India’S Soft Power

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has decided to develop a
“soft power matrix” to measure the effectiveness of India’s
soft power outreach and establish linkages between India’s
soft power and tangible outcomes in area of diplomacy.
Importance
· Soft power has become an important instrument in
public diplomacy and complements official diplomacy
efforts such as Act East Policy, the Connect Central Asia
policy, and developing strategic aid and trade
partnerships in Africa.
· Increased cultural exchanges are more likely to increase
public knowledge and appreciation of India in foreign countries.
· Use of hard power generally carries with it mass global public disapproval whereas soft power lends itself

more easily to the information era and constitutes a country’s principal asset.
· Though the hard power of geopolitics remains prevalent, increasingly countries vie—for influence, for

investment, for retention and attraction of both native and foreign human talent—in the realm of softpower.

· Soft power is critical not only for a nation’s role in the world, but also for purposes of identity and,

ultimately, prosperity. For example: a country with reasonably radiant soft power will appear attractive to its

diaspora, thereby reinforcing important links both for talent and for wealth.
Manifestations of India’s Soft power
Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) is nodal
government agency responsible for India’s soft power
projection.
· Incredible India Campaign: It was conceptualized in
2002 for India’s brand building and to create a
distinctive identity for the country in collaboration
with Ministry of Tourism.
· In 2006, the Ministry of External Affairs set up a Public
Diplomacy Division to promote India overseas.
· Ancient Medicine systems and Yoga have also become
increasingly popular in the developed world.
Celebration of the International Day of Yoga on the 21st of June globally is also a very effective
manifestation of our soft power outreach.
· Efforts to reach out to Indian Diaspora and building connections with foreign business interests and foreign

aid and development programme.
· Use of Social Media and IT to not only connect with youth but also build “nation-brand” India. Organising

campaigns for Make in India, holding trade fairs abroad and organizing events such as Raisina Dialogue has

also added to presence of India as soft power across world.
· Project Mausam and Spice Route projects to revive India’s traditional connections with the Eastern Africa

and to the South East Asia and the opening the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that spanned across Asian

continent and parts of Europe respectively.
Background
· Historically India- Canada did not enjoy a very close
relation, a situation that the government tried to mend
in 2015 when India’s PM visited Canada (first visit to
Canada by India’s head of government in 42 years).
· During this trip a landmark nuclear energy deal with
Canada was secured for the supply of uranium over a
five-year period, formally ending a long-standing
moratorium on Canadian exports of nuclear materials
to India.
· Also, the issue of Khalistan kept India-Canada ties on ice
through three decades from 1980s.
· India has also exercised its soft power through growing influence of Bollywood, educational scholarships

extended by MEA, extending humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to help mitigate the adverse impact

of natural disasters.
Challenges
· Since ‘soft power’ is perceived to be an intangible ingredient of a state’s power, it is difficult to measure the

definite impact of these measures.
· Further the soft power so far has functioned independently of government policies, without the backing of a

focused policy or adequate backing with financial resources.
· Along with this critics of Soft power say that soft power cannot substitute hard power and it helps only if the

country has built up its conventional sources of economic and military power.
Conclusion
· In conclusion, soft power can undoubtedly play an important role in generating goodwill. However, India’s

use of soft power has been hampered by key limitations such as paucity of resources, especially in
comparison to countries like China, and the lack of a clear strategy due to internal contradictions.

· Besides, soft power by itself will not suffice in the absence of palpable economic and hard power. For

instance, South East Asia and Africa may have strong strategic convergences with India, and yet it is China’s

economic prowess that gives it the decisive edge.