NEW DELHI, Oct 21, 2026: As India advances towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047, a fundamental question confronts its cultural and economic future: how can the country translate its cultural wealth and creative talent into an engine of national development?

Bringing this question to the national discourse, the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD), founded by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh, will convene Swarnika Samvaad: Dialogue on Creative and Cultural Economy of India, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre, New Delhi.

The Dialogue will bring together policymakers, institutional leaders, scholars, artists, filmmakers, cultural practitioners and representatives of the creative industries to examine how the country can build an ecosystem in which cultural knowledge, artistic expression and creative entrepreneurship can unlock economic opportunities for India.

At its heart is a proposition with far-reaching implications: culture must be recognised not only as a civilisational inheritance to be preserved, but also as a living national asset capable of generating social value, economic opportunity and sustainable livelihoods.

India’s cultural expressions have shaped its knowledge systems, imagination, social ethos, economy, and ways of life for millennia. Yet the potential of this vast cultural capital to contribute systematically to education, tourism, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, employment and economic development remains a larger national question.

Dr Sonal Mansingh’s visionary intervention through Swarnika Samvaad seeks to bridge the conversation between cultural preservation and contemporary development priorities. Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Founder-President, CICD, says: India’s culture is not merely a legacy to be preserved; it is a living source of knowledge, creativity and possibility. It has shaped how we think, create and understand the world, and their relevance lies as much in the future they can help us build as in the past they carry. As India moves towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047, we must ask how cultural knowledge and creative talent can find a more meaningful place in our development priorities. Swarnika Samvaad is an effort to bring this question into sharper focus and explore how we can build an ecosystem in which our cultural heritage, artistic excellence and creative enterprise can thrive together.”

The Dialogue will feature a distinguished line-up of speakers, including Ms. Bansuri Swaraj, Hon. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha; Shri Sasmit Patra, Hon. Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Shri Shyam Saran, President, India International Centre; Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA); Shri Abhijit Gokhale, Secretary, All India Organisation of Sanskar Bharati; Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Vice Chancellor, Nalanda University; Shri Anurag Bhadauria, Public Leader; Shri Sampadanand Mishra, Director, Centre for Human Sciences, Rishihood University; Shri Rajeev Sethi, Architect, Designer and Scenographer; Dr. Sandhya Purecha, Chairperson, Sangeet Natak Akademi; Shri Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, National-Award winning Filmmaker; Shri Paresh Maity, acclaimed contemporary artist; Dr. Mandavi Singh, Vice Chancellor, Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya; Dr. Sunit Tandon, eminent actor &  Former Director, India Habitat Centre (IHC); Ms. Lily Pandeya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India; Shri Rajan Navani, Chairman and Managing Director, Jetline Group of Companies and JetSynthesys; Ms. Smriti Rajgarhia, Co-founder, Serendipity Arts Foundation; and Shri Jayesh Bhatia, Partner and Managing Director, Intellecap; alongside Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Founder-President, Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD), and other distinguished participants.

The Dialogue will open with an Inaugural Plenary, India, Culture & Society, examining culture’s role in shaping India’s civilisational identity, social fabric, values and aspirations. Three thematic sessions will follow: Culture as a Driver of National Development, exploring culture’s contribution to education, tourism, diplomacy and community development; Expanding Engagement with Cultural and Creative Expressions, examining how traditions can connect with contemporary audiences; and Building India’s Cultural and Creative Economy, focusing on skills, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, intellectual property, public policy and investment to strengthen the creative ecosystem.”

A special highlight of the event will be the unveiling of an illustrated book Rhythm of a Lifetime on Padma Vibhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh, compiled by school students. The initiative under Dada Nani Programme of Potli Collective will bring young contributors into the conversation on cultural legacy and its relevance to future generations.

The event is supported by the Government of NCT of Delhi and the India International Centre. Partners include Sotheby’s International Realty (India), Sant Sanganeria Foundation, Morepen, Potli Collective, National Economic Forum, The CSR Universe and Nalanda Literature Festival

Founded in New Delhi in 1977 by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh, the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD), also known as Shri Kamakhya Kalapeeth, has spent nearly five decades nurturing generations of dancers and enriching India’s classical dance traditions. Its holistic approach brings together dance, Yoga, Sanskrit, music and allied arts, drawing on India’s civilisational knowledge, aesthetics and philosophy. As CICD marks its Golden Jubilee, it continues to work towards keeping India’s living cultural traditions vibrant and relevant to contemporary life.

Event details: Saturday, 24 October 2026
Time: Registration, 9:30 AM onwards
Venue: C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre, New Delhi
Registration: https://samvaad.cicdindia.org/