By Dr. Shashank Shah. The author is Visiting scholar, ’17 Harvard Business School

The creative economy is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the world economy. It is highly transformative in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings.

Culture is the driver of creative industries and the creative economy. Culture enables development and empowers people with capacities to take ownership of their own development process. When culture is integrated into the economy, it directly aids in sustainable development over and above the cultural preservation that ensues. 

World trade of creative goods and services totalled a record $624 billion in 2011 (more than double from 2002); the average annual growth rate during that decade was 8.8 per cent. As per the Creative Economy Report (2013) published by the UNDP and UNESCO, investment in culture and resultant outcomes from culture can lead to inclusive social development, inclusive economic development, environmental sustainability and peace and security.

Cradle of arts and culture

India or Bharat, has been a cradle of arts and culture since millennia. Owing to its diversity, India has a rich cultural heritage in different forms. Few countries can boast such an ancient history filled with different hues and colours. India is a mixture of various cultures due to different waves of migration and invasions.

Linguistic variety: India has 22 official languages that are used across all its states and Union Territories. According to the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, as many as 780 different languages are spoken and 86 different scripts are used in the country. 

Religious demography: India is a secular state and the Indian Constitution has declared the right to freedom of religion as a fundamental right. India is the birthplace of four major world religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. According to Pew Research, India is a moderately ranked country when it comes to religious diversity. 

The diversity in religions naturally adds to the diversity in the types and number of festivals celebrated across the country. Some festivals are celebrated across regions and some are religion specific. Festivals are marked with a lot of cultural significance and are accompanied by celebrations. Often, these celebrations are a fusion of dance, music and drama thereby keeping the rich cultural legacy intact year after year. There are more than 80 festivals celebrated across India.

India has a variety of art forms and crafts, its regional diversity reflected in the myriad art forms like dance, music and drama. Natya Shastra is a detailed treatise on dramatic art that deals with all aspects of classical Sanskrit theatre. It is believed to have been written by the sage and priest Bharata. It is considered to be the foundation of fine arts in India. The text is still an authority for performing arts but is particularly important for dance where many of the positions and gestures found in Indian dance were first codified in this text.

Indian dance forms: Indian dances are broadly classified into classical and folk. Alternatively, some are also classified as tribal and non-tribal. Some dance forms date back thousands of years and some of the world’s popular classical forms have originated in India. Folk dances vary according to local traditions of the respective state, ethnicity and geographical regions. There are more than 130 well-known folk dances across the states in India.

Indian music forms: The history of the system of music that prevailed in India from ancient times goes back to the Vedas. The earliest evidence of music activity is found on the walls of cave paintings at Bhimbetka and in several parts of Madhya Pradesh, which were occupied by humans approximately 10,000 years ago. Much later, in the excavations of the Harappan Civilization, evidence is available of dance and music activity. Two systems of music are recognised as classical music: Hindustani Classical and Carnatic Classical. Carnatic music is confined to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The classical music of the rest of the country goes under the name, Hindustani Classical Music. Apart from the two classical forms of music, India also has a lot of regional music. These include tribal and folk music. There are 31 regional music forms mentioned by the Center for Cultural Resources and Training.

Indian theatre forms: India also has rich and celebrated forms of theatre and puppetry. It is believed that puppetry originated in India before 500 B.C. Traditionally, puppets have been used for telling stories connected to myths, legends, history and religion. Today they are also being used for communicating educational concepts and campaigning for various social causes. The common types of puppets are string puppets, shadow puppets, rod puppets and glove puppets. 

Theatre is also a popular art form in India. Traditional theatre was a part of religious festivals, fairs, gatherings, ritual offerings, prayers throughout the year. Theatre, in a way, is a complete art form as it includes not just a narrative and associated acting but also music, poetry and dance. Theatre forms are based on local and regional influences.