The India pavilion combines tradition and technology

Next to the exhibit of her spiritual legacy is the booth showcasing India’s progress in the space odyssey.

On two separate floors, the pavilion showcases India’s emerging sectors, ministry achievements, while the government of Gujarat occupies the entire state pavilion. One floor is dedicated to Indian art, dance and culture with gigantic LCD screens displaying the country’s cultural heritage. In the industry pavilion, only a handful of companies participate to connect with new customers and explore new business opportunities.

“This is a great opportunity to introduce the emerging new India to visitors from all over the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally given us ideas and plenty of advice on how to present India as a modern and vibrant, technology-driven international economy, “Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters, who opened the India pavilion on Friday.

India’s outreach has become all the more imperative as the country began negotiating a comprehensive trade deal with the United Arab Emirates last month. “The United Arab Emirates is the gateway to all of Africa and many other parts of the world. The UAE also has a huge Indian diaspora and a huge market for products such as textiles, jewelry and jewelry, leather shoes, and processed food products, all of which are labor-intensive and give jobs for Indians. They will offer economic opportunities to startups. It will be a win-win partnership for both countries, ”Goyal said.

As the world learns to live with covid and its variants, more than 190 countries are participating in Dubai Expo 2020, which will run for six months from October 1 to March 31, 2022. Although delayed by one year due pandemic, the Expo gives a sense of the status quo with pavilions open to businesses and the general public, but with strict security protocols against covid.

The United Arab Emirates allowed India to build a permanent pavilion of over 40,000 square feet, a privilege granted to a handful of friendly countries.

So will it be a Pragati Maidan in the heart of Dubai? “Yes, a bit like that. Pragati Maidan is also getting a facelift, it will be one of the best convention centers in the world, ”said Goyal.

The structure was covered with a dynamic facade made up of 600 individual kinetic panels capable of simulation meaning “India on the move”. The majestic exterior facade will display 75 stories over the next 26 weeks. Each week, the motifs will take the form of three stories of 25 sub-themes. The facade will create different patterns in movement during the day to celebrate the 75 years of India’s independence. In the evening, the facade will become vibrant with light and sound shows.

Dikshu C. Kukreja, principal architect director of CP Kukreja Architects, which designed the India pavilion, said he had developed 82 designs. The final design was selected after consultations with government officials to arrive at a facade design that is kinetic and can keep rotating to showcase India’s complex but unique stories.

“We used recycled aluminum metal boxes for the facade. We also put a lot of emphasis on sustainability and made a design that is as energy efficient as possible. In Dubai, you see a lot of glass buildings. I thought that was not the solution for this kind of hot and humid climate. This is why we have created an environmentally friendly design that will not have such a high energy demand, ”he said.

The writer was in Dubai at the invitation of the industrial body Ficci.