On a hot morning in Chhattarpur last July, more than 150 traders and leaders of trade associations from different parts of India convened at one of the many farmhouses that the South Delhi locality is synonymous with.

All of them were affiliated to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a trade body that represents at least 60 million traders across various categories, including toys, jewellery, handicrafts, garments, jewellery, logistics and footwear, as well as FMCG (distributors).

Vehicles streamed in and out, dropping off the traders at the farmhouse for a three-day event to discuss the issues bedevilling shopkeepers on the heels of the two deadly Covid-19 waves. It was a time for reflection.

Veteran traders were recognised and honoured, before everybody listened to possibly the most powerful figure in India’s trading community: Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT’s general secretary.