The problem

CULTURAL industry encompasses all the creative genius and surviving human resource on our planet. This intrinsic human strength, vibrant and energetic, related to people, time and space, is getting rapidly diluted in a world where the ‘rich’ countries dominate and influence the less privileged, and where alien models of growth and development are superimposed on communities without adequate thought, comprehension or respect for their different cultures. This creates intellectual confusion that leads to social anarchy, a disease that plagues the world today. To relate and be rooted allows for creativity to flow, endorses change within a context and, hopefully, makes for a more secure living. Uniformity triggers a ‘dumbing down’ that diminishes pride and, therefore, skilled, indigenous endeavour.

What is the last remaining resource on earth that can be exploited? The natural environment has been polluted and destroyed as has the man-made space. Development models in recent history have failed to deliver any real equitable distribution of wealth, in its broadest definition, to peoples and communities across the world. Much has been sapped dry, thoughtlessly and for all time. What does remain an asset in our part of the world, particularly in an international regime dominated by the knowledge industry, is wealth of the tangible and intangible traditions that relate to the built heritage as well to the area of product development, the intelligent use of which could mobilise hitherto marginal communities in economic terms and include them into a sustainable process of growth. Human Capital, as it is referred to in the prevailing jargon, can become the defining factor for development and change. Its potential strength could well draw diverse economic levels into the mainstream of development and enhanced productivity. Poverty, the kind we witness today, could diminish substantially. This would restore dignity to the lives of many millions.

In India we have, over decades, looked upon our skill sectors with cynicism. Governments have relegated this important and critical economic area to a footnote in the planning process. Politicians have often mouthed politically correct rhetoric in support of the cultural and creative industries of India that have the largest constituency of voters, even as the administrators of cultural policies have ignored, neglected and turned away from these indigenous strengths as they aped the worst of western societies in their quest for ‘upward mobility’ – a sure recipe for disaster. Where the baton of the skill was passed on from generation to generation, we seem to have lost at least one generation in the process of what we called ‘modernisation’. In the process we may well have dislodged and disoriented the foundation of our inherent strengths and expertise and alienated ourselves from our own land and its traditions – its values, beliefs, lifestyles and ethics.

Creative industries should not be reduced to only the ‘traditional crafts’, though undoubtedly this is the sector involving the greatest numbers. What about the growing sector of ‘modern’ creativity? Bollywood for instance. Or the growing fashion and design industry. Also IT and television. All these skill sectors employ thousands, earn enormous revenue and have the potential to stamp their style on the global marketplace. The tragedy is that these sectors too have only grudgingly been accepted as an industry, thereby making it difficult to leverage their activities and outputs into a sustained growth cycle.

Circa 2005. UNESCO endorses the value of cultural and creative industries at a conference organised at Nagaur in Rajasthan. International experts and thinkers gathered over four days to address the many issues that may emerge as governments change and adjust policies to include this special sector in their agendas. True to form, there was no representation from the Government of India, somewhat predictably and in keeping with its attitude towards this unorganised segment of the economy.

Ironically, India is extremely strong in this area and is a leader. The only apprehension one has is how the policies that governments bring to bear will affect such industries. Will India merely continue to dilute and destruct her strengths? Or, will she create a stable environment for this positive cultural resource to grow? No one in the corridors of power seems to think that this sector is a priority. The government needs to think out of the box to first comprehend this new global reality, albeit an ancient Indian truth, and thereafter, put in place a methodology and system to make cultural industry intrinsic to processes of development. We have a head start, we must capitalise on it.

This issue of Seminar presents some thinking on the subject to stimulate debate and action.