The World's Love Affair With Indian Culture: Can India Make The Most Of It?

The world has already discovered India's culture. India is still discovering what it can do with it. 

For thousands of years, yoga has been an inseparable part of India’s civilizational heritage. It is a philosophy based on harmony of mind, body, and spirit rather than a system of physical postures. Similar to Ayurveda, classical arts, spiritual traditions and indigenous knowledge systems, yoga is a model of a worldview that has been formative to Indian society and continues to shape its cultural identity.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Today that legacy has extended far beyond Indian borders. Yoga studios in New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney are full every morning with practitioners starting their day with Surya Namaskar. Wellness clinics thousands of kilometres away offer ayurvedic therapies to international visitors seeking holistic healthcare. Indian spices fill supermarket shelves across continents, Bollywood songs echo at weddings far beyond South Asia, and handcrafted textiles still attract buyers seeking authenticity in an age of mass production.

But India has not fully translated this civilizational legacy into sustained economic value or strategic influence. While India’s tourism sector contributed ₹15.73 lakh crore (around USD 170 billion), or 5.22% of GDP, in FY2023-24.

Multibillion-dollar countries such as South Korea have built a US$14.08 billion export industry in 2024 on the back of K-pop, movies, TV, gaming and other cultural content through the Korean Wave (Hallyu); Japan has successfully globalised anime and design, and France continues to monetise its luxury and cultural brands, but India’s approach to cultural promotion remains fragmented. The country is one of the richest in the world in terms of traditions, but its cultural economy is largely underdeveloped.

So the question is not whether India’s culture has global appeal. It certainly does. But the more pressing question is why India hasn't tapped its full potential. 

A CIVILISATION RICH IN ASSETS, YET POORLY LEVERAGED

The culture of India is much more than yoga and ayurveda. The country's civilizational legacy is one of the most diverse in the world, and it boasts of everything from classical dance and handwoven textiles to regional cuisines, spiritual traditions, indigenous crafts, literature, music and architectural marvels. But despite this unparalleled cultural depth, India has only just begun to unlock its potential as a driver of economic growth, tourism and global influence.

There is a global demand for authenticity. Consumers are moving towards handcrafted products, wellness experiences, sustainable lifestyles and immersive cultural tourism. These trends naturally play to India's strengths. However, having cultural assets does not mean creating a cultural economy. 

Many artisans continue to face limited market access. Traditional crafts typically have no modern branding and no international visibility. Heritage tourism is not a phenomenon that can be spread across a handful of destinations in the face of India's extraordinary historical landscape. Meanwhile, policy attention to cultural entrepreneurship is much less than for sectors such as manufacturing, information technology, or start-ups. India’s challenge is not a lack of heritage; it is the lack of an ecosystem that can scale it.

YOGA: A GLOBAL SUCCESS STORY WITH AN IMPORTANT LESSON

India's best-known cultural export is arguably yoga. The United Nations’ declaration of 21 June as the International Day of Yoga was a landmark achievement in cultural diplomacy that brought millions to an ancient Indian practice. But yoga, too, is a symptom of India’s bigger problem.

The global yoga economy is a multi-billion-dollar industry that includes apparel, digital apps, certification programmes, retreats and wellness products. But only a small portion of this economic activity has its origin in India.

The commercial value that is created by yoga is largely captured outside of the country that gave birth to the tradition, and many of the world’s biggest yoga businesses are based outside. India has been successful in exporting the practice but not necessarily the ecosystem around it. The lesson is not only about yoga. Cultural influence does not automatically produce economic returns. This needs investment, branding, institutions, innovation and continued engagement with world markets. 

AYURVEDA'S PROMISE DEPENDS ON CREDIBILITY

There has also been growing global interest in preventive healthcare, natural remedies and holistic well-being, fueling demand for Ayurveda. The Ayurvedic wellness market of India was valued at USD 11.9 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 43.2 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 14.93%. This growth has also spurred wellness tourism, with Kerala rising as a top destination for genuine Ayurvedic treatments that blend healthcare with cultural experiences.

But there is also a need for credibility in going global. Scientific research, quality assurance, international certification and stronger regulations will be key to allowing Ayurveda to compete in an increasingly sophisticated wellness market. In the absence of such investments, India runs the risk that its traditional knowledge systems will be shaped and perhaps commercialised better by others than it will itself.

BEYOND WELLNESS: BUILDING A BROADER CULTURAL ECONOMY

Yoga and Ayurveda may be the talk of India’s soft power, but they are just a sliver of the country’s cultural assets. India’s handloom traditions, handicrafts, cinema, literature, music, architecture, cuisine and festivals together create a huge economic potential ecosystem. The handloom and handicrafts sector employs millions of artisans, many of whom are in rural areas, where skills are passed down through generations. But these communities are often beset by broken supply chains, poor branding, and competition from cheap knock-offs. India’s regional cuisines are also gaining popularity globally, but unlike Thailand or South Korea, India has not actively promoted its culinary heritage as part of its tourism and cultural diplomacy. 

Heritage tourism is another underutilised opportunity. While the world’s attention is on places like the Taj Mahal, Jaipur and Varanasi, hundreds of historical sites, museums and cultural landscapes are comparatively off the beaten track for overseas visitors. Better infrastructure, better interpretation centres, digital storytelling and stronger global marketing could make these places engines of local economic development. India already has a vast cultural wealth. The challenge is to build stronger links between heritage, entrepreneurship and the global markets. 

FROM CULTURAL PRIDE TO CULTURAL STRATEGY

Strategy, not celebration, is the way to unlock India’s cultural economy.

First, we need more investment in cultural entrepreneurship. Artisans, performers, writers and designers need improved access to finance, digital markets and world exhibitions. Secondly, more attention needs to be paid to branding. Audiences worldwide are starving for authentic experiences and clear, compelling stories. India has countless remarkable stories, but many are not well enough documented or marketed internationally. Thirdly, authenticity protection has to remain central. Broadening Geographical Indication protections, reinforcing intellectual property enforcement, and guaranteeing quality certification can help preserve traditional knowledge while helping producers compete globally. 

Finally, cultural diplomacy needs a broader vision. Institutions such as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations have made important contributions, but there is scope to expand international cultural centres, artist exchanges, language promotion, museum collaborations and creative partnerships. Culture has to be a permanent feature of India’s engagement with the world, not a tool of occasional diplomacy.

AN UNTAPPED FUTURE

India’s cultural heritage has survived invasions, colonization and centuries of social change. You can't deny its resilience. Whether the country can translate this extraordinary inheritance into sustained economic opportunity and global influence is unclear. The foundations are already in place. Millions of people do yoga. Ayurveda is increasingly being recognised internationally. Indian films are reaching audiences across continents. Interest in hand-made textiles, local foods and spiritual traditions continues worldwide. These successes demonstrate demand but also point to the potential still to be tapped.

But in a global economy that increasingly values creativity, authenticity and cultural experiences, India’s biggest competitive advantage may not be its technological innovation or demographic dividend alone. It could be a civilisation that has shaped human thought for thousands of years but is yet to unlock its economic potential fully.

The future of India’s soft power will thus not just be about celebrating its cultural achievements, but investing in them. Heritage is no guarantee of power. It needs to be underpinned by policy, innovation, research, institutions and entrepreneurship. The world is already fascinated by India's culture. The next challenge is to make sure it also creates lasting opportunities for the people who preserve it. Only then will the country be able to turn one of its oldest strengths into one of its most valuable assets.

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BY MUSKAN GUPTA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com