A little recap on the last 30+ years, before we move to the next 30 & more.
This site - / IG note isn’t a final statement. It’s a reflection of my ongoing professional journey. I’m just documenting what I’ve built so far + I will try to lay out what comes next.
I’m grateful to the ones who have shaped me, helped me relearn, co created with us and bring alive ideas that we all knew were possible - There are 100s of you, you know who you are and how you’ve played a role over the last 14 years Head to ( WIP ) to see a glimpse of what comes next + DM me of you want to co build or be part of some of the projects
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This is the story so far - The rest is what I’ll spend the next 30 years building.
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Culture as soft power 004 | Music cities shape the future of grassroots creativity and creative economy, alongside uplifting ecosystems like we have seen with the recent concert economy boom.
But this is about structural change for development of the arts and music across every single touch point and not only the big ticket concerts.
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Can our cities be the drivers of change ? Can they use music as a platform to bring alive its rich and diverse artistry ?
Our cities can benefit from government support, where they can look at this stream one of the many drivers of the creative economy adding to the GDP of India.
The concert economy has shown what’s possible where many state governments are chasing the boom- but we need more consistent activation of music as a whole economy, than just during a season.
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Meghalaya is leading charge on grassroots / Bombay is leading on the economic front- So much that’s possible.
Here are some frameworks inspired by the best doing the work locally and also from cities we can be inspired by globally.
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1. Create artist / Music focused infrastructure
2. Support Music Education x Talent Pipelines
3. Foster Diverse Art & music programs
4. Back Local Music businesses & companies
5. Integrate music into urban design & tourism
6. Fund music led impact projects
7. Build platforms for local collaboration on city level
8. Assign a music commissioner / Night Mayor
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CULTURE AS SOFT POWER 003 | Creative Cities Are India’s Next Soft Power Opportunity - cities like Kochi are paving the way to bring arts, design and culture into policy and shaping the next wave of soft power global projects from India .
The appointment of Mr. @bose.krishnamachari by the municipal cooperation x mayors of Kochi / Kerala ( @deputy_mayor_kochi / @kochi_mayor_official / @hibi_eden_ ) signals a move that is core for India’s growing and untapped scale in the creative x cultural economies.
This is one of the most personally happiest days of my life, to see our governments and curators like him kick starting what was long pending.
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Krishnamachari is the co-founder of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale — one of South Asia’s most significant contemporary art platforms, which has helped transform Kochi into an international cultural destination since 2012.
This appointment suggests something powerful:
Culture is moving from programming into policy.
Around the world, cities compete through creativity.
Culture creates what economists call place value.
It attracts tourism, talent, investment and global relevance.
For India — a country with extraordinary cultural depth — the opportunity is massive.
But it requires something we rarely talk about: Creative city strategy.
Cities need:
• Cultural masterplans
• Creative industry districts
• Public art and design programs
• Cultural export pipelines
If India wants to build cultural soft power globally, it will happen city by city and Kochi Biennale as a festival is one such pilot now being used a model for a City wide execution year long
Kochi may have just taken a meaningful first step.
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Culture As Soft Power 002 - We have the ambition and creative prowess, infrastructure is what we need - These should be our immediately focuses to leverage our cultural gold mine.
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Every global superpower exports culture.
America shaped the world through Hollywood and hip-hop.
Korea built a global wave through K-pop and K-drama.
Japan influenced generations through anime, gaming and design.
These industries didn’t grow by accident. They were built through strategic investment, infrastructure and long-term thinking around culture as an economic and diplomatic tool.
India, on the other hand, is sitting on one of the richest cultural ecosystems in the world — across music, film, fashion, gaming, food, design and storytelling.
But we still rarely treat culture like the global industry it has the potential to be.
If India wants to truly unlock its cultural soft power, we need to start building the systems that allow our creatives and stories to travel.
That means investing in global cultural export infrastructure, funding the creative economy, empowering creators to own their IP, building cultural festivals that attract the world, and encouraging deeper cross-border collaboration.
The opportunity in front of India’s creative economy is massive.
The real question is: are we ready to build the ecosystem that lets it scale globally?
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Culture As SoftPower 001 - Creative Economy - India’s biggest exports can be it’s culture and identity, a sector we haven’t tapped into or maximised in any form.
This series aims to breakdown how the creative economy can be one of the most important sectors for our nation to invest in as infrastructure.
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For the longest time, India’s creative industries were seen as culture — not as an economy.
But across music, fashion, film, design, festivals, gaming and the creator ecosystem, something massive has been quietly unfolding. A new generation of creators, entrepreneurs and communities are building the foundations of what could become one of the most powerful creative economies in the world.
For the past decade, through platforms like @homegrownin , we’ve had the privilege of being part of that shift — spotlighting emerging voices, building platforms for creators, collaborating with brands and producing cultural experiences that move youth culture forward.
Alongside so many artists, collectives, entrepreneurs and partners across the country, we’ve helped create spaces where independent culture could be discovered, developed and monetised — from digital storytelling to festivals, campaigns and creative networks that now connect tens of thousands of creators across India.
And yet, we’re only scratching the surface.
India’s creative economy is still one of the most untapped opportunities in the country — not just culturally, but economically and globally.
The next decade will be about building the systems, infrastructure and collaborations that allow Indian culture to travel further than ever before.
This is just the beginning.
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