“10,000 to 12,000 visitors drop in every day,” claims Subash Kalia, who is in Kazakhstan as part of the team from the India Trade Promotion Organisation under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

The all too familiar Indian tiger with Make in India written over it greets a visitor to the Indian pavilion at Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The concept of energy — the theme of the expo is ‘Future Energy’ with three subthemes of reducing carbon emissions, living energy efficiency and energy for all — is explained in a film that starts off with the Gayatri Mantra. It then proceeds to elaborate the five elements of life — space, air, fire, water and earth — as the foundation of clean energy concept. Indian officials look on as the film expounds on mother earth and tells visitors how clean energy is enshrined in the Indian ideology.

A young Kazakh with mehendi on her hand to add to the Indian touch conducts visitors to the gallery, explaining the exhibits in English. “10,000 to 12,000 visitors drop in every day,” claims Subash Kalia, who is in Kazakhstan as part of the team from the India Trade Promotion Organisation under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The expo, which started on June 10 (“PM was here for the inauguration,” Mr. Kalia says hurriedly) and concludes on September 10, is spread over sprawling 25 hectares. 115 countries, besides international organisations, are participating.

Indian officials take turns manning the expo 10 days at a time.

“Ours is among the top pavilions in attracting visitors,” says Mr. Kalia. One of the popular exhibits is the micro solar dome (Surya Jyoti) in which, he says the local authorities, including schools, and buyers have shown a keen interest. A zero CO2 emission lighting device based on active and passive solar technique, it is easy to fabricate, fix and maintain. The average cost of the dome is $25 and it has been used “extensively in Delhi slums and rural Bihar.”

The locals visiting the Astana Expo 2017 virtually stop when they see Indians dressed in traditional salwar kameez. “Picture, picture,” they cry out excitedly. English is rarely spoken or understood in Kazakhstan. But the people are friendly, courteous and warm even when they tell you “No English.”

Finding vegetarian food is no mean task in Kazakhstan. The famous saying that Kazakhs are second only to wolves when it comes to eating meat is exemplified in the menu of hotels and eateries. The horse meat, besides mutton, is the most popular in the country. Paulina, our guide in Astana, says “we never fail to acknowledge the horse which feeds us and has seen us through bad times.” The choice for vegetarians is confined to mushrooms, the Greek salad, a rare vegetarian pizza, boiled rice, baked vegetables and of course breads. It could be a Herculean task for them to look for vegetarian food in a land where hoteliers and workers at restaurants know no English.

The other displays that draw visitors include the two-stage bio gasifier developed by TERI; solar inverter; solar sea water desalination plant; a model of the Kochi International Airport, first airport in the world to be run on solar energy; a showcase of the Delhi public transport run on CNG; and the vertical green wall. “With buildings becoming vertical, greenery also needs to move vertically,” says B.N. Gupta, Director of the Indian pavilion.

A portion of the gallery is allotted to the sale of Indian handicrafts that include Buddha statues, sandalwood artefacts, tea, Indian masala, jewellery and clothes. “No commercial purpose, only popularisation of handicrafts,” claims Mr. Gupta. However, Nipun, manning the New Delhi-based Heritage Art House is quite sceptical. “There is no money in this. We hardly get customers to buy costly items. Marketing by the government should have been more aggressive,” he says. “The demand for smaller things is good though,” adds Narendar Nath, owner of the stall.

Outside another kiosk, an excited Clara and her friends, all Kazhakh, are busy shopping for Assam tea. Indian tea is extremely popular in Kazakhstan. “So are Indian bindis, souvenirs, incense and ittar,” according to Mr. Gupta.

The cultural evenings organised by the Indian pavilion are a big draw. Shows by artists sent by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations are a huge hit, the officials say, showing videos of people tapping and dancing to popular Gujarati and Rajasthani numbers.

While leaving the Indian pavilion, one feels it could have been better showcased. The displays, while impressive, looked dull, especially when compared with host Kazakhstan that has an eight-floor offering in a huge spherical building. Each floor is dedicated to different forms of alternative energy, with those on wind and biomass standing out. The Indian pavilion, at the end of the day, did not measure up to the spectacular surroundings in which it was situated.