Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 15 (ANI): It was an emotive learning experience for over 100 children from nongovernmental organisations supported by Reliance Foundation, at the special opening of ‘Emotions Lab’ this month.
Reliance Foundation Director Isha Ambani joined the children during the launch, as they explored how to recognise, understand and express their emotions in a safe, playful and engaging environment through immersive, interactive exhibits.
Brought to Mumbai by Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), Reliance Foundation in collaboration with Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar ‘Emotions Lab’ was launched as part of NMACC’s annual Bachpan festival. It invites young audiences to explore emotional literacy and social-emotional development through immersive, play-based experiences. Designed for children aged 5 to 11 years and their families, it helps recognise, understand, express and regulate emotions.
The dedicated Education and Sports for All (ESA) days on the opening days, marked the inaugural experience of this first-of-its-kind initiative in India.
Isha Ambani, who interacted with the children during the event said, “We believe learning should be an adventure driven by playfulness and curiosity. 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 with a dedicated day for children under our Education and Sports For All (ESA) initiative, is in line with our commitment to ensure educational experiences are accessible to all children,” as per a press release.
The exhibition is centred on the Mood Meter, developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence as a signature tool of the RULER approach to cultivating emotional intelligence in schools. Through a simplified adaptation of the Mood Meter, ‘Emotions Lab’ helps children build five key emotional intelligence skills: recognising, understanding, labelling, expressing and regulating emotions, through interactive experiences and practical tools.
Under the vision of Reliance Foundation’s ESA programme, children participated in guided explorations of Emotions Lab, where they engaged in activities that encouraged them to recognise emotions through facial expressions and body language, understand how everyday experiences influence feelings, and explore how emotions shape communication and relationships. Through these hands-on experiences, children learned to interpret emotional cues, express themselves with confidence and develop practical tools for emotional awareness and resilience.
They also took part in an NMACC Art Walk, which encouraged observation, creativity and self-expression through engagement with art. Guided by Reliance Foundation’s ‘We Care’ philosophy, ESA aims to inspire and empower children to dream big and achieve their potential by expanding access to education, sports and experiential learning opportunities for children from all backgrounds, the release said.
Developed by the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Reliance Foundation, and Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, in collaboration with education experts in India and internationally, ‘Emotions Lab’ transforms conventional spaces into immersive learning environments through play.
Adapted for the Indian context, it enables children to explore emotions through engaging and accessible social-emotional learning experiences. ‘Emotions Lab’ is the second exhibition in the ‘Museum in Residence’ series, building on the collaboration established through Light Atelier in 2025, which engaged more than 13,000 children through playful exploration of light, shadow and colour.
Following its run at NMACC, Emotions Lab will be adapted for schools and Anganwadis across India, particularly to reach children in underserved communities. By bringing together play, creativity and emotional learning, Emotions Lab encourages children to build confidence, empathy and resilience while nurturing curiosity and imagination, essential to lifelong learning and development.
The exhibition at NMACC aims to reach a broad audience to experience including public entry, school outreach and packages for local schools, and is open until August 2, 2026. (ANI)
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