In a unique initiative to promote public awareness for railway safety, Indian Railways has entered into collaboration with the children fame and a household cartoon series ‘Chhota Bheem’. The partnership was flagged off during the ongoing WAVES in Mumbai which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

This strategic collaboration aims to harness the wide appeal of the Chhota Bheem franchise to effectively communicate essential messages on railway safety and responsible behaviour in railway premises, particularly targeting younger audiences and families. Characters such as Chhota Bheem and his family will be used across various media formats including print, digital, television, radio and physical installations like posters and school programs for a period of one year.

Railways and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is personally camping in Mumbai for the success of the WAVES which becomes first of its kind in the world to promote a platform tagged to be creators economy. Several MoUs and partnerships have taken place between global media giants and individuals during the last three days and in this effort Vaishnaw also announced Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) to harness the creative energies in the country’s youth. “Global firms are keen to work with our creators,” Vaishnaw told The Pioneer.

To begin with Western Railway will utilise the Chhota Bheem characters for educational and outreach activities for the Indian Railways. Western Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek and Rajiv Chilakalapudi, CEO and Managing Director of Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd the creators of Chhota Bheem, signed the Letter of Collaboration at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, Jio World Centre.

According to a statement by Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, the WR will go the nonconventional way to get to the hearts of the masses. “Notably, the nationwide and global popularity of Chhota Bheem has a good impact on children and has the potential to influence them positively. Western Railway’s initiative aligns with this sentiment by integrating these familiar characters into public interest campaigns to enhance reach and engagement,” said the statement.

The CPRO said this partnership is a step forward in making railway safety education more engaging and accessible. With the help of Chhota Bheem and family, Western Railway hopes to create a lasting impact and educate the children and the general public. The collaboration aligns with both organisations’ shared goal of promoting public welfare through creative outreach.

Besides the Chhota Bheem, several Letters of Intent were exchanged in the presence of Vaishnaw. “Already seven firms — Nvidia, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Star India and Adobe — are collaborating with the IICT. The IICT will work closely with the industry to make our young creators future-ready,” he said.

The Information and Broadcasting minister made these remarks after seven leading firms — JioStar, Google, Adobe, Meta, Apple, NVIDIA and Microsoft. Vaishnaw informed media that discussions with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) were also on for a collaboration with IICT. He had a meeting with Daren Tang, the director general of WIPO, on the sidelines of WAVES on Friday.

The IICT is being set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a National Centre of Excellence on the lines of the prestigious IIT and IIM in strategic collaboration with trade body FICCI and industry body CII. “India has the potential to take a global leadership role in the world of media and entertainment. This institute is the first step in that direction and we have to build on it,” Vaishnaw said.

The minister said there was a huge willingness among global firms to work with the IICT. Pointing out that India is home to 40 million creators according to industry estimates, Vaishnaw noted that the world of creativity was undergoing a profound transformation with technology democratising the sector.

He said WAVES is meant to offer a platform for creators from around the world. “It will provide exposure to new technologies. WAVES will connect creators with investors, producers and buyers. This will create new economic opportunities,” the minister said.