OdishaLIVE Bureau
Gramotsava, the flagship event of Xavier School of Rural Management, Xavier University Bhubaneswar, was successfully conducted at Nimapada, in Puri district. It was a rural marketing fair which aimed to promote Products & Services in rural areas, conduct need based market research and foster productive relationship between the rural community and the organizations functioning in the rural sector. OdishaLIVE was associated with the event as the Digital Media Partner.
The theme for this year’s Gramotsava was ‘Smart Village’. Gramotsava consisted of three phases- Aadi Parva (Pre-fair phase), Madhya Parva(Fair Day) and Iti Parva (Post-fair phase). The event kick started with the launch of Gramotsava’s official video, and commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Prof. Kajri Mishra, Dean of Xavier School of Rural Management followed by unveiling the banner and this year’s mascot, the Olive Ridley turtle ‘Boney Bhaina’.
A string of cultural performances and the release of the fifth volume of Dhwani, the annual magazine of RMAX were other notable highlights of the day. The event was concluded with the vote of thanks by Deepak Mishra, Co-Ordinator of RMAX – The Rural Managers’ Association of Xavier School of Rural Management.
The rural marketing fair held for two days – 23rd and 24th September 2017, intended to bring leading corporate brands closer to the rural hinterlands saw some of the leading corporate and social entities associated with the fair from automobile and heavy vehicle sector, banking and finance, among others.
“Gramotsava was the best platform to learn about rural marketing strategies. Interacting with rural folks and knowing their preferences was indeed an enriching experience” said Pramitee Behera, student of XIMB.
“The experience was enriching in terms of knowledge and fun. The Van Promotions helped me to gain an insight as to how to make yourself heard, pitch your product and convince them to be on ground” shared another student Siddhant Kumar.
Innovative games and live demonstrations were held to study the perception of the rural customers. Free dental checkup, cultural activities like skit themed on Ramayana and dancing competition attracted a large number of audience. XIMB management was represented by Fr. Arockia, Fr. Donald and Fr. Alwyn while lots of students, corporate functionaries, village folk and media also attended the fair.
