Vijayawada’s National SARAS Mela is scheduled to run from October 13 to 31 at Punnami Ghat, bringing rural products and women-led enterprises into a direct marketplace. Organisers expect more than 1,500 women from self-help groups across over 30 states and Union Territories.
The Ministry of Rural Development’s October 12 announcement scheduled the formal inauguration by President Droupadi Murmu for October 15 at 11.30 am. The President’s Secretariat subsequently confirmed the planned visit. These advance notices establish the schedule; they should not be treated as a report that the ceremony has already taken place.
Products and the people behind them
The ministry’s programme includes textiles, handicrafts, regional food and live craft demonstrations. Its examples include Punjab’s Phulkari, Telangana’s Ikat and Telia textiles, and Mizoram’s Paunchei.
The event is organised with Andhra Pradesh’s Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty. Beyond stalls, a Knowledge Pavilion is intended to connect participants with support on branding, packaging, marketing and business development, while the eSARAS platform is part of the wider market-access effort.
Why a fair can matter to a small enterprise
Direct selling gives a producer a chance to hear why customers choose one product over another. Questions about price, durability, delivery and packaging can reveal obstacles that a sales total alone does not explain.
But attendance is not the same as a sustained rise in income. The more useful follow-up would track repeat orders, profit after travel and stall costs, and whether new buyer relationships survive after the exhibition closes. Those outcomes cannot be assumed from the announced number of participants.
What visitors should check
The published run dates and venue give prospective visitors a starting point. Before travelling, check the organisers’ latest notices for daily opening hours, entry arrangements and any programme changes; these details should not be inferred from the inauguration time.
Our image is a credited file photograph of Majuli masks at the 2021 SARAS Mela in Guwahati. It illustrates the craft-market setting, not the participants or installations at this year’s Vijayawada event.
Image credit and licence
File photo: Majuli masks displayed at SARAS Mela, Guwahati, January 2021; not the 2026 Vijayawada fair. Photo: Chiring chandan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display; image adaptations retain CC BY-SA 4.0. Original image and provenance · Licence / usage terms.
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