Dubai Expo-2020: India Pavilion projects startups, draws crowd

With the expo being held in the United Arab Emirates, a country with whom India enjoys warm relations, a section at the pavilion is also dedicated to highlighting their friendship. According to officials, the India Pavilion has recorded over four lakh footfalls in just 57 days

Dubai: The young founders of startup Biya, which produces environmentally sustainable decor and other household items, can't hide their delight at the response their work has generated at 'India Innovation Hub' of the India Pavilion, and the winding queue of visitors at the entrance underscores the buzz around the overall Indian show in Expo2020 here. Pooja Singh, one of its two founders, proudly notes that they have had 100 visitors and 50 more followers on Instagram in just four hours, as her business partner Prateesha Malik nods. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi frequently emphasising his government's efforts to boost the startup culture and a consequent rise in the number of Indian unicorns, India has chosen to give space to a large number of new ventures at its pavilion at the Dubai Expo, being held in this city of thriving global commerce during October-March. On-ground handlers of the pavilion say 84 such startups have been given space so far and their numbers could go up to 500 by the time the expo ends. Startups are, however, just one aspect of the multi-dimensional show put up at the India Pavilion in this sprawling venue celebrating the best of over 191 countries besides many other partners, including corporate bigwigs like Emirates and organisations like United Nations. It is as much an exhibition of India's timeless features like yoga and its diverse culture as it is about its efforts to present itself as a land of opportunities for the corporate sector and as a country working to match the best in space technology. With the expo being held in the United Arab Emirates, a country with whom India enjoys warm relations, a section at the pavilion is also dedicated to highlighting their friendship. According to officials, the India Pavilion has recorded over four lakh footfalls in just 57 days.

Aman Puri, the Consul General of India in Dubai said, "We are thrilled to receive such an encouraging response from the visitors towards the India Pavilion. The record turnout reaffirms India's position as a crucial business destination that offers endless opportunities to the worldwide community. As we represent India at the EXPO2020, it is a moment of pride for us as we receive so much love from the global cohort of leading business delegates and visitors from across the world." The three storeys of the pavilion, one of the bigger ones at the venue, has a facade of moving blocks, a projection of "India on the move", and as one steps inside, two young, smiling yoga exponents in whites are seen show their skills to a motley crowd of various nationalities. And the same ground floor also highlights India's rise in the space sector since 1981 when the Indian Space Research Organisation transported its satellite in a bullock cart, and a photograph duly shows it, to the 2017 feat of the launch of 104 satellites in a single mission and the recent Chandrayaan mission. The yoga section has a virtual projection of Modi performing various asanas while another corner provides details on numerous medicinal plants associated with the country. A yoga session is also held every day, organisers say. Besides the magnificent wonders of Sun Temple of Konark, Amritsar's Golden Temple and various other monuments, the under-construction Ram Temple is among the attractions offering people reasons to visit the country. "It is like mini India. Sitting in India we at times overlook the grandeur of our country which we can sample here," Ravi Dhimani, a visitor, said. Besides highlighting India's cultural and regional diversity, the pavilion also hosts various states of the country in which its array of features, from cultural to cuisine and business sector, are highlighted. Organisers said Ladakh got a two-week run and was a big draw, more so as the region got such exposure for the first time after it was carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and made a union territory. The pavilion also gives due space to the government's push for 'Aatmanirbha Bharat' and its ongoing celebration of the "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" and projects the country as the land of "never-ending opportunities" while highlighting the feats of its businesses with a section of the "corporate story."

With the coastal city home to a large number of Indians and also a major tourist draw for the country's citizens, they form a big part of the crowd at the India Pavilion but visible participation of people from other countries, including the native Arab population, can also be seen, shining a light on the appeal it has created so far.