Do you know what excites us about January (other than the new year beginning)? Numaish! It's massive and it has everything from shopping to food which is overwhelming if you're a first-timer. Aimless (like almost everyone who goes there), we scavenged our way through the crowd and got our hands on all these things with one pink note. And of course, you can bargain for a better deal.
Shopping Under INR 2,000: What You Can Shop At Numaish With One Pink Note
Clutch - INR 500
We entered from the Ajantha Gate and walked along the chikankari stalls and stopped at the sight of a Rajasthani bag stall. They had all sorts of potlis, handbags, and totes and we got this pretty clutch for INR 500. Comes with one big compartment and a small zipped pocket to keep loose change, it's good for those times where we make an exception and not carry our entire world in a bag.
Pashmina Shawl - INR 600
Kashmiri stalls are one of the biggest attractions of Numaish. You have to walk towards the back entrance of the grounds to find several Kashmiri stalls. From dress materials, readymade suits and kurtas, to ponchos and shawls, they have them in Kashmiri cotton and silk. We gawked at many shawls and picked ourselves a classic, statement shawl with self-work on it for INR 600. The cloth was smooth and fine, and for pashmina, it was worth the price.
Oxidized Silver Choker - INR 150
While there are many junk jewellery stalls spread throughout the ground, hidden away are gemstones and silver jewellery stalls. You can recognise these stalls with their almost blinding yellow lights. They had all the usual suspects like rings, long chains, anklets, etc in silver and copper finish. We picked an oxidised silver choker with sort of a tribal design for INR 150 which is a steal. They also had Kundan chokers with pearls for INR 300.
Wooden Keychain Hanger - INR 300
Shaped like a cycle, we found this wooden hanger in a handicrafts shop near Pista House. Priced at INR 300, this has a rustic finish and comes with several hooks to hang lightweight items. There were many other designs with more or fewer hooks priced similarly, so you can probably check those out too.
Decorative Birds - INR 120
Have a dull corner in your house? Consider hanging these birdies. Sold in many colors, we spotted these at the plastic plants stall near a huge cotton candy stall (easy to locate because there is only one). Priced at INR 120, these are supposed to be love birds. Intricate detailing with feathers, eggs, and a real looking nest, it's worth it. They also have smaller ones starting at INR 40.
Jhumkas - INR 180
No trip to Numaish is complete without hoarding junk jewellery. Apart from the usual ones (which they have in abdundance), these long desi earrings with dangling jhumkas at the end for INR 180 looked like something we can experiment with.
Pickle Jar - INR 100
Summer is going to start in a couple of months, and that's official pickle season. It's a good idea to stock up on new jars and for INR 100, you can buy as many as you want. This crockery stall was next to the handicrafts stall near Pista House and they had these jars in many sizes. They are the traditional looking jars that you might have seen at your grandmother's house or in old-school movies.
