UPAJ: A Festival of Innovation in Arts Launched

On the occasion of World IP Day, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Chair Startup20, G20 along with Ms. 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, Shri 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: Ms. Durga Jasraj, Founder, Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation; Mr. 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 G.I, 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 Ms. 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.