Abstract
Frequently identified as collectivistic or inter-dependent in the mainstream, Indian society has long been known for dense social dynamics and interpersonal closeness among people, particularly within the context of the family. Although one could dispute simple categorizations, there is no denying that people are dominantly allocentric, even while discussing the self. Much importance is placed on the other person/s and individualism is still frowned upon despite crucial changes in contemporary urban Indian society. How does the process of creativity, which is commonly understood as an individual attribute, become constructed in such a cultural presentation of relationships among people? Much work has been done in this field and this chapter attempts to integrate the research on creativity to examine creative processes and products in the vast canvas of Indian art, craft and music. During this exploration, the construct of creativity as a separate construct itself comes up against criticism.
“The singer alone does not make a song, there has to be someone who hears.”
Broken Song (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/317418-the-singer-alone-does-not-make-a-song-there-has)
Rabindranath Tagore
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Notes
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Traditional schools in Hindu India.
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A traditional folk art form.
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The award-winning artist, Satyanarayan.
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Chaudhary, N., Pillai, P. (2016). Creativity and Indian Culture. In: Glăveanu, V. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity and Culture Research. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-46344-9_19
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