As India holds the BRICS Chairship for the fourth time in 2026, a growing consensus is emerging within the grouping that cultural diplomacy and people-to-people (P2P) exchanges — long treated as peripheral — must be elevated to a strategic priority alongside trade and political coordination. In a world marked by escalating geopolitical tensions, analysts and civil society voices argue that durable bonds between BRICS societies cannot be built on economic interest alone.

The Three Pillars of India's BRICS Agenda

India's BRICS Chairship is structured around three core pillars: political and security cooperation; economy and finance; and culture and P2P exchanges. The chairship theme — 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' — reflects a people-centric orientation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated at last year's BRICS Summit, where he called for advancing the forum in the spirit of 'Humanity First'.

This framing is significant. While government-to-government relations are frequently reshaped by shifting geopolitical and economic pressures, proponents argue that P2P ties have the potential to create bonds that outlast diplomatic cycles. BRICS nations share deep historical connections — India, China, and Russia, for instance, were linked through the ancient Silk Routes, which carried not only goods but also religions, philosophies, knowledge systems, and artistic traditions. Many BRICS members also share the experience of colonialism, struggles for sovereignty, and the challenges of development — a common inheritance that, according to analysts, can serve as a foundation for greater cohesion.

Civil Society Calls for a BRICS Culture Fund

The BRICS Civil Forum 2026 brought together nearly 80 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from across member countries, including 26 CSOs from India. Deliberations in the culture working group produced a pointed recommendation: the long-term success of BRICS cultural cooperation will ultimately depend on institutional continuity and predictable financing.

Participants called on BRICS to consider establishing a dedicated culture fund — an instrument that could sustain regular programmes and partnerships rather than relying on one-time events. The forum also highlighted the role of emerging technologies, including digitisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in preserving both tangible and intangible cultural heritage and enabling inter-generational transmission of indigenous knowledge.

Cultural Tourism Corridors and Digital Marketplaces

One of the more concrete proposals to emerge from cultural cooperation discussions is the development of Cultural Tourism Corridors connecting heritage destinations across BRICS member countries. Such corridors, proponents argue, would simultaneously foster P2P contact and generate employment and income for local communities.

A complementary idea — a BRICS Interactive Heritage Map combined with Geographical Indicators (GI), digital marketplaces, and e-commerce platforms — could help local artists, artisans, and cultural entrepreneurs access wider domestic and international markets, strengthening both the visibility and economic value of community-based cultural products.

Youth and Women at the Centre of Cultural Cooperation

Cultural relationships, analysts note, become durable when they are experienced directly by younger generations rather than confined to institutional exchanges. Under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) framework, India is positioned to promote the Annual BRICS Culture Festival and provide Culture Diplomacy Fellowships to artists, curators, and researchers across member states.

The emphasis on placing women and youth at the centre of cultural cooperation reflects a broader argument: that BRICS must transform from a partnership of states into a broader partnership of societies. As a civilisation home to hundreds of living languages, thousands of dialects, and an extraordinary range of art forms, textile traditions, culinary practices, and spiritual expressions, India is, according to the author, uniquely placed to lead this conversation — embodying the principle that unity does not require uniformity.

Why Culture Cannot Remain a Diplomatic Afterthought

The core argument advanced by analysts and civil society representatives is that culture is a strategic resource — not a soft add-on. It embodies the value systems, identity, and ethos of societies, and is described as the foundation for resilience, inclusive development, and social cohesion. The rich cultural diversity of BRICS countries, they argue, offers pathways for sustainable living, with indigenous knowledge and traditions containing lessons on biodiversity, agriculture, community organisation, and environmental stewardship that are directly relevant to contemporary challenges including climate change and food security.

With the leaders' declaration still ahead, the trajectory of India's BRICS Chairship will be watched closely — not only for its economic and political outcomes, but for whether cultural cooperation moves from aspiration to architecture.

(This article draws on the views of a consultant at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal.)