Artpreneurs on the Rise

India's performing arts stand at the interface of tradition and innovation, and are actively empowering enterprises that are centred on creativity and expression

- HARSHA BHARGAVI PANDIRI

The performing arts encompass dance, theatre, music, puppetry, and folk expression. From the Vedic era, Bharat has experienced a dynamic mode of communication that was more than mere entertainment. These were instruments of education, social change, political expression, and cultural continuity. Today, these traditional forms are finding new relevance within the framework of the creative economy, integrating with technology and innovation to open up expansive opportunities for enterprise.

What is the Creative Economy? The creative economy has carved out a niche space in the new economics, covering interdisciplinary sectors of culture, creativity, and knowledge-based intellectual capital. According to UNCTAD's Creative Economy Outlook 2024, there are varied economic contributions of the creative economy across different countries, ranging from 0.5 per cent to 7.3 per cent of GDP and employing between 0.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent of the workforce. Creative services exports marked a 29 per cent increase from 2017, surging to USD 1.4 trillion in 2022.

It is interesting to note that over the past decade (from 2002), the share of creative goods exports has remained steady at around 3 per cent, while the creative services share has risen from 12 per cent to 19 per cent. Though the export of creative goods reached USD 713 billion with a 19 per cent increase, the analytics are captivating. The primary export of developing countries is creative goods, while developed countries dominate creative services exports. However, developing countries have significantly increased their share—from 10 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent in 2022.