India took part in the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF 2009), held from 05 to 13 September 2009, as “Honoured Country”. India’s participation was organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), New Delhi, with the assistance of Embassy of India, Athens.

Indian Pavilion covered an area of over 1000 sq. mtrs.  The Pavilion was done up both inside and outside with Indian thematic decorations specially designed in India for the Fair and was an eye-catcher.  The wide range of products displayed at the Indian pavilion included traditional handicrafts, apparels, textiles and jewellery made of gold, silver and stone (precious and non-precious).  The public response was one of the highest in the Indian pavilion.

            Prime Minister of Greece, H.E. Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, accompanied by other dignitaries, visited the Indian pavilion in the morning of 06 September 2009.  The Prime Minister was received at the Indian pavilion by Mr. Dilip Sinha, Ambassador, and Dr. Subas Pani, Chairman & Managing Director, ITPO. 

One of the important aspects of India’s participation in TIF 2009 as Honoured Country was the organising of various parallel events which added a splash of colour both to India’s participation and to the Fair as a whole.  The parallel events in fact were one of the big attractions of the Fair.  These events included:

1. Business Seminar – Two eminent speakers from India participated in the business seminar.  Mr. K.T. Chacko, Director, Indian Institute of Management, spoke on Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Development of India, while Mr. Phiroz A. Vandrevala, Executive Director & Head Global Corporate Affairs, TATA Consultancy Services Limited, made a presentation on Foreign Direct Investment in India.
   
   
2. Indian Dances – Two dance groups -- a 13-member Himachal Folk Dance Group of ‘Churshwar Lok Nritya Sanskritik Mandal’ led by Shri Joginder singh Habbi, and a 5-member Odissi classical dance group led by Ms. Arushi Mudgal -- took part in the event.  The Himachal group made presentations of a wide range of colourful Himachal folk dances while Ms. Arushi Mudgal gave a number of enchanting solo Odissi dance performances.  The Indian dances, especially the classical Odissi dance, attracted one of the largest audiences for any one individual event in the Fair.  Ms. Uma Sharma, Kathak dancer, also gave a performance in Thessaloniki on 12 September 2009.
   
   
3. Yoga – A 5-member yoga team, led by Dr. B.T. Chidananda Murthy, Director, Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy, gave live demonstrations of yoga postures and explained the positive aspects of each yoga posture.  CDs and write-ups on yoga were distributed to interested visitors.  photographs
   
   
4. Film Festival – An Indian film festival was held in one of the prestigious cinema halls - Olympion Cinema - (Pavlos Zannas Hall) located at the popular Aristotle Square in Thessaloniki, where seven Hindi movies sub-titled in Greek were screened.  The movies screened are: Hum Saath – Saath Hain, Paheli, Iqbal, Yaadein, Koi Mil Gaya, Taal and Black.  The films were well received by the audience.
   
   
5. Food Festival - Two chefs were flown in from India for the Indian food festival in a 5-star hotel – Nikopolis Hotel (formerly Kempinski hotel) – in Thessaloniki.  The exotic Indian cuisine prepared by the Indian chefs was made available in the hotel throughout the period of the Fair.  A well-attended Indian dinner for invited guests was also held in the hotel on 07 September.
   
   
6. Handicrafts - ITPO, in association with the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), brought in artistes who made live demonstration of their skills.  These included stone and wood carvings, bangle making, henna application, clay moulding, etc., which also attracted large crowds.
   
7. India Day - Ambassador Shri Dilip Sinha and Dr. Subas Pani, Chairman and Managing Director, ITPO, jointly held a Reception on the occasion of India Day on 06 September 2009, which was attended by local dignitaries, senior officials of HELEXPO, journalists and other participants.

Government departments and organisations such as India Tourism, Department of Science and Technology, Handicraft Development Commissioner’s Office, NSIC made their presence in the Fair for the first time. India Tourism Office distributed brochures specially prepared in Greek. 
India’s participation in TIF 2009 as “Honoured Country” was on the whole a major success.  Indian companies participated in the Fair were happy at the response they received.  The organisers of the Fair expressed their satisfaction at India’s participation as Honoured Country.  According to HELEXPO, the number of visitors to the Fair was estimated at 241,000, while the ticket sales to the Fair increased 13%, as compared to last year.

Click to Download Brochure:The List Of Participants

Indian Pavillion
Greek Prime Minister Visit
Himachal Folk Dance
	Odisse Dance
Yoga