MEET AN AQUARIST SERIES: THE AQUARISTS OF BANGALORE by Howard Norfolk PART FOUR: THE AQUARISTS SOCIETY OF KARNATAKA Aquarists in Bangalore have a thriving club, The Aquarists Society of Karnataka. (Karnataka is an Indian state, of which Bangalore is the capital). The Society is much more than just an aquarium club - hobbyists belong to it certainly, but so do all kinds of trades people and professionals connected with the aquarium business. As its prospectus says, it is an association of "Aquarists, Educationists, Professionals, Retailers, Manufacturers of Aquarium Accessories and Fittings, and Importers and Exporters of Aquarium Essentials." - It is acknowledged by hobbyists, the trade, and the government that the aquarium hobby and the culture of ornamental and commercial fish in India have not yet reached their full potential, and there is plenty of scope for further development, both within the country and as an export business. India has the climate, the land, and plenty of enterprising people to develop a fish breeding and export trade to match that of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and China - where ornamental fish are big business… The stated objectives of the club, therefore, are: "to popularise the keeping of ornamental fish in homes, schools, hospitals, etc.", and "to promote and provide training for the culture of ornamental and commercial fish species by means of exhibitions, seminars, film shows, lectures, and magazines." The Society is independent of the government, although the Director of Fisheries is the President, and various other government and Government Aquarium officials are ex officio directors of the Society. Hobbyists are not left out however - Raj Kumar and several others are members of the Executive Committee and play a part in the running of the Society. The Society makes a big splash in Bangalore each May, with its annual Exhibition and Show, 'AQUAFEST', held in the grounds of the Government Aquarium. Local dealers maintain displays and sell their wares, and products are brought in from all over India. There are fish shows and competitions for both trades people and hobbyists, for which there are trophies and good cash prizes. Aquafest has made the hobby boom in Bangalore, and it gets lots of publicity, with politicians cutting ribbons and making speeches. I was astounded to hear that paid attendance for the four-day run last year was 22,000 adults, plus their children who get in free. The entrance fee was a nominal US10c so that almost everyone could afford it, but even then the Society grossed US$2200.00 (Imagine if a club in the West had such an attendance, with the nominal entry fee at what? - say US$2... $5... $10?... !!!). The Society has its own premises, a large room on the ground floor of the Government Aquarium in Cubbon Park, Bangalore. I went there to check it out, and was also shown around the Aquarium.
The Aquarium is a circular building with three floors. The Society's and other offices are on the ground floor. The next floor has a display of mostly native Indian fishes: various carps including mahseers; catfishes; snakeheads; perches including tilapia. The top floor has an uninspiring collection of common aquarium fishes in small tanks. I didn't take any photos inside - "Photography Not Permitted." The Society uses its room to sell fish and a small selection of
accessories to the general public, "at concession prices", and this is where its
hobbyist members meet every Sunday between 11 a.m. and I joined the Society as its first international Life Member! Annual membership is US$2 and Life Membership US$20. (Should postage to me cost more than I'm worth, just let me know, guys!). I joined hoping to receive future copies of "Infoaquaria", the Society's well-produced journal, and was kindly given a set of back issues. Each issue of Infoaquaria contains up to ten articles, with subjects ranging from how to set up your first aquarium, to how to set up a commercial production and marketing facility. There are other articles for both beginners and advanced aquarists, and many dealing with the hobby's commercial side. The articles are written by both professional and amateur aquarists. The magazine also contains advertisements.
Apart from this, books and magazines about fishkeeping are hard to find in India. I know because I check out every bookstore I see and have only ever found one Indian book about fish! (I was shown a copy of a recently published glossy book, but was unable to buy it). But now there is the Internet - expensive for Indians to use on-line, so with permission Raj Kumar copies websites (including Aquarticles) onto a CD which he lends to members. My three aquarist friends are all active members of the Society: Raj is a
member of the Executive Committee and helps to run Aquafest, including judging the
competitions, Adip wrote an article for
Infoaquaria about his experiences breeding goldfish, and Madan sponsors the Society's P.S. Madan Subramanian took me on a tour of some of his favourite aquarium stores. Photos of them may be seen in Travel/Some Photographic Impressions of Aquarium Stores in South India). |
The sales tanks
