FNI: In Search of Relevance for an Irrelevant Product

India being an old civilization had been home to several forms of arts and crafts. Cultural and ethnic diversity contributed immensely to their evolution and prosperity. These arts flourished under the patronage of ruling class and wealthy people. With the onset of urbanization and diffusion of new means of entertainment, the communities of artists performing magic, dance, mime, puppetry, circus and theatre have been economically marginalized. Similar is the fate of craftsmen who are engaged in pottery, wood carving, carpet weaving and stonework. Saanya as the head of the Forum for New Initiative (FNI), a social think tank, was uncomfortable with the plight of these communities. Performative arts are not in a position to compete with new methods of engagement and entertainment in urban areas. The market for the entertainment has not declined but these performative arts ceased to have market. The case explores the options to revive the traditional form of performative arts which are on the verge of extinction