• Exhibition promotes interactive learning centred on emotional literacy and social-emotional development.
• A special preview day will be held on July 1 for over 100 children from under-resourced communities, supported by Reliance Foundation.
• Emotions Lab will be open to the general public from July 2 to August 2.

Mumbai – June 24, 2026: Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) and Reliance Foundation, in collaboration with Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, announce the launch of Emotions Lab in Mumbai. Debuting as part of NMACC’s annual Bachpan children’s festival, this interactive exhibition uses evidence-based behavioural science and sensory installations to help young audiences recognise, understand, and regulate their feelings. The launch represents the latest milestone in an innovative partnership between NMACC and Qatar Museums to bring world-class museum-learning experiences to children across both nations.

To mark the opening of the installation, a special preview day will be held on July 1 for over 100 children from under-resourced communities, supported by Reliance Foundation’s Education and Sports for All (ESA) flagship initiative. ESA is dedicated to making quality education and sports accessible to children of all backgrounds, empowering them to dream big and achieve their potential. Following the dedicated ESA launch day, Emotions Lab will be open to the general public from July 2 to August 2.

“We believe learning should be an adventure driven by playfulness and curiosity,” said Ms. Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Industries. “We are thrilled to build on our partnership with Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar to bring Emotions Lab to young minds in India. It is vital for children to learn emotional literacy and intelligence early in life, both inside and outside the classroom. The exhibition will also have a dedicated day for children under our ESA initiative, keeping in line with our commitment to ensuring educational experiences are accessible to all children.”

The exhibition is centered on the concept of The Mood Meter, which was developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence as a signature tool of RULER, the Center’s approach to cultivating emotional intelligence in schools. The version featured in this exhibition is a simplified adaptation designed to introduce visitors to the core concept. The RULER framework helps children build emotional intelligence through five key skills—recognizing, understanding, labelling, expressing, and regulating emotions—while the Mood Meter is a visual tool that helps map feelings to make abstract emotional states easier for children to identify and understand.

Emotions Lab is part of Dadu’s Museum in Residence initiative, which focuses on learning-through-play and transforms conventional spaces into immersive, playful learning environments for children. This exhibition, co-designed by NMACC, Reliance Foundation and Dadu and adapted for an Indian context, builds on the partnership inaugurated in 2025 with Light Atelier, an interactive installation exploring the magic of light, shadow, and colour. This second Museum in Residence exhibition marks a deepening collaboration between NMACC and Dadu as they bring innovative, experiential learning to children and educators across India and Qatar. Co-developed with early childhood education experts, the programme is designed to be adaptable across cultures, age groups, and community contexts. Following its debut at NMACC, Emotions Lab will also be adapted and taken to schools and anganwadis in India, especially to reach underserved communities.

Through interactive technology, collaborative games, and guided reflection, young visitors can explore how emotions are expressed through facial expressions and body language; how everyday experiences and external factors shape feelings; and how emotional states can influence perception, communication, and decision-making. Activities include board and card games, colourful sensory immersion, confidence-building interactive mirrors, and storytelling exercises that encourage children to recognize, interpret, and respond to emotional cues in themselves and others. These activities aim to help children establish practical tools such as positive self-talk, movement, and guided breathing techniques to promote emotional awareness, resilience, and self-regulation.

At a time when children are navigating increasing emotional complexity both online and offline, Emotions Lab offers playful, accessible tools for emotional literacy, framing social and emotional learning as a form of creative exploration. It serves as a centerpiece of NMACC’s Bachpan children’s festival, a multidisciplinary celebration that introduces young audiences to the arts through hands-on programming spanning theater, music, visual art, and science.