The process by which something which was not a commodity is made into a commodity is called commodification. This process draws things that were earlier outside the market system into the market economy.

A prominent example is the marketing of Indian spirituality and knowledge systems such as yoga and ayurveda in the West. These traditional practices, which were originally part of cultural and spiritual life, have now become products with market value in the global economy.

The Pushkar fair in Rajasthan illustrates how culture itself becomes a commodity. While it continues to be a major social and economic event for local pastoralists and traders who buy and sell camels and livestock, it is now marketed internationally as a major tourist attraction.

The fair becomes more attractive to tourists because it coincides with the Hindu religious festival of Kartik Purnima, when pilgrims come to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake. Hindu pilgrims, camel traders, and foreign tourists mingle at this event, exchanging not only livestock and money but also cultural symbols and religious merit.

Even images, such as that of a Rajasthani woman in traditional dress, can become commodities in the global market, representing culture for consumption by international audiences.