF merchandise including Kerala handicraft and handloom items,” he said. “The best decorated merchant establishments taking part in the GKSF stand to win up to eight grams of gold.”
Prizes are also awarded in each district to three business establishments with the most attractive decorations carried out using GKSF branded promotional materials. The first prize winner will receive eight grams of gold, the second four grams and the third two grams.
Hundred percussionists led by Mattannur Shankaran Kutty performed at the inaugural ceremony which also saw singers like Vijay Yesudas, Swetha Mohan, Andrea, Naresh Iyer, actresses Remya Nambeesan, Meera Nandan and Kottayam Nazeer perform on stage.
Launched in 2007, GKSF is the second biggest shopping season in Kerala after Onam turning the entire state into ‘one single shopping mall’ for the entire season.
One of the notable achievements for GKSF this season is the introduction of the online registration facility.
Homestays and houseboat services signed up for the first time while jewelleries, textile businesses and electronic appliance stores that have traditionally enjoyed excellent business during the GKSF season continue to dominate the registration categories.
The logistical support system for the event is now fully networked and managed online. To bolster “shopping tourism” in Kerala, a nationwide campaign was launched on November 26 in Delhi before it moved through eight states – Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
High-quality Kerala handicrafts and handlooms are being offered as prizes. Shoppers from outside are also being offered incentives such as a 100% refund on value added tax for items they buy from Kerala.
The Global Village featuring nearly 400 stalls across seven pavilions spread over 24 acres at the Lulu Convention Centre premises on Bolgatty Island off Kochi, and with products and art forms showcasing cultures and traditions from around the world, will open on December 22, with a spectacular fireworks display and a series of colourful cultural programmes and entertainment events.
The Global Village will be housed in a massive German-designed structure offering one lakh square feet of fully air-conditioned space. It will have a massive entrance arch built in traditional Kerala style and specially designed entrances and pavilions in keeping with the theme.
Kannur will be the venue of a Handloom and Folklore expo from December 20 to 31, and Kozhikode will host a 12-day long Mappila Fest from December 29.An exhibition centred on tribal arts and culture will be held in Kottakkal, Malappuram from December 21-30, while tea will be the core theme of the expo organised from December 28 to January 6 in Kalpetta, Wayanad. State capital Thiruvananthapuram will host a Health and Ayurveda expo from January 9 to 23. The expos, organised by GKSF’s media partners, will offer a wide sales platform for small manufacturers, local producers and artisans. This is the first initiative of its kind for GKSF and is expected to raise the profile of the event among domestic shoppers and tourists alike.
Actress Ann Alexia Anra, who shot to fame as a child star in the Kamal Hassan blockbuster Avvai Shanmugi, will host an online video quiz posing one question a day that gives participants the chance to win one smartphone every day for 45 days and three mega prizes.
It will be held via the official website and through the GKSF Facebook page which has already been ‘liked’ by more than 110,000 users. For Internet shoppers, GKSF has set up an exclusive online portal where they can purchase gift vouchers for their family and friends.
With the present time being the Christmas and New Year season, the online facility will enable people, especially Non-Resident Keralites who may be unable to visit their home for holidays, to present gifts to their loved ones. The online facility can be accessed on shop.shoppingfestival.in until the end of the season.