Soft power, hard truths: The new axis for India’s global ascendancy?

The world celebrated the ‘International Day of Yoga’ on 21 June. The 11 December 2014 resolution at the United Nations establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states.

The proposal was first introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the General Assembly, in which he said: “Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition to the world.”

Most importantly, in the hugely competitive geopolitical domain, it symbolises today India’s soft power in the context of hyper-nationalism and the war of narratives for global influence and supremacy.

Yoga fits perfectly the definition of soft power as coined by famous American thought leader Joseph Nye. Nye, who hosted a rare blend of intellect and statecraft, noted soft power to be the third pillar to describe a country’s non-military sway on the world stage brought about by convincing someone to essentially want what you want, without the use of power, coercion or payment.

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Therefore, it is time indeed to applaud the rise of Yoga as a global unifier. In an era where tariffs and technology are being weaponised, India needs to unveil its second edition of soft power: its human talent led by India-born leaders driving the global mindspace.

Soft Power Decline?

Nye, just before his death in May last year, bemoaned the decline of soft power in the second term of Donald Trump. And, if Trump, rightly or wrongly, has set the new global order, what headroom does India have to secure its ascendancy in the global order?

There is a need to reimagine India’s soft power export given the current global context of the aggressor defining and controlling the narrative. And, India is a civilisational idea, rather than a pure nation state, and its evergreen call for peace and amity runs deep in its core DNA of ‘Vasudeva Kutumbakam’.

India, however, needs to amplify globally its democratic credentials, being truly positioned as the mother of democracy. A voice powered by the diaspora across geographies. The war constituency indeed roars today but the entrenched power resident in the peace quadrant remains undisputed and India has the rightful claim to be the peace capital of the world.

Global or Indian?

And who is best positioned to spread the message? The government of the day has a role to play and, led by the Prime Minister, it has done a remarkable job. The DPI architecture is India’s most defining export in terms of impact and influence. Expanding the canvas now to leadership, technology, boardrooms, labs, sports, entertainment and culture is an imperative.

To begin with, at home we endlessly celebrate the global Indians who either run global labs or global boardrooms, and it is time for them to reciprocate. It isn’t enough to either cheer for the Indian cricket team or swing to Bhangra at a wedding in India. There is a need for a more tangible, outcome-driven role to be played by Indian-origin leaders. A thunderous applause for the India story at a one-off Madison Square political rally is welcome, but the orchestra has to play 24x7x365 for India to present its true credentials.

Emotional Quotient to Equity Quotient

The highly successful global Indians have to move away from Emotional Quotient (EQ) to invest in Equity Quotient (EQ). The proof of the idea isn’t to shun your place of work that has given you hard-earned success but to showcase your ability to have your skin in the game at home.

Expat leaders have to help build Indian MNCs like they have done for non-Indian corporations. Many would argue there has to be a business case for a business decision, but first show the intent, passion and hunger to succeed or fail.

Those mistaking the ever-rising remittances as proof of investment in the country of origin are obviously mistaking the wood for the trees. A government incentive scheme has merit. But the initiative has to come from expat leaders.

The Indian diaspora similarly has a great role to play in the global geopolitical and geo-economic conundrum. Being a cultural export isn’t enough; there is room to build a persona that hosts gravitas, influence and an imagery that is quite in sync with the civilisational values we take pride in. Which country has a better brand ambassador than Swami Vivekananda, who is more relevant today globally than he was yesterday?

New Idiom: Talent Diplomacy

India has abundant talent at home and abroad and there is an undying appetite for human excellence at all levels of the value chain. As Joseph Nye pointed out in his repeated references, subtlety is the game and diaspora thought leadership is a competitive space.

Back home, it is time to present ideas around talent to the world at large. The pitch has to be considered, concentrated and creative. Learn from the Koreans, who have built a new idiom for creativity transcending geography and genres. India’s own popular K-Queen (Ekta Kapoor) has the creative genius to mount a global challenge. With the power of the digital, the consumer is not chained by physical barriers; rather, he or she is united by the creative streak.

To learn from West Asia, sport has been deployed as a powerful vehicle to burnish its image. India has rightly expressed the intent to host the Olympics but, even with a less fiscally burdensome proposition like the IPL, India has made a global mark, with cricket moving way beyond eight or ten countries. We have to push the boundary further.

Episodic to Institutional

The recent display of superlative talent in 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made global headlines. That is the power of human talent. Or, for instance, the surging Diljit Dosanjh music phenomenon is another story from another domain but with a strong soft power message. You may label it whatever you wish, but Dhurandhar has scripted a new narrative which has travelled far and beyond.

This success, however, has to move from being episodic to being institutional. India is uniquely placed to fill the void created by Trump’s pivot away from anything soft into everything punitive and discriminatory.

To quote Nye again, “It’s the question of whether you combine hard and soft power so that they reinforce each other—and what I call smart power, that’s the secret sauce.” To my mind, save the Trump era, soft power will endure as the real hard power and India must play its hand well.

(Rakesh Khar is a seasoned editor. He writes at the intersection of politics, business, technology and society. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.)