Young Expo ambassadors imagine futuristic Dubai

Maathangi Anirudh, George Zacharia and Ayesha Khan spread the word on Dubai's bid.

Maathangi Anirudh, 9, is one of three Indian youth ambassadors selected last year in the under-18 art category from hundreds of hopefuls in a Be Part of It contest. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

DUBAI // Toys that come alive, electric cars that can read your mind and houses that can move with their owners are just a few of the innovations imagined by youngsters that Dubai can look forward to if it wins its Expo 2020 bid.

Maathangi Anirudh, 9, is one of three Indian youth ambassadors selected last year in the under-18 art category from hundreds of hopefuls in a Be Part of It contest.

They were picked along with eight adult Emiratis and expatriates who wrote poems, essays, songs and produced videos.

The youngsters have given talks to students, parents and voluntary groups, and written articles in magazines to the spread word of Dubai’s bid.

“The world will see innovations it has never seen and heard before,” wrote Maathangi, a Grade 5 pupil from Millennium school in a recent piece for Kidsz.Blog, a bimonthly children’s magazine about breakthroughs that could completely change society.

“We may perhaps have sustainable cars that would reach a destination one thinks in one’s mind. There could even be toys which would come alive to speak, sing and dance with children.

“There could be mobile houses, and buildings too, that would allow people to move around here and there and live anywhere a person likes.

“These are just my imaginations. There will be thousands of innovations that will change the entire world.”

The artwork that won Maathangi a spot in the select ambassadors group was a colourful picture of the Burj Khalifa adorned with flags of hundreds of countries.

“I wanted to show the Burj and Dubai as a place in which people from all over the world live together,” she said. “I learnt a lot after winning.

“I tell people about the new things invented at different Expos, such as ketchup, and how the Eiffel Tower was built as a gateway for the Paris Expo. I enjoy asking people to support us.”

George Zacharia, 16, illustrated his vision of how captivating an Expo venue in the desert could be with an oasis, and people playing football and praying at a mosque.

George has planned school quizzes on Expo themes and uploaded presentations with Expo data.

“I’ve been able to carry the Expo flame to many people, and if the UAE won I would be on top of the world,” said the Grade 11 pupil at Sharjah’s Our Own English High School.

“I will not be here when the Expo comes because I hope to study medicine abroad but I will definitely come back to experience and witness it.

“I’m excited and tense because we have been involved for a year in spreading the word. I believe it will benefit each and every resident. For the youth it will be a rare opportunity because they can learn a lot and see more culture.”

Al Ain resident Ayesha Khan wrote a poem about Dubai’s dynamism to win her place as an Expo ambassador.

Listening to presentations about plans for the emirate has helped her to share them with friends and relatives, she said.

“I talk to people about how this is a perfect city to host the Expo because of its accessibility,” said Ayesha, 18, an economics student at New York University Abu Dhabi. “I have always thought we will win because Dubai just about wins everything.

“I will have graduated by then and it’s encouraging to know there will be more jobs coming up, which is good news for younger students.

“It’s fun to let people in on what the Expo is all about.”