Three years ago, New Delhi put on a spectacle when world leaders descended on India’s capital for the Group of 20 summit. Colorful murals of Indian mythology adorned the city alongside elaborate statues, floral arrangements and welcome billboards featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the weeks before Russia’s Vladimir Putin and other expected leaders like China’s Xi Jinping arrive in India for the BRICS Leaders’ Summit on Sept. 12-13, the mood in New Delhi has been relatively subdued.

The occasional BRICS logo and welcome banners have only just started cropping up in the streets of the capital and around New Delhi’s main convention center, where the conference will take place.