“Craft is not a cause to adopt. Craft is a foundation of civilisation”

He’s a man most think they know, but very few engage with in the measure he deserves.

Rajeev Sethi is a legend in the creative and cultural industries, and a disarming, persuasive force for the potential of the traditional in a world obsessed with the current.

But traditional in Rajeev’s world is not stodgy and ponderous. It’s not do-gooding or a welfare project.

It’s an act of incredible pride, and the knowledge that we sit on something priceless.

While contemporary entrepreneurs and industrialists – such as Sunil Munjal in conversation at Algebra late last year – have now started to evaluate the economic potential of creative, intellectual and cultural pursuit, Rajeev has been living the idea for four decades.

India’s most iconic scenographer, art curator and designer, Rajeev has dominated India’s cultural landscape for over 40 years, creating a unique world at the intersection of art and architecture, exhibition and design, craft and creativity.

In a career whose accomplishments are impossible to bracket, the Padma Bhushan awardee has hosted the two most highly-acclaimed exhibitions ever in the history of the Smithsonian museum; been called “India’s answer to Daglieff”; been mentored by the legendary Ray and Charles Eames; worked with Pierre Cardin in Paris; was the first Indian to be chosen by Louis Vuitton to design global window installations; lectured at Princeton and Harvard among others; and has shaped the identity and image of India across disciplines on every continent.

And in this thoughtful conversation, Rajeev takes on the economic significance of the creative and cultural industries, why cultural influence and identity matters – and why the argument for successful creative entrepreneurship must rest on rationale, not romance.

Watch the full session above.