The samosa show

There are red faces in Udyog Bhavan where commerce ministry officials have come under fire for India’s pathetic show at the prestigious World Expo in Shanghai. With a series of reports calling the India pavilion at this prestigious event not just shoddy but also tacky, ministry officials have been distancing themselves from the disaster at Shanghai by saying that it was entirely the responsibility of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the nodal agency for promoting the country’s external trade. The theme for the Shanghai Expo is “Better City, Better Life” and most countries have spent millions of dollars on their stalls to showcase themes on urbanisation and to sell the Chinese new technologies and services for cities of the future.

 

India’s pavilion stall has nothing to do with cities. It’s a throwback to another era with yoga demonstrations, Bollywood dances and food as the dominant motifs. Adding to the embarrassment of the commerce ministry is the blithe statement of ITPO Chairman and Managing Director Subas Pani that India is reaching out to the Chinese through samosas and dal!