Power, as defined in International Politics, implies the ability of a state to shape perceptions and behaviour of other states according to its own preferences through stick (coercion), carrot (reward) and/or through attraction. While the first two –the ability to coerce and provide economic rewards constitute hard power resources of a country, the potential of attraction is known as soft power. The term was first conceptualized by Joseph Nye in 1990 although it has often been used by states as an effective instrument to influence other countries’ foreign policy course much before its formal use. A country’s ability to attract other countries to its viewpoint depends more on what it represents than what it owns.

In the post-independence India, the primary sources of India’s soft power were the success of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent struggle against the Britain’s colonial dominance which later shaped India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s perspective on international peace and cooperation based on the ideas of Non-Alignment, democratic international order, New International Economic Order (NIEO).

Both Gandhi and Nehru firmly believed that India could set an example to the world by setting standards for peaceful and cooperative behaviour and by working for a cooperative world order that would enable various major powers to work peacefully together for the good of all nations. The success of Gandhian and Nehruvian ideas in laying foundation to India’s soft power lies in their ability to provide a revolutionary alternative to imperial and Cold War power politics respectively. India’s leadership in the Non-aligned movement attracted the attention of both superpowers the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union to its viewpoints in international forums. With the gradual weakening of the Non-alignment Movement, India faced a quandary on the means through which it could channelize its soft power as a tool to attract powerful and developed countries. In this context, cultural diplomacy, a tool long associated with India’s foreign policy establishment received attention of Indian governments particularly the successive governments under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which worked on it assiduously.

Cultural Diplomacy

As India has shifted away from a course of Non-alignment to Multi- alignment under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the locus as well as the tools and techniques of using soft power have changed. It is through the Indian diaspora that the country seeks to spread its sway worldwide. India’s rich history, culture and heritage find their audience among the diasporic communities and through them to the leaders of the countries who host them. India no more banks on its ability to lead the third world through the Non-alignment Movement and its striving for world peace as the source of soft power.

Indian Diaspora has become the linchpin of Modi’s techniques of promoting soft power. Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (PIOs) in US and UK are not only bringing more investments to India in the areas of  infrastructure, technology, and other projects, they help in opening up of trade opportunities as well as send remittances and donations back home becoming sources of its economic growth which in turn enhances India’s global image and standing as one large of largest economies of the world. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was at the helm of political power, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas began to be observed since 2003 to recognise the growing clout of Indian diaspora. Influence of the diasporic community in the US became far more visible when they successfully lobbied for culmination of Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal during the regime of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, a sense of pride among expatriate Indians has been instilled by giving them recognition, making them stakeholders in India’s growth and considering them as force multipliers of India’s soft power.

On his first visit to the US, in September 2014, addressing twenty thousand people gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York, Modi sought to influence the diasporic community in the US toward the success of his development policy and model of good governance that he adopted in the state of Gujarat. On his successive visits, Modi made sustained efforts to project India as a Viswa-Guru by invoking India’s historical and spiritual resources Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and practices of Yoga. He has been able to influence the diasporic community and through them leaders of the US toward India’s cultural heritage and various tourist places through his oratory skills and yogic lifestyle. His influence is discernible when New York City declared Diwali as an official school holiday on 1 November 2024 for the first time. This was possible due to the diasporic community’s advocacy. Former US President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden hosted a Diwali celebration at the White House on 28 October 2024, to which they invited Indian-Americans from across the US.

Indian American community’s permeation in all spheres, including politics, government, entrepreneurship, the medical profession as well as academics works toward dissipating negative narratives about India while building an image of India that is culturally rich and dynamic with its large young talent reserve of population. It is through diasporic communities the Bollywood industry gets more popularised and Indian films get a worldwide market.

Under the leadership of PM Modi, India’s officials frequently engage with members of India’s diasporic communities in different parts of the world, participating in many high-profile events in the US, the UK and other countries. They utilise these gatherings to mobilise support, imbibe patriotic feelings and assure official support to overseas Indians by dubbing them brand ambassadors of India.

The successive Indian governments under Modi’s leadership have harnessed and capitalised on digital tools, information technology and social media to establish strong and consistent connectivity with the diasporic communities across the world.

However, the neighbouring countries hesitate to buy Modi’s version of Indian identity and idea of universal brotherhood. Ascendancy of Hindutva forces in India has encouraged the small South Asian countries to redefine their own identities to insulate themselves from an India defined essentially through a Hindu image. As all the smaller countries were once part of the Indian subcontinent and all of them historically strove to redefine their identities in non-Indian terms but this is taking anti-Indian forms when confronted with a Hindu India. Successive governments under Modi’s leadership viewed soft power as complementary to hard power and India considered to preach its lofty ideas while carrying a big stick to avert threats from China and Pakistan. However, amassing of more hard power has unintentionally pushed its small neighbours to view it as a threat. Whenever the small neighboring countries found opportunities to court China to offset their power imbalance and the latter lost no opportunities to woo them through its massive capital and infrastructural projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), India’s security concerns took a backseat and Beijing became their favorite patron. The dismal performances of SAARC and SAFTA and several cases exemplifying turning down of New Delhi’s infrastructural initiatives speak volumes about the small neighbouring countries’ reluctance to accept India’s leadership role.