Dubai: The Indian Consulate in Dubai has released a video explaining the themes, events and people that the country will showcase at its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Expo 2020 Dubai is scheduled to be staged from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, and the mega event is being seen as the biggest opportunity to showcase India to the world.
Releasing a YouTube video on Twitter, the Indian Consulate said the India pavilion will showcase to the world, #IndiaAt75 [75 years of India’s independence]. It will present a new and dynamic India with its never-ending opportunities. Sharing the video, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi stated in Arabic that the pavilion “is a testament to the deepening of bilateral ties between India and the UAE and India’s growing international standing”.
The India pavilion will be a grand four-level structure divided into themed sections, according to the video that presented a three-dimensional architectural illustration and an artist’s impression of the entire pavilion.
On the ground floor, visitors will walk through ‘space’, where India’s growing prowess in space technologies and its plans for the future will be showcased.
Located beyond that will be the ‘yoga and wellness story’, a legacy of India’s 5000-year-old civilisation.
The first floor will introduce visitors to the endless colours of India where the country’s mesmerising art, culture and tourism landscapes will be brought alive.
The theme for the second floor is ‘never-ending opportunities’. It is meant for the world to see the unlimited business opportunities that India has to offer.
India-UAE relationship
The India-UAE relationship and the ‘digital India story’ that is transforming lives, will also be featured here.
The third floor is a tribute to leading Indian corporations where the ‘who is who’ of Indian business and the best of Indian brands will have a presence.
Some of the Indian companies listed in the video include UAE-based Lulu, Aster and Malabar Gold and Diamonds, along with Indian corporate giants such as Tata, Hinduja and Apollo.
A state-of-the-art conference hall is also located on the third floor. It will host business and government meetings, cultural shows, films and much more.
On the second floor, the achievements and opportunities of various sectors will be showcased.
Tributes to states, cultural programmes
The first floor also hosts the ‘states pavilion’ paying tributes to the vibrancy and legacy of Indian states and their potential in the fields of business, innovation and startups.
The India pavilion will also host a number of festivals, special days, cultural engagements and other programmes based on a thematic calendar.
Post-COVID debates
The pavilion will also bring together leading experts and think tanks to discuss and debate questions facing the post-pandemic world.
It will offer a chance to meet and connect with the Indian diaspora and famous personalities such as celebrity chefs, filmmakers, women authors, actors, artists, scientists, innovators and other accomplished and inspiring people from the country.
The themes
The main themes planned include space, climate and biodiversity, urban and rural development, knowledge and learning, travel and connectivity, global goals, health and wellness, food, agriculture and livelihoods, water, youth, women and girls, technology, innovation and creativity.
The main theme of Expo 2020 Dubai is ‘Connecting minds, Creating the future’.
The Expo has attracted participation from 192 nations and the mega event is also expected to offer both real and virtual experiences to millions of visitors.
Newer areas of collaborations
Meanwhile, the Consul General of India in Dubai, Dr Aman Puri, had a meeting with Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the Dubai Chamber office on Wednesday. In a statement, the consulate said issues of mutual interest, including plans about the Expo, were discussed.
Buamim shared Dubai Chamber’s plans during Expo 2020 and emphasised on both the sides working together during the Expo and beyond.
Acknowledging the impact of the pandemic on businesses, both the sides expressed their hope and confidence about the improvement in the situation and the economic activities coming back on track in the near future.
Dr Puri also discussed with Buamim the synergies that could be created in the India pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The meeting concluded with both the parties agreeing to explore newer areas of collaboration, the release added.
Hassan Al Hashemi, vice-president, International Relations, Dubai Chamber, and Pankaj Bodkhe, Consul, Economic, Trade and Commerce at the Indian Consulate, were also present during the meeting.
New exterior design
As first reported by Gulf News on February 11, India’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will have a new look after the facade of the main building was tweaked to give a modern touch. The pavilion is being built at an area of over 4,800 sqm at an estimated cost of Dh250 million.
“A lot of things will be digital projection. The outer surface will be a special one, which will make it convenient for projections,” the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Pavan Kapoor, had said.
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An artist’s rendering of the final design of the pavilion, which also includes a two-storey plaza next to the main building, shows Mahatma Gandhi’s face displayed on the facade of the four-storey main building. Earlier, a statue of the Father of the Nation had been planned at the entrance.
The main structure of the pavilion is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2021, according to Dilip Chenoy, secretary-general, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which is the industry partner of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry for Expo 2020 Dubai.
