The IIM Bangalore Dialogue was the first major proof point of the Purple Economy Dialogue format. It brought together business leaders, academics, ecosystem partners, entrepreneurs and inclusion practitioners to explore disability inclusion as an economic transformation agenda.
Shanti framed the Purple Economy through EnAble India’s 25-year journey and positioned persons with disabilities as contributors, consumers and innovators. She connected the movement to the logic of public infrastructure, comparing the need for Purple Economy systems to the way UPI and digital public infrastructure created value for everyone. She also invoked the Samaj–Sarkar–Bazaar frame to show that lasting change requires civil society, government and markets to move together.
The dialogue moved quickly into sector examples. Rameshwaram Cafe at Bangalore Airport showed how accessible service design was already increasing wheelchair-using customers and sales. Sattva’s work on Purple Insurance showed the gaps in health insurance for persons with disabilities. Rang De brought in the need for inclusive capital and financing models. These examples made the Purple Economy feel real, measurable and actionable.
