Showcasing flavours of India at Global Village

January 11, 2014

Dubai, Jan 11: Of the many country pavilions in the Global Village, the India Pavilion stands out in terms of size and variety. It is the largest pavilion at the village. Spread across an area of 11,500 square metres, it is popular with both residents and tourists alike.

“The India pavilion presents a kaleidoscopic view of India’s rich tradition and culture not only to multinational visitors but also to fellow Indians,” says Sunil Bhatia, CEO of India Pavilion, E4 Entertainment, a leading events and exhibitions company in Dubai, is the organiser of the pavilion.

“More than trade participation, the pavilion provides a cultural window. It has become one of the biggest retail exhibitions involved in the promotion of Indian culture, tourism, trade and small-scale industries such as handicrafts and handlooms,” adds Bhatia.

The theme state of India this year is Gujarat and the facade of the pavilion is the replica of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara in Gujarat. As you walk inside, you notice a wide variety of Indian products on display at the various stalls. Handicrafts and handloom products from various states in India dominate.

For the home, you have a choice of wrought iron and wooden furniture, cane and bamboo products, cushion covers, wall hangings, rugs, decorative items, clay/terracotta items, home accessories and furnishing, cotton, silk and designer bedspreads, kitchenware, cutlery and mats.

There are table covers, runners, accessories, handmade and machine-made carpets, candle holders, flower vases, paintings, wood and leather jewellery boxes, lamp shades, picture frames, marble and metal decorative items, coir and jute handicrafts, wood carving, coconut shell work, bidri craft, blue pottery, foot mats, silk painting, canvas, jute and leather bags, pouches and clutches.

There are different types of fabrics and fashion accessories for women. You have a choice of chaniya choli/lehenga choli (bridal wear), salwar suits, saris, tops, kurtis and skirts made of crochets. There is a selection of matching Jaipuri and Punjabi jutties. Besides fashion jewellery, there is a selection of real gold and diamond jewellery.

India is fast emerging as a medical excellence centre and attracts international travellers in large numbers. The allure is endless… be it ayurveda, yoga, meditation, rejuvenating spas, or high-tech healing. At the India Pavilion, there is a selection of ayurvedic and herbal products, Indian spices and packed ethnic foodstuff. Hair accessories and hair treatment products, healthcare products, gems, zodiac stones and vastu-related items also stoke the interest of curious visitors.

Performers at the pavilion continue to charm visitors. The India Pavilion is the only one that has its own stage with a seating capacity of 800. There are cultural programmes six days a week, held in the evening, for two to three hours during which performers from various states of India showcase traditional, cultural and Bollywood dances. Street performers and puppeteers from Rajasthan add to the attraction.

“The puppet show from Rajasthan is a big hit. Tribes of Rajasthan have been performing this art from ancient times and it has become an eternal part of Rajasthani culture and tradition. Demo artists have been specially flown down from India and show live demonstrations of their craft at a specially constructed ‘Handicrafts Hut’ and their skill at henna design is a real crowd-puller at the pavilion,” says Bhatia.

Children, especially the little ones, can experience the miniature merry-go-rounds specially brought in from India to ensure that kids here do not miss out on traditional fun.

Bhatia adds: “The success of earlier editions has encouraged us to increase not only the size of the pavilion but also the space between stalls. This will enable visitors to enjoy more walking space and reduce congestion in the pavilion, considering the favourable results it has achieved.

“Keeping in mind the past sales records, exhibitors will find the extensive promotion, immense popularity and convenient location ideal for the promotion of Indian products, particularly those interested in entering the market for the first time. The Global Village is an attractive retail location and known to have the highest sales of any shopping venue during the Dubai Shopping Festival.”

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UN condemns Israeli regime’s ‘organized torture’ against Palestinians

News Network

November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

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