Mira Singh returns to explore Expo 2020 Dubai after starring in opening ceremony

Child model visited the Belarus pavilion first as a nod to her maternal heritage

Mira Singh, the young star of the Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony, has returned to the world’s fair to visit the Belarus pavilion as a special guest. Photo: Suhail Akram / The National

Mira Singh’s mother is from Belarus and Mira speaks Russian. Photo: Suhail Akram / The National

Mira was invited to sign the visitors’ book at the Belarus pavilion. Photo: Suhail Akram / The National

Mira has shot to stardom since the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai was beamed around the world. Photo: Suhail Akram / The National

Mira poses for photos at the Belarus pavilion after her special tour. Photo: Suhail Akram / The National

The exterior of the Belarus pavilion features electronic trees, to symbolise the coexistence of nature and technology. Photo: Keller Fotografie

The nine-metre-tall textile tree inside the Belarus pavilion is a nod to the lush forests in the country. Photo: Keller Fotografie

Inventions at the Belarus pavilion. Exhibits are dedicated to innovation, investment and the individual. Photo: Keller Fotografie

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The child star of the Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony has returned to the site, 10 days after wowing the world with her performance.

Mira Singh, 11, visited the Belarus pavilion as a special guest because her mother, Svetlana, is from the country. Her father, Jitendra Pal Singh, is from India.

Tourists snapped pictures as she toured the pavilion with a guide speaking in Russian, one of the three languages she speaks fluently, along with English and Hindi.

Her parents proudly described the onslaught of media attention she has received since her opening ceremony appearance, but Mira was poised and charming on her first official visit to the world’s fair.

The young actress said she felt at home in the pavilion.

“I love Belarus. My relatives live there, my grandma and my grandfather. What I loved in this pavilion was the tree – I love the nature in Belarus, and the tree really connected with me.”

The three-storey Belarus pavilion includes a trio of exhibits dedicated to innovations, investments and the individual.

Named “the Forest of Future Technology”, the pavilion centrepiece is a textile art installation of a tree. Standing nine metres tall, it was inspired by the idea of nature and technology coexisting.

A new celebrity

After the tour, Mira was presented with traditional Belarusian gifts and asked to sign the visitor book as the pavilion’s first celebrity guest. She said she was thrilled by the opportunity.

“I never treat myself as famous or important, and when they asked me to sign the visitor book I felt really happy, and I just wrote what came to my heart,” she said.

As the sun set, the Singh family discussed which pavilion they should visit next.

“India, because my father is from India, and China because I want to see what they’ve invented, and Russia, and a lot more,” Mira said.

“To be in the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 was the biggest accomplishment of my life. It feels amazing to be back.”

Meet Mira Singh - the star of Expo’s opening ceremony