A festival of Innovation in Arts organised on World IP Day
A
festival of Innovation in Arts Startup20, Atal Innovation Mission, the
Controller General of Patents, Designs, Trade Marks and the Pandit Jasraj
Cultural Foundation launched “UPAJ: A festival of Innovation in Arts”
On the
occasion of World IP Day, Dr Chintan Vaishnav, Chair Startup20, G20 along with Durga
Jasraj founder of Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation launched the “UPAJ: A
Festival of Innovations in Arts” on Tuesday, April 26th April 2023 in NITI
Aayog, New Delhi. The event was a segment of the larger World IP Day
celebration organized by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs,
and Trademarks. The inauguration began with the G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant
addressing the audience via a video message, saying “This work will inculcate
the awareness of the importance of the IP and copyrights for India's rich
cultural heritage.”
Simultaneously,
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog hosted a panel discussion on the Importance
and Challenges of Protecting Innovation in Performance Arts. Various
stakeholders working in different areas that relate to this topic participated
in the discussion, ranging from artists, innovators, Intellectual Property
Rights experts, ecosystem builders, and policymakers.
The discussion
was moderated by Dr Chintan Vaishnav where the participants were: Durga Jasraj,
Founder, Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation, Neeraj Jaitly, Founder, Pandit
Jasraj Cultural Foundation, Maestro Niladri Kumar, Musician, Sitar and Zitar;
Dr Dinesh Patil, Deputy Controller of Patents and Designs and Head of Office
(Technical), Dr Prithpal Kaur Sidhu, Deputy Registrar of Trade Marks and GI, Head
- Copyrights Office, Delhi, Prof Amogh Dev Rai, Executive Director, Sanrachna
Foundation; and advocate Saveena Bedi Sachar, Founder and Managing Partner –
Lawhive Associates.
Speaking
during the event Dr Chintan said; “When it comes to Art and Culture, India is a
powerhouse. The platform we have launched today is born with the intention of
celebrating artistic expression and creating an ecosystem to support those who
are innovating in the field of art.
While
introducing the festival he also pointed to the dichotomy where “at one level
originality and creativity is existential for arts to exist, but at another
level purity and authenticity is what we value of the art forms.” He said,
“This field is evolving with time and experimentation, and like with other
fields, arts is also transformed by technological evolution. A forum like this
hopes to celebrate those people who are advancing the field with their
innovations.”
Speaking
at the panel discussion Durga Jasraj expressed how “Innovation goes hand in
hand with art. It is because of technology that artists across the lengths and
breadths of the country are able to find their voice. Further digital forums
play the crucial role of taking art to the masses.”
Maestro Niladri Kumar, whose imagination gave birth to
Zitar, also shared his views, “Intellectual Property Rights not only ensure
that the originality of artists' work is recognized, but also incentivize
innovation in the industry by providing a legal framework for us artists to protect
& profit from our work”
Discussing
the Intellectual Property angle, Dr Dinesh Patil, Deputy Controller of Patents
and Designs expressed that “Art is directly connected to copyrights if the
artist wants to safeguard the art, and there are laws providing maximum
protection”.
The UPAJ festival is planned for the first week of July
when the G20 Startup20 summit meeting is planned.
Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM) is the Government of India’s endeavor to promote a
culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Its objective is to serve as a
platform for the promotion of world-class innovation hubs, grand challenges,
start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in
technology-driven areas.