Credibility is the scarcest resource in this ‘Information Age’. Co-opt rather coerce is the calling. India’s exertion to drive sustainable future, becoming the voice of global south and navigating ‘the India moment’ is beaconing the expectations of the approaching G-20 summit. On this occasion a Podcast on “Opportunities for Projection of India’s Soft Power in the Light of G-20 Summit” was organised by Forum for Global Studies (FGS), India’s Multi-disciplinary Global Think Tank, on 22nd March, 2023.
The inlaid values of Indian culture, studded universality of spiritualism and richness of arts, music, dance, festivals, culinary varieties have attracted people around the world for centuries. The conception of soft power was first put forth by illustrious neo-liberal thinker and former Dean of the J. F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University Joseph S. Nye. J. S. Nye Popularised the term in the 1990s in his book ‘Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power’. Stated at the onset by Hon’ble Director of Research at Forum for Global Studies, Col. M. K. Singh (Retd.). The session was adorned with the presence of Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research & Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) & Member, Board of Governors, Reserve Bank of India.
Opening the session Prof. Chaturvedi, highlighted the binary of hard versus soft power. The countries that have huge inclination towards hard power are also the ones, who have been seeing this coming from the prism of international affairs, looking into power of another kind.
How do you see the journey of India’s growing soft power? Responding here, Prof. Chaturvedi gently argued that for countries like India there is no soft power per se. The term received enormous coinage in countries which believed in hard power and even seeing the softer part of diplomacy as power. For India the idea is not of power rather “what we have and what we can share with everyone”. Our approach is more embedded in our idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. Neither any assertion of power nor enforcement of any authority is there in Indian commitment towards the endeavour of collective good. Soft power is not a power to assert rather it is to include everyone (Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas) together for collective progress. The rightly chosen theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is expressive of the Indian philosophy and commitment to the global commons.
What’s your take Prof. in projecting India’s soft power towards rendition of global power? India’s projection of soft power is at different levels in the G-20 presidency, foremost is the idea of intellectual power which is evident in the progress that have come up with couple of years of development in direct engagements. Consequently after the collapse of the Washington consensus and the degeneration of the developmental paradigm emanating from the western approach, several new concepts have come up. Time and again the Indian G-20 presidency has prevailed the emergence of new concepts. First comes the notion of ‘life and lifestyle for environment’, as the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India reiterated at COP-26. Secondly, India’s accountability in managing the finance track, India’s diligence in implementing ‘Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)’, example of sequencing the infrastructure financing through ‘Gatishakti’, significant advancement of ‘Digital currency’ speaks of India’s technological bandwidth which envisioning new dimensions for the global community.
How do you accentuate the leading steps of the Indian government to connect the general populace? he alluded the taking of the G-20 summit to the general populace and planning more than 200 meetings across 56 different destinations of 17 states, covering 75 universities to evolve an international perspective.
In summation, he again highlighted the Indian spirit and its commitment of collective progress. Shaping preferences through appeal and attraction, incorporating the voice of marginalised are the guiding lights. The lasting impact of India’s diplomatic exercise is far beyond diplomacy and soft power. Also the idea of looking at India’s civilizational connect from the power perspective is highly misplaced, he added.
To end the session a vote of thanks was offered by Dr. I. K. Singh, Forum for Global Studies (FGS), New Delhi.
The session was moderated by Col. M. K. Singh, Director of Research at Forum for Global Studies, New Delhi.
Regards,
Nandini Ghosh.