India’s Cultural Diplomacy: Decoding India’s Soft Power Potential in the 21st Century

In recent times, the concept of soft power is the most frequently used in the field of International Relations and most frequently misused. Ever since Joseph Nye coined the term, it has almost become rather obligatory to use it. It can be compared to a comma (a punctuation mark) in a sentence that is most frequently used and also misused. In contemporary times, any discourse on International Relations never fails to talk about the soft power of states but the basis of soft power has often remained shrouded under a veil of ignorance. Earlier, the concept was known by other terms, one of which was cultural and civilizational diplomacy. States projected their cultural and non-transactional sides to get into alliances with others. This indirectly facilitated their national interests. Soft power is best described as the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce (hard power). The ability to shape the preference of others through appeal and attraction is the crux of soft power strategy. However, the thing about soft power is that it is as good as, how the resources are employed in a strategic manner and with a focus on gaining foreign policy objectives. Soft power comes as an effective foreign policy tool for a state as endowed as India with a rich ancient civilization and with long innings of being a modern democratic state since its independence in 1947. Contemporarily, India’s rise as a significant political and economic power in the association of states has given new meanings to India’s soft power resources and its employment for protecting and promoting India’s interests. This article will try to analyze the growth and limitations of India’s soft power diplomacy with a special focus on Asia. The method will be qualitative largely based on content and textual analysis.