Expo 2020 Dubai: India's $70 million pavilion to be completed by end of July

Indian festivals of light and colour, Diwali and Holi, to be celebrated at world's fair

India's $70 million pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will be completed and handed over to event organisers by the end of July.

The four-storey pavilion aims to blend history and art with technology and business using displays and exhibitions from different states throughout the six-month Expo.

The entrance is dominated by a giant spinning wheel or charkha as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

The charkha is a symbol of the non-violence leader's call to Indians to weave their own cloth instead of relying on foreign goods during India's independence struggle against British colonial rule.

“The India pavilion will be handed over to the Expo 2020 team by end of July 2021. Almost 75 per cent is complete, including flooring, utilities, facade, and painting,” said Siddhartha Kumar Baraily, press officer with the Indian consulate in Dubai.

Renderings of the India pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Courtesy: Consulate of India, Dubai 

“The project management team working on the India pavilion are optimistic of physical completion of the pavilion by end of April 2021 and then curation and exhibition related work will be done.”

The $70m (5 billion rupees) pavilion built across a 1.2-acre plot is one of the largest at the Expo site.

Unlike other buildings that must be dismantled after the Expo ends in March 2021, the India pavilion is one of three that will remain as part of the legacy of the world's fair.

#IndiaPavilion at #Expo2020 #Dubai to showcase to the world, #IndiaAt75 and a new and dynamic India with it's never ending opportunities. @MEAIndia @DoC_GoI @CimGOI @ficci_india @IndianDiplomacy @IndembAbuDhabi https://t.co/gGvJtlocf9

— India in Dubai (@cgidubai) March 17, 2021

A mosaic of earthy-coloured panels that rotate in the wind is part of a constantly changing facade.

“The design elements reflect the vibrant diversity of India’s rich culture, heritage, thriving business milieu,” Mr Baraily said.

“It will be a highly dynamic pavilion where the showcasing changes every one to two weeks in sync with the changing themes of the Expo and with each new state coming in.”

Visitors will be invited to participate in festivals such as Diwali, the festival of lights, and Holi, celebrated with colour.

The ground floor will focus on the country’s mission to Mars, after which visitors can walk down a green path filled with medicinal herbs to enter a section dedicated to yoga and wellness.

Indian heritage, the country's best tourism destinations and sections centered on established and emerging businesses will be spread across the next three levels.

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As visitors leave, they will have a chance to ask questions of Gandhi through interactive holographic images.

There are also plans to invite celebrity chefs, authors, scientists and Bollywood actors to the pavilion.

“Expo 2020 will give an opportunity to Indian businesses and provide them with a global platform to tap the markets in the region,” Mr Baraily said.

“The Expo will give India an opportunity to showcase the diversity of Indian culture and encourage Emiratis and others to discover different parts of India.”