Hundreds of Chinese braved the rain and jostled with each other to watch an Indian dance troupe shake to Bollywood numbers; a yoga demonstration, where one of the masters had a ?Govt of India? stamp on his T-shirt, also earned accolades. However, apart from showcasing two of India?s most famous cultural exports, the India pavilion at the biggest fair of our times?the 6-month long Expo in Shanghai?has little to offer. The Expo began in London in 1851 to demonstrate industrial prowess. China may have spent up to $58 billion on this year?s Expo, more than it did on Beijing Olympics, just to announce that it has arrived.

While other countries focused on urbanisation, technological development, communications and sustainability as key messages, the Indian pavilion failed to clearly articulate this year?s driving idea??Better city, better life?. The pavilion says little on how India is making life better for its citizens or how it intends to do so. There is, of course, a holographic projection show on India?s progress, but for the most part the pavilion resembles nothing more than an Indian street?busy, chaotic and cluttered, where Tata?s Nano coexists with handicrafts, musical instruments, sculptures of dancing girls, elephant models and photographs of Infosys Bhubaneswar, among others. The tilt is more towards the past than the future with handicrafts, jewellery and handlooms taking up much floor space. Unsurprisingly, it doesn?t find a mention in the top popular pavilions listed by a local newspaper. Many countries, particularly Scandinavian, have aesthetically designed pavilions showcasing products they can sell to the Chinese in a sustainable manner in the future.

One gets a feeling that India hasn?t taken the Expo too seriously and has treated it like an ordinary fair. Denmark, for instance, has shipped its Little Mermaid from Copenhagen; and Saudi Arabia spent as much as $146 million on their pavilions. When the Expo began in May, about 70 million visitors were expected until October when it closes. On a weekday, it is receiving 4,00,000 and the wait for entering popular stalls can be as long as nine hours.

India certainly could have done better to showcase itself.

goutam.das@expressindia.com