| Superstition is good business at trade fair |
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Superstition could qualify as a fast moving consumer good, if sales of a glass bead - claimed as a protective charm - at the ongoing trade fair is any measure.
Superstition could qualify as a fast moving consumer good, if sales of a glass bead - claimed as a protective charm - at the ongoing trade fair is any measure.
Nazar Bonjuk being sold by La Turca, an Ankara-based firm, has become an instant hit registering record sales since the India International Trade Fair (IITF) opened here Nov 14.
The charm is a glass bead depicting a blue eye that is said to have powers to counter envious looks or the evil eye believed by many to bring bad luck.
We sold some 1,500 pieces in the first five days and the stocks are disappearing fast, Sercan Unsal of La Turca proudly declared.
The Turkish Nazar Bonjuk sounds similar to the Indian Nazar Pattu - a black mark applied on the face to ward off evil looks. But Unsal said the Naazar Bonjuk was more fashionable and could be worn as a necklace, bracelet or used in offices or homes.
Sonakshi Mehta, who had queued up to buy the charm, said: It is beautiful and trendy and can prevent harm. Sonakshi decided to buy the Nazar Bonjuk after learning about its so-called powers, though it came at a price of Rs.300.
La Turca has also bagged wholesale orders from Indian distributors for the Nazar Bonjuk, which Unsal says is effective only when made of glass.
There are cheap Chinese imitations made in plastic. But they don’t have any power, he said. Unsal said his forefathers were also involved in manufacturing the charm.
In Turkey, it is common to see babies with the Nazarliklar, a smaller version of the charm, pinned to their clothing. Women wear the Nazar Bonjuk in bracelets or necklaces and men use it in their cars, Unsal said.
More than just retailing the bracelets, Unsal said he hoped to woo more wholesale buyers for the product before the fair concludes Nov 27.
--Indo-Asian News Service
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| Kaizad Gustad robbed before car rally - Nov 23, 2004 15:37 IST |
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Filmmaker Kaizad Gustad’s jeep was stopped and robbed at gunpoint 120 km outside Guwahati.
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| Congress, BJP meeting ahead of parliament session - Nov 22, 2004 13:40 IST |
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A meeting between senior Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders has been called by the Lok Sabha Speaker Monday to ensure a smooth parliament session that begins Dec 1.
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad would represent the Congress.
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| Manmohan offers support for tea industry - Nov 22, 2004 13:38 IST |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said his government will offer generous help to bail out India’s beleaguered tea industry facing a slump in exports and falling prices.
I assure you that we will work to rejuvenate the tea industry which is a sector of the economy, he told a rally in Assam’s main city Guwahati organised to inaugurate the new capital complex building.
Manmohan Singh was responding to a plea by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who exhorted New Delhi to come to the aid of the ailing tea industry.
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| Mega ASEAN car rally to start Monday - Nov 22, 2004 13:37 IST |
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An estimated 25,000 people will gather at a stadium Monday where 1,500 performers will dance and sing as one of India’s biggest ever diplomatic and trade campaigns begins in the shape of a car rally.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will flag off the first India-ASEAN car rally at the Nehru Stadium here. The rally will last 20 days and traverse 8,000 km across eight ASEAN countries.
This is a massive trade and culture campaign of India, said Ajay Khanna, deputy director general of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), which is organising the rally with the ministry of external affairs.
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| Car rally to push regional trade, ties - Nov 22, 2004 13:36 IST |
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A car rally starting here Monday and winding through eight countries in southeast Asia could boost trade between India and southeast Asia in a major way.
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These three key areas are where India is really looking to make a significant difference in the coming years, said Ajay Khanna, deputy director general of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), which is organising the 20-day rally.
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| Priests in short supply for auspicious Nov 28 - Nov 22, 2004 13:34 IST |
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There will be no dearth of anxious couples Nov 28, but there sure will be a shortage of priests as some 14,000 weddings are expected to be solemnised in the capital on what is thought to be an auspicious day for Hindus.
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| Centurion Hall puts South Africa in driver’s seat - Nov 22, 2004 13:33 IST |
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| BJP relay hunger strike continues - Nov 22, 2004 13:33 IST |
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) observed its relay hunger strike for the second day Sunday, protesting the arrest of Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi.
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| Board politics puts pressure on players: Azhar - Nov 22, 2004 13:32 IST |
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Political manoeuvring in the Indian cricket board has impacted on the team’s performance, former captain Mohammed Azharuddin said here Sunday.
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| Manmohan confers Srimanta Sankardeva Award - Nov 22, 2004 13:31 IST |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Sunday conferred the prestigious Srimanta Sankardeva Award on the country’s four prominent cultural personalities.
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| Peace process will take time: Natwar Singh - Nov 22, 2004 13:29 IST |
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Contending that the India-Pakistan peace process would take time, India’s External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh Sunday advised Pakistan to be patient on the question of resolving the Kashmir dispute.
It is an old question. It is not possible that results will come in a day or two, he told reporters here.
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| Ambani family to meet Monday - Nov 22, 2004 13:28 IST |
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The Ambani family, promoters of India’s largest private business conglomerate Reliance Industries, is likely to meet here Monday to sort out a reported feud over the ownership of the company.
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| Indo-Pak Punjab games from Dec 5 - Nov 22, 2004 13:26 IST |
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Players from Punjab - in India as well as from Pakistan’s Punjab province - will participate in the first ever Indo-Pakistan Punjab Games that kicks off here Dec 5.
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| India is for Hindus alone: RSS chief - Nov 22, 2004 13:25 IST |
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Hindustan (India) is for Hindus alone, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) said here Sunday.
Hindustan is the only Hindu nation on earth. This is a matter of faith for us, K.S. Sudarshan, currently on a four-day tour of Bihar, told workers of the RSS, the premier Hindu nationalist outfit that is the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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| India, Latin America business meet Nov 26 - Nov 22, 2004 13:24 IST |
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More than 40 leading buyers and prospective trade partners representing major companies from Latin American Countries (LAC) will attend an engineering exporters’ meeting here Nov 26.
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| Shankaracharya arrest: trade to remain closed Monday - Nov 22, 2004 13:23 IST |
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Trading activity across the country is likely to be crippled Monday with the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) calling a national shutdown to protest the arrest of Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi.
All commercial markets and trade activities will be closed to protest the arrest and treatment meted out to the Shankaracharya, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal told IANS here Sunday, announcing the Bharat Bandh.
The CAIT is an apex body of trade associations and federations representing millions of traders in the country.
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