Celebrated every year on January 9, Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is a day marked to appreciate the contribution of Indians living overseas in the development of the country. The chosen date commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa, on Jan 9, 1915.

This mega-convention is held every year to celebrate the day, which sees NRIs interacting with those residing in India and among themselves. The venue for the 17th edition, held on January 10, was Indore. This year, the NRIs were especially taken by the local snacks and are likely to find a market for them in Middle Eastern nations.

A day after the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, a group of overseas Indians visited a namkeen factory in Indore, in a bid to get a closer look at the city's famous snacks. The 48-member group, made up of businesspersons owning retail chains and supermarkets in the Gulf and Kenya, witnessed the processing of Papad, Namkeen, and other Indori snacks at the factory.

The group was so impressed, especially by the namkeen, that they now plan to take the rich taste of Indore's snacks to gulf countries. The leader of the delegation expressed the desire to import the city's namkeen to Middle Eastern markets, saying that "Indori namkeen has a great scope in the markets there."

Another member of the delegation also saw great merit in the idea of outsourcing namkeen from the city to retail chains in the gulf, particularly in Qatar.

Indore has gained plaudits for its cleanliness in recent years but the city is a hub of crispy, crunchy and yummy snacks. Some of the city's namkeen such as the Ratlami Sev are immensely popular, not just in Madhya Pradesh, but across the country.

In fact, the city's jewelry market, Sarafa Bazaar, morphs into a massive snacks market after sundown. Locals and visitors alike can be found joyously munching on these treats, just as thrilled as the NRI group that now plans to share the same riveting taste with people in Gulf nations.

The owner of the factory visited by the NRI delegation has great hopes from the group's promises. "Middle east could be a major market for us," he said.