SWADESHI MANDI - Being Vocal for Local

SWADESHI MANDI - Being Vocal for Local

India and Indians have largely been overwhelmed by the idea of Self-Reliance or Athmanirbhar as they say. And why not? It's an idea that fires a spark of patriotism in us. India does carry the potential to not just dream about it but to make this a reality as well. However, is dreaming about being Atmanirbhar sufficient? Is it justified to just say Vocal for Local on social media and not work around it?

India needs to act on the idea, and it should at now!

National Institute of Industrial Engineering has been working in this for the last several years. Maha-Mandi is an annual festival at NITIE which encourages students of the institute to earn while they learn. The event happened on Independence day in virtual mode due to the pandemic, however there was no sign of lack of excitement from the students.

The Mandi way of learning

This year, the theme of Annual Mandi Event was none other than Swadeshi-Mandi. Students were asked to promote one local product from their respective native places. Students made catchy posters and did their best in the effort of being Vocal for Local.

I, being from the Land of Peshwas, Oxford of the East-Pune, found it difficult to promote one particular product. However, I decided to go with Pune's very special Bakarwadi.

Bakarwadi is a traditional Marathi sweet and spicy snack, popular in Maharashtra, Gujrat and Rajasthan and widely available in the markets of Pune. It is made from gram flour dough made into spirals stuffed with a mixture of coconut, poppy seeds and sesame seeds. It is then fried until it gets crispy. It can be stored for weeks and enjoyed as an evening snack. Bakarwadi was made famous by Pune's famous food and dairy chain - Chitale Bandhu.

Poster made for Swadeshi-Mandi 2020 

This method of learning has not only embedded the feeling of self reliance and entrepreneurship, it has also successfully sparked ideas of some of India's emerging startups. Lal10, Cashify, Cropwell, Level 10 Studios are few of the startups by NITIE students.

To know more about Swadeshi-Mandi and related events, follow Marketing Interest Group, NITIE-

1. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mig.nitie/

2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/migofficial_nitie/?hl=en

3. T.Prasad sir(Mandi sir) Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nitieprasad1