What is an international technology fair all about?
Showcasing your best products, striking deals with investors, forming partnerships and talking about millions and billions.
And that is what is happening at the ongoing International Engineering and Technology Fair organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi.
The Americans are talking about biotechnology; the Chinese are offering machine tools, motorbikes, silk and spices; the Germans are flashing there automobiles; and business executives from the world over are making presentations in the luxury hotels of the Indian Capital.
But S N Jaffrey, a casually dressed young man, sits the entire day at his small stall at the IETF being held at Pragati Maidan in central Delhi.
Few woollen carpets hang on the walls of the stall. So do a couple of traditional embroidered dresses and four jars full of almond kernels and cashew nuts.
On his desk are three posters -- one of the famous Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan destroyed by the Taliban. A plaque on the stall reads 'Transitional Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.'
That is all the Afghan stall at the technology fair has to offer. No well-dressed corporate czars hang around.
To a few college students, Jaffrey explains the painful transition in his war-torn country.
"You know with all the trouble in Afghanistan, we hardly have anything to offer. We have the traditional handicrafts and dry fruits. Nothing else," he says apologetically.
Afghans are looking at the technology fair as a possible venue for attracting attention to the sordid state of economic affairs in their country.
"We are trying to meet Indian and foreign businessmen here. There are some people who were interested, but we need investors. That is what brings us here," says Jaffrey, Third Secretary of Commercial Affairs at the Afghan embassy in India.
Since the fall of Taliban and takeover of the Karzai government in Afghanistan, India has been taking an active interest in rebuilding the country.
Along with Iran, India is helping the Afghans build the road from its main port city of Chaubahar near Iran border to Kadhahar, which will open Afghanistan to the sea route.
Indian corporate czars who had visited Afghanistan in last September had seen Afghanistan to have long-term investment opportunities as the country began its reconstruction with the assistance of the international community, which have pledged over $4.5 billion.
Indian companies had seen possibility of consumer goods and automobiles market in the war ravaged country.
The major problem area for the country haunted by hunger and disease is medicine.
"Ranbaxy is interested in setting up a plant there and their representatives have made trips to Kabul. Hopefully, they will be setting up a drug manufacturing plant in Kabul this year," Jaffrey told rediff.com.
But the economic problems for his country are far from over.
Meanwhile, he waits at his IETF stall for potential investors. "We are trying to reach out. Hope things improve," he said.
