The Great Mall Of Hyderabad - A Curtain Raiser: Events in Hyderabad

PREVIEW FOR THE GREAT MALL OF...

In case you missed all the red the town's been painted in, here's the lowdown.
For those who think that shopping is the scourge of consumerism, the vice that
does nothing for your own personal economy, the ugly side-effect of glitzy ads
and all those other editorial phrases, it's time for not knowing where to look.
And for all the shop-a-happy ones, this is the time when you really understand
what the term "and they all lived happily ever after" means. And in between there's
Oglivy Live trying to find out if there is money here or just an error of judgment.
For, a reported Rs. 7 crores is being put into trying to get you buoyant about
spending.

Ogilvy Live, in association with the Department of Tourism, is organizing what is being proclaimed to be "Asia's biggest shopping festival", at various venues in Hyderabad like the NAC Grounds at Madhapur, the Necklace Road, Shilparamam and the Lalitha Kala Thoranam. For all those who have the money, this promises to be a whole month of non-stop shopping and non-stop bargains, with a number of entertaining events thrown in (for a fee, of course).

Garments, household appliances, furniture, novelties and a whole lot of other stuff will be available directly from world reputed manufacturing houses as well as from indigenous producers. More than 200 companies are expected to take part in the exhibition at NAC grounds, and about 120 shops will be set up at Necklace Road. The government is offering incentives like 4 per cent sales tax on color TVs and a one-time 2 per cent lifetime tax on all new motor vehicles purchased here.

Water sports in the Hussain Sagar, games for kids, flying in balloons, bungee-jumping and other adventure sports at Necklace Road will be one of the highlights. Other sporting events like an international super sixes cricket tournament and bowling and golf tournaments will also be held at NAC grounds.

Various entertaining programs will also be held in different parts of the city during the festival. Some of the interesting programs scheduled for the festival are the film star gatherings, big entertainers performing, Bollywood nights and stunts at the NAC grounds at Madhapur.

At Shilparamam visitors can have a look at an exquisite arts and crafts display. There are also going to be discotheques with daily lucky lotteries and drive-in movies (Hollywood and Bollywood). There will also be Indian and international food festivals daily. For the convenience of the visitors, the railways have scheduled special suburban trains between Falaknuma and Hafizpet. The timings of these trains are as follows:

Daily from Falaknuma to Hyderabad: 12.00pm, 12.55pm, 2.20pm, 3.40pm, 5.15pm,
6.35pm, 8.15pm and 9.25pm.

Daily from Hafizpet to Hyderabad: 1.20pm, 2.20pm, 4.00pm, 5.10pm, 6.50pm,
8.00pm, 9.40pm and 10.50pm.

Both the trains go via Uppuguda, Yakutpura, Dabirpura, Malakpet, Kachiguda, Vidyanagar, Jamia Osmania, Arts College, Seethaphal Mandi, Secunderabad, Hussain Sagar, Begumpet and Sanath Nagar.

Please contact 663-3100..03 for further details.