No euphoria for The Great Mall

By K. V. S. Madhav

HYDERABAD, OCT. 6. It's that time when only one thing matters -- grounding the extravaganza. One where you run against time. The Great Mall of Hyderabad drummed up as mother of all shopping festivals is just days away. But, the euphoria seems to be miles away.

Strategy gurus have woven their magic, relying on their reservoir of spiel. But, the grim reality is that the mall works are in a muddle. And organisers Ogilvy Live and the Tourism department are running against the odds and time, too, to set the show rolling.

First, the World Trade Center devastation and the subsequent recession all around. Three-fourths of the countries which were to have participated in the festival have backed out, and so have several advertisers. More importantly, heavy rain which reduced the city to a sheet of water, again and again during the past few days, has hampered the works.

Back home, the authorities have denied permission for setting up waterfront discotheques on the Necklace road as there was a ban on them while the opening of beer bars is yet to be cleared by the Excise department. The huge hangers which were supposed to be handed over to the participants on Friday itself are yet to be done.

"Such hiccups are inevitable. No pain, no gain. Laying the foundation is never an easy job," Ogilvy Live's regional head, Mrs. Rani Reddy, sounds an optimistic chord. Concurs the Tourism Director, Mr. G. Kishen Rao,"Despite setbacks, it will still be a good beginning. The shopping festival is here to stay. It took five years for the Dubai shopping festival to get established."

As the tourism business worldwide has taken a beating in the wake of the New York attacks, Hyderabad festival is no exception, she points out. "Several persons who have confirmed their participation have backed out. They had valid reasons to do so. It is unfortunate," she says.

"Though we are distressed by this, the fact that all major corporates and the MNCs operating in India have assured us of their presence in the festival has bolstered us," she explains.

Infrastructure, she insists, was "more or less in place." "The hangers will be given to the participants by Monday while other permissions like the discotheque at the main venue, National Academy of Construction near the Hi Tech City in neighbouring Rangareddy district, would be secured by October 10, well in advance," Mr. Kishen Rao explains.

However, the Rangareddy SP, Mr. M. Ramchandra Raju, says he was yet to receive any application from the organisers for running a discotheque. On discordant notes in various quarters, Mrs. Rani Reddy remarked that it was "a mixed bag".

"The scpeticism is because a festival of this magnitude was never organised in Hyderabad. This is the biggest shopping festival ever organised in the country. It is for the Hyderabadis to gear up and be wonderful hosts," she exclaims, adding,"there is everything for everyone, right from bargains, cuisine, art, dance and a slice of India all over."

Yes, the mall is uncharted territory but the turnout will be a test of how well the organisers have navigated. It's not about Hyderabadis being present there -- they will be there anyhow -- but the tourists from other places who would make the difference.

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