5th IIJW begins with a bang

The Fourth Mumbai edition and fifth over all of the India International Jewellery Week kick started today with an aplomb. Held at the Grand Hyatt in Santacruz, Mumbai the show is a well-attended affair. The chief guest of the show was honorary Rajiv Shukla, Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Planning.

The show started with the audiences welcoming the honorary minister with a loud round of applause. The chairman of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), Vipul Shah took over the podium and presented a warm welcome speech. He said that though the industry is facing rough times, events like the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW) and the upcoming India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) will help to revive the positive sentiment of the market. He also added that despite the testing times the industry has a positive outlook. He further stated that this year 25 of India’s leading jewellery designers and brands will come together to put up an exemplary show. He mentioned Bollywood beauties like Karisma Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Shabana Azmi amongst others will add more aplomb to the show this year. He then invited the chief guest, Member of Parliament, Rajiv Shukla to address the audiences.

The respected chief guest, Rajiv Shukla, Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Planning shared that he was extremely happy and honoured to be a part of the show and congratulated the entire team of GJEPC on their efforts to put up the extravagant show that has put the Indian jewellery trade on a global map. He also added that India is facing a very big current account deficit situation. “I would like to share with you all the there is a deficit of 90 billion USD in the current account and a large chunk of 55 billion USD is due to gold imports. We are not against gold import if it is consumed in India but many people here are trading in gold which is not right. We have imposed restrictive measures on gold import to put a curb on this practice. Having said that, it is important to mention that we are here to promote Indian jewellery talent but not the people trading it. I would like to conclude by saying that I am here for the jewellery industry and will provide them with all possible help,” he stated.

The show then took off with a spectacular opening show of Gitanjali Group that supported a social cause called Beti Movement. More than 50 television celebrities and eminent celebrities sashayed the ramp while adoring Gitanjali jewellery. The showstoppers of the show were Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha that stole the limelight of the show.