By Vidya Venkatesan
A trusted staple for festive shoppers, the Zak Salaam India Expo is back and brings a vibrant array of discounts and subsidies.
With Deepavali just around the corner, the highly anticipated showcase has returned for its 43rd edition - which marks a major milestone as Zak Salaam India celebrates 20 years since first arriving on Singapore’s shores in 2007. Beyond reflecting on two decades of growth, the event gives shoppers plenty of reason to rejoice with massive festive deals.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s free-entry exhibition runs across an extended 10 days from October 16 to 25 at Singapore EXPO, Hall 9 (Foyer 3).
Designed to recreate the experience of strolling through the bustling streets of India, the hall is organised into distinct segments featuring regional specialties from across the country.
“I heard there were many unique pieces from Northern India, so I came down to take a look. The collection is exceptionally vast, with exquisite and eye-catching designs,” said 26-year-old shopper Ms Bianca Annabelle Raymond.
Ms Geetha Sivaraman, 33, a returning visitor who had attended previous editions in other halls within EXPO, noticed the difference right away. “The venue feels much more spacious this time and the entire shopping experience felt better,” she noted.
“Since it is the first day of the exhibition, the crowd seems to be pouring in slowly, but that meant I could complete my shopping earlier,” exclaimed Ms Geetha, noting that the crowd would be considerably more during the weekends.
Featuring over 300 stalls, the exhibition offers a diverse mix of handicrafts, home decor, traditional attire, fine jewellery, and regional cuisine.
For Hawker Brew’s co-owner, 29-year-old Ms Ameena Halilur Rahman, this is not her first time setting up her stall at the exhibition. Having served popular Malay delicacies alongside her husband in the earlier edition, her team wanted to craft a menu rooted in Indian culture with a local Singaporean twist this time, in light of Deepavali. “We are selling staple favorites like vadai and samosas, along with our sardine curry puffs,” she shared.
Visitors can also look out for stall-specific promotions and bespoke offerings across the venue.
“Shops like ‘Chanel’ tend to sell highly expensive perfumes. At Hanzans Perfume, our aim is to recreate those perfumes not only at a more affordable price but also ensuring long-lasting quality,” said co-owner of Hanzans Perfume, Mr Muhammad Ansari, 43.
The shop also offers live perfume-mixing sessions to customise scents for customers, alongside tiered discounts based on the number of bottles purchased.
Shoppers can also look forward to Dandiya celebrations, showcasing their talents at cooking, chess and carrom competitions as well as feasting to their hearts’ content at the Deepavali dinner. The event also features Pattimandram (debates) and the “Zak Salaam Community Awards” function.
To top it off, the first 100 families arriving between 10am and 3pm daily stand to receive complimentary gifts. Additionally, all visitors who register for free stand a chance to win air tickets to premium destinations, with daily draws for flights to Dubai (19 October), London (20 October), Paris (21 October), New York (22 October), and Rome (23 October) as well as daily ticket giveaways for the newly released film Jailer 2.
