Fiction
Waves Bazaar: Indian govt’s optimistic attempt at content trading platform
MUMBAI: Here’s another effort to set up an online marketplace for content trading despite the hundreds of carcasses that line the road of those who tried and failed. And it’s coming in from the Indian government’s ministry of information and broadcasting as well as the electronics and information technology ministry.
Called Waves Bazaar, it was unveiled recently at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, by MIB, railways and electronics &IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, alongside minister of culture & tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The launch was attended by senior officials, including MIB secretary Sanjay Jaju and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.
The platform is being touted as a pioneering one which will transform the global media and entertainment
industry. What it hopes to achieve is becoming a central hub for professionals across film, television, gaming, advertising, music, animation, and emerging technologies such as AR, VR, and XR. Designed to facilitate seamless collaboration. The optimistic view is that the platform will enable industry players to expand their reach, secure investment, and form high-value partnerships.
It will feature global networking opportunities, structured buyer-seller meets and transactions, and exclusive access to industry events. The platform is divided into verticals catering to specific sectors, including film production, live events, advertising, game development, music, and digital content.
For sellers, Waves Bazaar is being positioned to provide a structured environment to showcase services, from VFX and sound design to publishing and advertising. Film producers can connect with distributors, animation studios can pitch to gaming companies, and marketing agencies can engage with brands seeking media solutions. Buyers—including OTT platforms, media agencies, and event organisers—gain access to a streamlined platform for discovering talent and securing content.
Users register on wavesbazaar.com, create profiles, list services or project requirements, and engage with prospective collaborators. By eliminating geographical barriers and enhancing industry connectivity, Waves Bazaar aims to redefine how business is conducted in the creative sector.(Have we not heard this one before?)
The launch of Waves Bazaar coincides with preparations for the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (Waves 2025), scheduled for 1-4 May in Mumbai. Organised by the Indian government, the summit will showcase India’s creative and technological prowess across broadcasting, film, animation, AI, social media, and digital content.
MUMBAI: On Christmas morning, whilst most of Mumbai slept off festive cheer, Satyam Tripathi’s heart gave out. 25 December proved cruelly ironic for a man who’d spent his career crafting drama—this time, there would be no second take. He was only 57.
Tripathi was a scriptwriter’s scriptwriter. Within India’s chaotic television industry, where writers are treated rather like spare parts, he’d carved out something rare: respect. For years, he sat on the executive committee of the Screen Writers Association, helping transform along with other leaders, what was once a talking shop into an organisation with teeth. When writers’ rights were little more than punchlines, Tripathi helped pen a different ending.
His credits read like a greatest hits of Indian telly: Hitler Didi, 12/24 Karol Bagh, Ek Mutthi Aasman, Parvarrish Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi. Millions laughed, cried and switched channels to his work. He also championed the association’s Screen Writing Awards, ensuring that good writing didn’t go unnoticed in an industry obsessed with ratings and revenue.
Those who knew him speak of an affable soul, generous with time and advice. In a cut-throat business, Tripathi was that rarest of creatures: genuinely helpful.
His remains were cremated the same evening in the presence of industry associates and friends. The credits rolled quickly. But his final script—a better deal for India’s writers—continues to play out. That’s the sort of ending he’d have appreciated.
(Scriptwriters, producers and friends will be getting together to honour Satyam Kumud Tripathi’s memory and to hold a prayer meeting on 29 December. The location: Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara, 4 Bungalows, Andheri West, Mumbai. The time: between 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM.)
