India Pavilion hosts ‘Be Inspired – Festival of Ideas’ to crystal gaze at future of innovation

Two Day ‘Festival’ at EXPO2020 Dubai holds sessions on diverse emerging ideas to inspire and evoke new perspectives.

DUBAI, February 21, 2022: ‘Be Inspired- Festival of Ideas’, a two-day event curated to explore innovation, across sectors kicked off on Sunday at India Pavilion, at EXPO2020 Dubai. The first day of the festival witnessed speakers from India and the UAE deliberating on solutions and opportunities for the future on varied subjects like culture, space, and research.

During the kick-off session – ‘UAE and India: A shared history, H.E. Omar Saif Ghobash, UAE Assistant Minister of Public and Cultural Diplomacy, outlined that India-UAE share strong bonds for years and are working towards a shared cultural heritage to pave way for future collaborations.

He said that the setting up of the Cultural Council between India and the UAE will take the relationship between the two countries to new heights. “The new Cultural Council Puts a crown at India-UAE relationship and promotes even closer cultural cooperation like never before. This initiative is creating a framework and getting as many as possible points of connection between the two countries to strengthen the cultural tie,” the minister said.

Following the signing of the historic Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, India and the UAE have agreed to establish the new Cultural Council to explore and promote facets of shared history, facilitating and promoting cross-cultural exchanges, cultural projects, exhibitions, and dialogue between the thought leaders.

H.E. Ghobash also said there is a lot of room for translation between the literature of the two countries which will help the people of the two nations to understand the culture even better.

Earlier, at the opening reception of the festival on Saturday, Ambassador of India to the UAE, Mr. Sunjay Sudhir said. “Countries can have historic links but having a shared history is a big thing which is a hallmark of relations between India and UAE, where sustained interactions have strengthened the ties over decades.”

He added, “Recognizing shared cultural heritage, our leaders have set up the Cultural Council, which will facilitate and promote cross-cultural exchanges, cultural projects, and dialogues between the thought leaders of two countries.”

Ambassador Sudhir said, “We need innovative ways to bring the youth of the two countries together, connect writers and opinion-makers, and the festival has a huge role to play in all this.”

Former Ambassador of India to the UAE, Mr. Navdeep Singh Suri said at the session, “The momentum that the leaderships of the two countries have given to the relationship in past few years has further strengthened in terms of trade and commerce and investments, and this initiative will boost the ties in the area of art and culture, too.” He also added that collaborative exercises like creating internships or young scholarship programmes will make a huge impact in promoting cultural exchange between the people of the two countries.

The opening session was moderated by Mr. Sanjoy K Roy, managing director of Teamwork Arts.

The two-day ‘Be Inspired: Festival of Ideas’ is aimed at crystal-gazing into a future of innovative, transformational, and startling ideas that leapfrog into possibilities for the times to come, taking a cue from the challenges of the present.  The festival covered a genre of subjects and looked at an equitable and sustainable future.  

The first day of the event also witnessed sessions on travel and technology, space sector, and creative economy, where eminent personalities like Mr. Zubin Kakaria, CEO, VFS Global, Mrs. Charul Charturvedi Jaitly, Founder and MD, Matiti Group, Mr. Safir Anand, Senior Partner, Anand and Anand, Roshan Abbas, Founder Kommune India, Ms. Mette Degn-Christensen, Director Dubai Design Week, Mr. Hans Frainkin, Abu Dhabi Film Commissioner, Prof.  Priyamvada Natrajan, Department of Astronomy & Physics, Yale University, Eng. Omran Anwar Sharaf, Project Director of Emirates Mars Mission, Dr.Naslim Neelamkodan, Professor of Astro Physics among others shared their expert opinions.

The sessions have been meticulously curated keeping in mind key facets of the India-UAE relationship and its unbridled potential for the future.

The second and the final day of the event hosted discussions on the future of business between the two nations, women entrepreneurs, and sustainable fashion.