Rajasthan AVGC-XR Summit 2026 Brings Together 5,000+ Creators, Celebrating the Fusion of Heritage, Animation and Artificial Intelligence
Ashish Kulkarni honoured with RAMA’s First Lifetime Achievement Award; Three New Creative IPs Launched; Rajasthan Strengthens Its Position in India’s Emerging Orange Economy
Jaipur, From Rajasthan’s centuries-old Kathputli tradition to the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence and digital filmmaking, Jaipur witnessed a remarkable convergence of culture, creativity and technology at the second edition of the Rajasthan AVGC-XR Summit (RAS 2026), organised by the Rising AVGC-XR & Media Association (RAMA Rajasthan) on 28 October 2026 at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC), Jaipur.
Held on the occasion of International Animation Day under the theme “Weaving the Orange Economy”, the summit brought together more than 5,000 participants, including animation and VFX professionals, filmmakers, gaming enthusiasts, students, creative entrepreneurs, studio founders, educators, industry leaders and policymakers from across the country.
The summit was organised in partnership with the Department of Information Technology & Communication (DoIT&C), Government of Rajasthan, highlighting the state’s growing commitment to developing the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector.
Rajasthan Emerging as a Promising AVGC-XR Destination
The summit highlighted the opportunities emerging under the Rajasthan AVGC-XR Policy 2024. The state’s Atal Innovation Studio and Accelerator (AISA) is operating through a hub-and-spoke model, with Jaipur as the central hub and centres in Udaipur, Bikaner and Bharatpur.
According to the figures shared during the summit, the initiative is connected with 1,117 AVGC-registered startups, of which 151 have received funding amounting to Rs. 7.38 crore. Additionally, Unity, Nvidia and CEA have trained more than 500 creators from Rajasthan in Artificial Intelligence technologies.
These initiatives reflect Rajasthan’s ambition to establish itself as a significant destination for creative talent, innovation, investment and technology-driven industries.
Ashish Kulkarni Receives RAMA’s First Lifetime Achievement Award
One of the major highlights of RAS 2026 was the presentation of the first-ever RAMA Lifetime Achievement Award to renowned industry personality Ashish Kulkarni, Founding Director of IICT Mumbai, former Chairman and Chief Mentor of the FICCI AVGC-XR Forum, and Chief Mentor of RAMA Rajasthan.
The award recognised his outstanding contribution of more than 35 years towards building and strengthening India’s animation and creative economy.
As the Chief Guest, Ashish Kulkarni also moderated the prestigious “Create in India” panel discussion, bringing together representatives and leaders from 15 national and state-level industry organisations to discuss a common roadmap for the growth of India’s creative sector.
Addressing the gathering, Ashish Kulkarni said, “Rajasthan has all the potential to emerge as the creative capital of the world. With strong collaboration between government, educational institutions and industry, and nearly $1 billion in government-backed commitments to AVGC-XR, India is poised to strengthen its soft power and take ‘Create in India’ to the world.”
Rajasthan’s Traditional Kathputli Art Enters the World of Animation
A major attraction of the summit was the launch of “Kathputli: Toys & Tales of India”, an innovative intellectual property (IP) conceptualised by Jaipur-based entrepreneurs Tatwarth Kala and Divyansh Kala.
The initiative aims to transform Rajasthan’s approximately 1,000-year-old traditional puppetry heritage into contemporary animation characters and collectibles.
The first two characters, Banna Sa and Banni Sa, were unveiled in the presence of industry representatives from nearly 18 states, creating a significant opportunity to take Rajasthan’s traditional art and cultural identity to national and international creative platforms.
Tatwarth Kala said, “RAMA put our heritage characters in front of the country’s creative industry in a single evening.”
Speaking about the vision behind the summit, Nitin Jain, Co-founder and National Convener of RAMA Rajasthan, said, “Our puppeteers, miniature painters and folk artists were creators long before the world gave the creative economy a name. Our aim is not merely to export talent, but to make Rajasthan a hub where talent, investment and industry build the future together. From an 8-year-old to an 80-year-old creator, creativity has no age limit.”
Three New Creative IPs and Platforms Launched
RAS 2026 also witnessed the launch of three new creative intellectual properties and platforms aimed at expanding India’s animation, entertainment and digital content ecosystem.
These included:
- Kathputli: Toys & Tales of India – An initiative bringing Rajasthan’s traditional puppetry heritage into animation and collectibles.
- SHIFT Festival – Launched by Ankush Nagpal, introducing a new creative platform for the industry.
- Cut.STAGE – An AI-powered filmmaking platform launched by Parveen Singhal of STAGE OTT, focusing on the emerging possibilities of artificial intelligence in film production.
These launches showcased how technology, storytelling and entrepreneurship can create new opportunities for India’s growing creative economy.
Industry Dialogues, Masterclasses and Creative Showcases
The summit featured several engaging discussions, presentations and knowledge-sharing sessions.
Renowned animator Vaibhav Kumaresh shared his remarkable journey of self-producing the animated film Return of the Jungle over nearly two decades, offering insights into perseverance, independent filmmaking and creative entrepreneurship.
In another engaging session titled “Comics Beyond Panels”, Raj Comics founder Sanjay Gupta and Vasu Gupta of Alpha Comics discussed the evolution of comics and their growing relevance among the younger generation, particularly Gen Z.
Bestselling author Divya Prakash Dubey conducted a storytelling masterclass, sharing valuable perspectives on narrative development and the art of storytelling.
The summit also featured a vibrant creative expo, where a giant designer Kathputli became a major attraction, while students brought popular animated characters to life through cosplay presentations.
Nitin Jain also signed MoUs on behalf of RAMA with the masterclass leads to strengthen future knowledge-sharing and industry collaboration.
Industry Leaders and Young Achievers Honoured
RAS 2026 recognised distinguished contributions to the creative and AVGC-XR ecosystem through special awards.
The award recipients included:
- Dr. Lalit K. Panwar – Patron Award
- Dr. Jitendra Sharma – Mentor Award
- Aman Gupta – Young Achiever Award
Additionally, winners of six culture-rooted creative challenges were felicitated with a total prize amount of Rs. 1,00,000, encouraging young creators and emerging talent to explore innovation through India’s cultural heritage.
RAS 2027 Announced for Jaipur
Building on the success of its second edition, RAMA Rajasthan announced the next edition of the Rajasthan AVGC-XR Summit. RAS 2027 will be held on 16–17 October 2027 at Birla Auditorium Complex, Jaipur. The next edition aims to further strengthen industry participation, creative collaborations, investment opportunities and the development of Rajasthan’s AVGC-XR ecosystem.
