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In addition to economic and military power
In addition to economic and military power, soft power has gained importance in the last few decades. Indian art, culture, yoga and spiritualism, cuisine, festivals, music and dance forms, etc. have attracted people worldwide for centuries. The Committee on Foreign Affairs has recently presented its sixteenth report on the possibilities and limitations of India’s soft power and cultural diplomacy. The committee has recommended that a policy document be prepared on India’s soft power projections along with a soft power matrix to assess the soft power outcomes. The parliamentary panel in its report has highlighted the need for greater coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs and other ministries, departments, and entities involved in India’s soft power projection and cultural diplomacy.
Origins of the concept of soft power:
The concept of soft power was introduced by Joseph Nye of Harvard University in 1980. In 2004, he elaborated on this in a major book, Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. Soft power is the ability of a country to influence the preferences and behaviors of states, multinational corporations, public opinion, etc. on various factors in the international arena through attraction or persuasion without the use of pressure. One of the defining characteristics of soft power is the ability to attract others without any pressure to achieve what you want. Soft power includes culture, political values, and foreign policy. It is defined as a persuasive approach to international political relations, using a country’s cultural, historical, and diplomatic influence.
The historical context of India’s soft power:
As an ancient civilization, India has influenced the cultures of the East and the West, and India’s soft power has deep roots. Hinduism and Buddhism, one of the world’s oldest surviving cultures and religions, are their greatest ideological export, India’s spiritual, artistic, and cultural influence makes its soft power global. Indian thought has traveled all over the world. To enrich and exchange and assimilate other cultures, from the peaceful spread of Buddhism in Asia to the Gandhian message of non-violence in the twentieth century. At the heart of this exchange was the quest for knowledge and coexistence, exemplified by Nalanda University in eastern India, a Buddhist pilgrimage center from about 427 CE to 1200 CE. It attracted students and scholars from all over India and beyond – from Greece and Persia in the west to Tibet, Korea and China in the east, however, India’s civilizational ties were never the result of war or colonialism, but of an exchange of ideas, traditions and culture that accompanied the trade in various commodities.
The Importance of Soft Power for India
In the modern world, there are two major components of soft power, culture and political values. The charm of a nation’s culture is, of course, easy to understand and as an ancient civilization, India has a huge treasure of cultural treasures. But more importantly, India cherishes the values of democracy, openness, diversity of thought, respect for all faiths and freedom of expression. India has always been seen as an attractive partner for its pluralistic culture, democratic institutions and historical principles like non-violence. The global appeal of India’s culture is demonstrated through its television, cinema, cuisine and language which creates a favorable, positive international image. Moreover, India’s political values of freedom and democracy are its biggest soft power assets. As the world’s largest functioning democracy with a free and independent media and judiciary, India has earned credibility on the international scene. In the last few years, soft power tools are being actively used for India’s strategic interests, with new energy and focus in India’s external investments. For example, during his visits, Prime Minister Modi presented the Bhagavad Gita to President Obama and the Emperor of Japan. Educational cooperation mechanisms are also playing an important role in enhancing soft power and building strategic goodwill among the international community.
Scholarships to Foreign Students
India provides scholarships to foreign students and development assistance initiatives such as ITEC and the Pan Africa e-Network project have fostered goodwill among partner nations. While India provides humanitarian assistance to small mainland and island economies in times of disaster, its contribution to UN peacekeeping forces is among the highest in the world. The country’s cooperation in bilateral and multilateral fora to fight COVID-19 by supplying Hydro chloroquine to the world and channelling R & D efforts towards vaccine development underlines India’s contribution to global medicine and wellness. Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India has supplied a total of 235 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 98 countries across the world.
India’s soft power:
India is a peace-loving country, whose vision is inclusive and whose worldview is global identity based on the idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the world is one family.” The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, argued that India’s long tradition of religious tolerance could be a model for the rest of the world. “Major religions of the world like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India and gave shelter to followers of religions like Zoroastrianism. This can be a model for the rest of the world. All religions and cultures have contributed to the evolution of India’s soft power. Indian civilizational thought is rooted in the idea of coexistence rather than conquest of nature.
Bollywood
India’s own film industry (Bollywood) is a major source of attraction in the international arena. Most of the Indian films are now released worldwide and the actors are world-famous celebrities. In addition to Indian movies, Indian food is also extremely popular and is becoming known around the world due to the growing number of Indian restaurants outside India. The visibility of Indian art and literature, including Indian spirituality, yoga, ayurveda and alternative lifestyles, has also increased in recent times. Yoga has become one of the most prominent Indian cultural exports and is being widely adopted across the world. In 2014, a few months after the Prime Minister proposed in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations adopted a resolution to declare June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. Yoga Day has now become a global event and is being hailed as a major diplomatic and cultural achievement for India. Apart from this, indigenous Indian sports like Kabaddi are also at the core of Indian soft power.
Cricket with South Asian countries
Cricket has also proved to be a strong factor in Indian diplomacy, especially with South Asian countries. With these factors, it is the largest overseas Indian community that can be a successful tool to promote India’s soft power diplomacy on the global stage. People of Indian origin are spread across different continents but the Government of India has not strategically tapped the soft power potential of overseas Indians. Overseas Indian communities have successfully integrated into the host countries and excelled in various fields. They occupy eminent positions and have made significant contributions to the cultural, economic and intellectual capabilities of the host countries.
In recent times, the current government has been actively engaging with the diaspora which can be seen through Prime Minister Modi’s regular foreign visits. Before Modi, the Vajpayee government institutionalized the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and awards, i.e. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for distinguished overseas Indians. Today, most countries use a combination of soft power and hard power, collectively called ‘smart power’. Since Modi became prime minister in May 2014, India has used such a combination, but with a greater focus on soft power.
Cultural property of the country
When a country’s cultural assets become a subject of aspiration and appreciation of the global community, it becomes a soft power. India is blessed with immense cultural wealth, be it yoga, ayurveda, literature, art, heritage, cooking, sports and much more. India’s soft power and cultural diplomacy have contributed to enhancing India’s global image and attracting international cooperation, investment and partnerships. As the world is becoming more and more interconnected, India’s soft power assets are playing an important role in shaping relations with other nations and contributing to the global cultural landscape.
