Creative Economy Forum Season 4 Concludes Successfully in New Delhi, Advancing the Vision of a Rising Creative Bharat
Two-day forum brings together policymakers, global institutions, creative entrepreneurs and industry leaders across culture, entertainment, fashion, technology and creative IP
The Creative Economy Forum (CEF) – Season 4, themed “Rise of Creative Bharat,” successfully concluded on September 19, 2026, at the PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi. The two-day forum brought together voices from government, international institutions and the creative industries for conversations on the evolving economic, cultural and global potential of India’s creative ecosystem.
Held on September 18–19, the Forum examined the intersection of creativity, enterprise, technology, intellectual property, culture and global markets. The programme featured knowledge sessions, fireside conversations, policy dialogues, panels, spotlight sessions and a closed-door roundtable, spanning live entertainment, fashion, public arts and cultural infrastructure, cultural diplomacy, creative IP, artificial intelligence, music technology and the business of entertainment.
The Rise of Creative India: Inaugural Session
The Forum opened with the Inaugural Session themed “The Rise of Creative India.” The session featured Supriya Suri, Founder, Creative Economy Forum; Dr. Tim Curtis, Director & Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia; and Leena Singh, Co-Founder, Ashima Leena. The opening conversation set the context for the Forum’s focus on building a stronger, globally connected creative economy for India.
Day One: Live Entertainment and the Creative Ecosystem
Day One brought together industry and policy voices across live entertainment and the wider creative ecosystem. The programme featured Harindra Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Percept; Anil Makhija, COO – Live Entertainment & Venues, BookMyShow; Shri Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary, Broadcasting, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; Deepak Choudhary, President – EEMA and Founder & MD, Eva Live & Eventfaqs Media; and Aayushman Sinha, Founder & CEO, Represent. Discussions also featured Nitin Tej Ahuja, Vijay Koshy, Vinay Singhal and other creative-industry leaders, examining the growth of live entertainment and the transformation of India’s creative ecosystem.
The Forum also spotlighted emerging creative businesses and new models of creative entrepreneurship. PeekTV co-founders Priyanshi Sharma and Vedanta Agarwal featured in a session on new media startups, while Yajur Sindhwani, Vice President – Growth, Madverse, represented the independent-artist entrepreneurship ecosystem. Sessions on fashion, public arts and cultural infrastructure featured Harpreet Narula, Leena Singh, Sanjay Nigam, Sana Rezwan, Feroz Gujral, Saba Ali, Abhishek Singh and Shaili Chopra, among others.
International Voices on Cultural Diplomacy
The international and cultural diplomacy programme brought together H.E. Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega, Ambassador of Brazil; H.E. Hanisha Jairam, Ambassador of Suriname; H.E. Mr. Chandradath Singh, High Commissioner of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago; Mr. Mashudubele Sedula Mamabolo, Counsellor Political (Multilateral), South Africa High Commission, New Delhi; and Yougan Tamang, Press Secretary to HCM, Government of Sikkim. The dialogue, moderated by Manish Chand, explored creative capital, international collaboration and the role of culture in global engagement.
Day Two: Creative IP, AI and Screen Entertainment
Day Two focused on India’s creative IP, global cultural positioning, artificial intelligence and the business of screen entertainment. The programme featured Sourabh Pateriya, Founder & CEO, Soundverse; Jitendra Mishra, Sanjay Gupta of Raj Comics and Siddharth Jain; Shri Ateesh Kumar Singh, HH Yuvraj Yeshwantrao Holkar of Indore, Rajiv Arora and Karishma Swali; and creative-technology voices including Anurag Tiwari, CV Rao and Rahul Regulapati. The human-AI collaboration conversation was moderated by Uday Pratap Singh, Senior Editor, NewsX.
The Forum further explored the business behind screen successes and challenges through a session featuring Vicky Bahri, Aparna Purohit and Rohit Dalmia, moderated by Rajeev Masand. The programme also featured Abhiraj Singh, Founder, Grootin Music, in a spotlight session, reinforcing the Forum’s emphasis on new creative businesses and emerging industry leadership.
Key Speakers Across the Forum
Supriya Suri, Dr. Tim Curtis (UNESCO), Leena Singh, Harindra Singh, Anil Makhija, Prithul Kumar, Deepak Choudhary, Aayushman Sinha, Sana Rezwan, Shaili Chopra, Sourabh Pateriya, Karishma Swali, Rajiv Arora, Uday Pratap Singh, Rajeev Masand, and ambassadors and representatives from Brazil, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa and Sikkim, among many others.
Culminating in the CGVI Awards
The Forum concluded with the Creative Global Voice of India Awards (CGVI), preceded by an exclusive Black-Tie Red-Carpet Reception. The awards segment marked the culmination of the two-day gathering and its focus on recognising India’s creative businesses and institutions.
The successful conclusion of CEF Season 4 marks another step in the Forum’s continuing effort to strengthen dialogue, collaboration and opportunities across India’s creative economy. Through its conversations, partnerships and industry participation, CEF continues to place creativity, culture and innovation at the centre of India’s growth story.
About Creative Economy Forum
The Creative Economy Forum is a platform bringing together policymakers, creative businesses, entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and international institutions to discuss the economic and strategic potential of the creative industries.
