How does it feel when someone takes credit for your work without acknowledging you?

Frustrating, right?
Now imagine that happening not just to an individual, but to entire communities, generations, and cultures.

Isn’t something similar happening at a global level? Our traditional knowledge, indigenous crafts, and cultural practices are being repackaged, commercialized, and sold for massive profits.

For many, this feels like a new wave of economic colonialism.

Not through armies.
Not through invasions.
But through branding, marketing, and ownership.

The Global Rebranding of Tradition

●      Kolhapuri chappals, a GI-tagged craft from Maharashtra, were rebranded by Prada and sold on the global luxury stage.

●      Bandhani, a centuries-old tie-and-dye art form from Gujarat and Rajasthan, has appeared in collections by Western giants like Ralph Lauren.

●      Yoga and pranayama, ancient Indian practices rooted in Sanatan spiritual traditions, have become massive global industries, often losing their original meaning and cultural roots in the process.

This raises an uncomfortable question:

When does cultural exchange become cultural extraction?

Make no mistake: when traditions are borrowed without acknowledgment, profit is made without compensation, and cultural identity is diluted for commercial gain, it is no longer appreciation. It becomes appropriation.

The consequences are real:

●      Local artisans struggle to survive while global corporations generate massive profits

●      Regional identities are reduced to vague labels like “ethnic fashion.”

●      Ancient traditions and Sanatan spiritual practices are simplified into marketable trends

●      The deeper philosophy, heritage, and cultural significance behind them begin to fade

What Can We Actually Do?

As today’s youth, we are not powerless observers.

We have the responsibility, and the digital tools, to protect disappearing traditions, amplify original creators, and challenge systems that profit from culture without proper recognition.

Social media is more than entertainment; it can be a platform for accountability.

Many people believe, “We are just ordinary individuals. What difference can we really make?”

The answer is simple: More than we realize.

Here is how ‘WE’ can start today:

●      Educate Yourself: Before following a trend, buying a product, or promoting a practice, understand its history, origin, and true cultural significance. 

●      Vocal for Local: Choose authentic craftsmanship over mass-produced imitations. Your purchasing power directly impacts heritage communities.

●      Credit the Source: Whenever you share cultural content online, acknowledge where it comes from and who created it.

●      Preserve and Protect: Preserve oral histories, document traditions, and understand the deeper philosophies before they are erased.

The Power of YOUth

Young voices have already proven their strength.

Public pressure and online criticism compelled Prada to publicly acknowledge the Indian artisans behind the Kolhapuri- inspired designs, showing that awareness can challenge even the biggest global brands.

Final Thought

Colonialism today does not arrive through military conquest. It arrives through luxury branding, viral marketing, and global profit-driven systems that slowly disconnect cultures from their own heritage.

A culture loses when its traditions are copied, renamed, and sold back to the world without honouring the communities that created them.

Perhaps our generation’s role is not simply to consume culture, but to actively protect the people, stories, and identities behind it.