- Three-year MICA–IGNCA alliance aims to take India’s art, craft and cultural narratives from archives and communities to global audiences
- Two new certification programmes to train policymakers, artists and cultural practitioners in communication, marketing and global branding
- Student immersions, craft documentation, research and internships to connect classroom creativity with India’s living heritage
- Artisans to gain access to modern branding, digital storytelling and new market linkages under the strategic partnership
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, SEPT 1
India does not lack cultural wealth; what it has long needed is a powerful contemporary language to tell the world its story. A new partnership between MICA and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) seeks to build precisely that bridge—connecting India’s living heritage with strategic communication, creative storytelling, modern branding and global audiences.
MICA, India’s premier institute for strategic marketing and communication, and IGNCA, an autonomous trust under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to create an interdisciplinary academic and cultural collaboration aimed at reimagining how India’s art, craft and cultural heritage are communicated and positioned in India and abroad.
The MoU brings together two complementary strengths: IGNCA’s expertise in Indian art, craft, culture and documentation, and MICA’s capabilities in brand strategy, digital media, consumer insight and storytelling.
The agreement was signed and exchanged in Ahmedabad by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, and Jaya Deshmukh, Director & CEO, MICA, in the presence of Prof. Falguni Vasavada, Academic Head, The School of Applied Creativity, MICA, and Prof. Dr Sudhir Kumar Lall, Dean, MICA, along with senior representatives of both institutions.
“For India to become, it needs to understand the Bharat”
The partnership’s philosophical core was articulated by Jaya Deshmukh, Director & CEO, MICA, who described the collaboration as an important step towards creating an Indian definition of cultural communication.
“For India to become, it needs to understand the Bharat. I really feel this collaboration is our first step in integrating the two and coming up with our own definition through our MICAN lens.”
The statement captures the larger ambition behind the alliance: rather than simply exporting traditional cultural forms, the institutions intend to explore how India’s cultural identity can be understood, articulated and communicated through contemporary creative and strategic frameworks.
That could have implications well beyond academia—from cultural institutions and policymakers to artists, artisans, marketers and organisations seeking to present Indian heritage to younger and global audiences.
Two new certifications to give culture a communication language
As the first major outcome of the partnership, MICA and IGNCA will jointly launch two curated certification programmes focusing on cultural communication and branding.
One programme will be delivered online, enabling wider national and international participation, while the second will be an immersive on-campus programme at MICA.
The programmes are designed for a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including policymakers, artists, cultural practitioners and domain experts, equipping them with practical capabilities in cultural communication, marketing and global branding.
The objective is not simply to teach branding techniques, but to explore how cultural assets can be communicated compellingly while retaining their authenticity, context and identity.
From classroom to craft clusters
The MoU takes the collaboration beyond courses.
It provides for joint research projects and case studies on heritage communication and traditional-art marketing, creating opportunities to study how India’s cultural practices can find contemporary relevance without losing their roots.
MICA students will have opportunities for field immersions, dissertations and internships across IGNCA centres, including its Regional Centre in Vadodara.
The partnership will also enable IGNCA to draw upon strategic inputs from MICA faculty and students for cultural campaigns and communication initiatives.
This two-way exchange could give students something that conventional classroom learning cannot easily provide: direct exposure to living traditions, craftspeople, cultural documentation and the complex challenge of communicating heritage in a rapidly changing marketplace.
Artisans at the heart of the branding revolution
One of the most consequential elements of the partnership is its focus on craft communities and artisans.
The collaboration envisages capacity-building workshops designed to equip artisans with modern branding capabilities and digital market linkages.
For India’s traditional craft sector, this could prove particularly significant. Exceptional craftsmanship does not automatically translate into market visibility. Artisans often need stronger capabilities in storytelling, product positioning, digital communication and access to contemporary markets.
The MICA–IGNCA partnership seeks to bring those capabilities closer to the communities that preserve India’s cultural traditions.
In that sense, the MoU connects heritage preservation with economic empowerment—helping ensure that cultural traditions remain not merely documented, but viable and valued.
“Strategic and futuristic” synergy
Prof. Falguni Vasavada, Academic Head, The School of Applied Creativity, MICA, described the partnership as a significant opportunity to create new academic and creative conversations around Indian culture.
“I see this partnership between MICA and IGNCA extremely strategic and futuristic. Synergies across both institutions will result in interesting courses and conversations around art and storytelling.”
She added: “IGNCA with their interdisciplinary expertise to Indian culture and MICA at the forefront of culture, consumer and storytelling will see synergies from this association.”
The combination is distinctive: one institution brings the depth of India’s cultural knowledge; the other brings the tools to interpret, communicate and position that knowledge for contemporary audiences.
Creativity needs “riyaaz”, commitment and compassion
In his keynote address, Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, drew upon his own experiences as a student and writer to underline the responsibility that accompanies creativity.
“The true job of a creative person is to bring humanity back to real life through emotions and sensitivity.”
He emphasised that creativity demands continuous practice and discipline.
“Creativity requires daily riyaaz, and above all, two essential pillars, Commitment to a cause larger than material success and Compassion to serve as a guiding light for society. Without these, no creative pursuit is truly complete.”
His remarks add an important dimension to the partnership: cultural communication is not merely about producing attractive campaigns or successful brands. It is about understanding people, emotions, communities and the human stories embedded in India’s heritage.
A new storytelling architecture for India
The MICA–IGNCA alliance arrives at a time when India’s cultural identity is increasingly travelling across borders through digital media, tourism, creative industries, global education and cultural diplomacy.
The challenge is to ensure that India’s enormous cultural diversity is not reduced to superficial imagery, but communicated through compelling stories grounded in knowledge and authenticity.
That is where the partnership could make its most enduring contribution.
If the research, certifications, student immersions and artisan programmes succeed, the collaboration could create a new generation of cultural communicators, heritage storytellers, creative strategists and socially conscious brand-builders.
Ultimately, the partnership seeks to answer a deceptively simple but nationally significant question:
How can India take the stories preserved by generations and give them a contemporary voice without losing the soul that made them worth preserving?
MICA and IGNCA are now putting that question at the centre of a three-year experiment in culture, creativity, communication and community empowerment.
And if the vision articulated at the MoU signing translates into action, India’s heritage may gain something more valuable than another showcase—it could gain a new language with which to speak to the world.
