India showcases cultural renaissance at Osaka World Expo

While nations across the globe are displaying their modern might at the World Expo in Osaka, India has focussed on its soft power and showcased a cultural renaissance. Photo credit: X/@IndianEmbTokyo

While nations across the globe are displaying their modern might at the World Expo in Osaka, India has focussed on its soft power and showcased a cultural renaissance.

The Osaka Expo, a World Expo being held in Japan, carries the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” This international event, held every five years for six months, focuses on showcasing innovations and fostering exchange between nations and cultures to address global challenges.

It aims to create a “Living Lab” where diverse participants come together to co-create and implement solutions for global issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year the Expo is being held from April 13 to October 13.

The Indian pavilion, curated by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), is described as an “immersive civilisational experience, rooting India’s global identity in compassion and the flowing wisdom of the Bodhi stream,” a senior official at IGNCA said.

“From conceptualization to storytelling, IGNCA has played the role of a modern-day sutradhar (narrator), stringing together India’s ancient philosophies and contemporary ambitions,” he added.

The IGNCA is an autonomous body under the Union Culture Ministry.

The design of the pavilion is a tribute to ‘Bodhisattva Padmapani’ from the iconic Ajanta Caves, symbolising compassion, enlightenment, and knowledge.

Bodhisattva Padmapani is a prominent figure in Mahayana Buddhism, representing compassion and mercy.

Aligned with the “Connecting Lives” theme, the India Pavilion embodies the nation’s values of inclusivity, sustainability, and progress, serving as a bridge between its spiritual heritage and its ambitious future.

Among the many features of the pavilion is the Lotus Courtyard, which showcases a curated collection of Bodhisattva forms and artistic reproductions of frescoes from the 2,000-year-old Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Within the pavilion is the ‘Oneness Lounge’, at the heart of which is the Bodhi tree as a central design element — abstracted and reimagined — while the ‘Heritage Zone’ celebrates India’s rich legacy by showcasing UNESCO World Heritage Sites alongside an immersive presentation of hidden treasures, aiming to boost tourism and global recognition.

The pavilion also highlights India’s space programme. Visitors traverse thematic exhibits celebrating India’s achievements. There is also a ‘Wall of Life’, focusing on internal well-being through Yoga and Ayurveda.