The question of how Indian stories can grow into globally recognised intellectual properties took centre stage at the fourth season of the Creative Economy Forum (CEF), held on 18 and 19 September 2026 at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, August Kranti Marg, Siri Institutional Area, New Delhi. The forum brought together creators, entrepreneurs, policymakers and industry leaders from across India’s creative ecosystem.
For the Indian Comics Association (ICA), the event also marked an important moment of recognition.
Mr. Ajitesh Sharma, President of the Indian Comics Association and Founder of Cinemics, received the Emerging Cultural Brand Award, while Mr. Anadi Abhilash, Secretary of ICA and Founder of Chitragaatha, was recognised as Emerging Creative Entrepreneur at the Creative Global Voice of India (CGVI) Awards, presented during the two-day forum.
The awards celebrate individuals and organisations contributing to India’s growing creative economy and highlight the increasing importance of intellectual property, storytelling and creative entrepreneurship.
One of the key discussions at the forum was the panel “Building and Selling Creative Indian IP to the World”, which explored how Indian stories can be developed, positioned and expanded for global audiences.
The panel featured Jitendra Mishra, National Award-Winning Filmmaker, President, CIFEZ & Founder, Cinema4Good; Sanjay Gupta, IP Creator, Writer, Editor & Publisher, Raj Comics; and Siddharth Jain, Founder, The Story Inc. & Producer, Trial by Fire (Netflix).
The session was moderated by Devyani Madaik, Senior Sub-Editor, Special Projects, NDTV.
Together, the panellists brought perspectives from filmmaking, comics, publishing, intellectual-property creation and contemporary entertainment. The discussion looked beyond the creation of individual stories and focused on what it takes to build intellectual properties that can grow across platforms and reach audiences outside India.
For the comics industry, this is an especially relevant conversation. Characters and stories today are no longer limited to a single medium. A comic-book property can potentially expand into animation, films, streaming series, games, merchandise, collectibles and other forms of entertainment.
India already has a rich foundation to build from, including mythology, folklore, regional storytelling traditions, decades of comic-book publishing and a growing generation of independent creators. The challenge now is to build stronger ecosystems around these ideas through investment, licensing, distribution, technology and long-term IP development.
Mr. Vasu Gupta, Vice-President of the Indian Comics Association, was also present at the event, further representing ICA in the larger discussion around India’s creative economy.
Founded by Ms. Supriya Suri, the Creative Economy Forum has developed as a platform connecting creators, businesses, policymakers and cultural organisations. The forum focuses on areas such as creative entrepreneurship, technology, intellectual property, culture and the commercial potential of India’s creative industries.
The forum has also engaged with major government institutions connected with India’s cultural and creative sectors, including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
The growing attention around India’s creative economy reflects a larger change in how culture and storytelling are being viewed. Creative industries are increasingly connected with technology, startups, exports, tourism, employment and India’s cultural presence internationally.
For Indian comics, the opportunity is significant.
India already has the stories and the imagination. The next step is to create the systems, businesses and creative worlds that allow those stories to travel further and remain relevant across generations.
Platforms such as the Creative Economy Forum help bring these conversations into the mainstream, creating opportunities for creators and industry leaders to think beyond individual projects and towards building sustainable Indian intellectual properties for the world.
