UAE India House Yoga Competitive Sport

In a development that elegantly fuses culture into diplomacy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is preparing to establish an ‘India House’ in Abu Dhabi — a new institution to commemorate India’s rich heritage and the long-standing bilateral ties.

The India House will come into being almost two years after the inauguration of the magnificent BAPS Hindu Mandir in the capital and will provide a living connection between people, ideas, and traditions. The India House is designed as an institute of creativity, culture, academic exchange and youth collaboration and embodies how common history can become common prosperity.

The proposal was made during the second Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the India-UAE Cultural Council held in Abu Dhabi from October 8 – 9, where a high-level Indian delegation met with UAE officials to discuss ways for the two countries to work more closely together. The Indian delegation, led by ICCR Director-General Nandini Singla, included representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, and Ministry of Youth Affairs, as well as from the National Archives of India and Nalanda University. The UAE delegation was led by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE.

However, the announcement that caught everyone’s eye was the UAE’s plan to declare Yoga as a competitive sport — a first in the region. Considering that thousands are practicing Yoga across the Emirates, acknowledging it as an organized sport is more than a recognition of a style of wellness, but also a recognition of a discipline of balance, focus, and endurance.

Conversations in Abu Dhabi covered a wide range — from student exchange and tourism collaborations to archival research and sports diplomacy. There was no question that the emphasis would remain, cultural exchange is not simply soft power; it is shared power.

ICCR chief Nandini Singla also spoke with leadership at NYU Abu Dhabi and the Louvre Abu Dhabi about arts and museology collaborations and academic innovation — where it becomes more evident that Indian cultural diplomacy is changing from a heritaged program and is moving towards creative based collaboration.

The concept of the India House is being developed on the back of the positive momentum established during the first committee meeting held in New Delhi earlier this year and the 2022 MoU that created the India-UAE Cultural Council Forum after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

When finally completed, the India House will be more than a building — it will be a space, where stories, traditions, and generations meet. With the acknowledgement of Yoga as a sport, it opens a new chapter in India-UAE relations — one where culture is the strongest language of diplomacy.