collaborator · 2019. 11. 25. · are reviving with the aid of various organisations as well as the...

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Collaborator:

2 I SOFT POWER AND INDIA

ABOUT INDIA FOUNDATION India Foundation is an independent research centre focussed

on the issues, challenges and opportunities of the Indian polity.

The Foundation believes in understanding contemporary India

and its global context through a civilizational lens of a society

on the forward move. Based on the principles of independence,

objectivity and academic rigour, the Foundation aims at

increasing awareness and advocating its views on issues of

both national and international importance.

It seeks to articulate Indian nationalistic perspective on

issues. India Foundation’s vision is to be a premier think tank

that can help understand the Indian civilizational influence

on our contemporary society. With a team of dedicated

professionals based at its office in New Delhi, the Foundation

works with partners and associates both in India and overseas

to further its stated objectives.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR SOFT

POWER Soft power is defined as the ability of nations to shape

the preferences and influence the behaviour of other nations through appeal and attraction as opposed to coercion. It represents one of the newest frameworks through which India can understand and influence its role in the international order.

In this backdrop, it is timely to engage in discussions on the need for an India-centric discourse on soft power; how to maximise and deploy soft power assets, particularly in the view of furthering national, regional and global goals, and India’s rise as a soft power nation.

I 3As such India Foundation’s Center for Soft Power represents

the first center in India that specifically focuses on the field

of soft power research, initiatives and leadership. Its aim is to

give an impetus to the study of Indian soft power, a field of

increasing importance to India in this globalised world. The

Center is established in collaboration with Indic Academy, an

institution focussed on bringing about an intellectual, cultural

and spiritual renaissance based on our civilisational thought.


CONTRIBUTORS:

AUTHORS:

1. Aparna Sridhar, Editor, Saamagaana, & Writer, Times of India

2. Raghu Ananthanarayanan, co-founder, Sumedhas Academy for Human context, The Barefoot Academy for Governance & FLAME TAO Knoware

3. Rami Desai, Director, iSTRAT CA

4. Sudarshan Ramabadran, Senior Research Fellow and Administrative Head, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation

5. Shreya C, Research Fellow, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation

6. Pavithra Srinivasan, Research Fellow, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation

7. Aman Nair, Junior Research Fellow, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation

EDITING:

1. Aman Nair, Junior Research Fellow, Center for Soft Power, India Foundation

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Art, Craft and DesignRami Desai

AyurvedaPavithra Srinivasan

CinemaShreya C

CuisineAman Nair

Language and LiteratureAman Nair

Performing ArtsAparna Sridhar

SpiritualitySudarshan Ramabadran

YogaRaghu Ananthanarayanan

CONTENTS6

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ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN

Rami Desai

India has an ancient and unique art history, with every region excelling in an art form. Usually the expertise is passed down from family members creating

communities and generations of artisans. These arts are all of local provenance and are still found in their original and changing forms.

The history of India is marked by many centuries where Indian arts were highly coveted. With over 3,000 unique arts and crafts, the importance of the arts in Indian society as well as its popularity in the ancient world is a testament to fine workmanship and aesthetics of the Indian craftsman.

Indian craftsmanship is a prime example of the syncretic culture in India, with aesthetic influences from various religions like Hinduism, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, Islamic as well as unique tribal aesthetics. The world has influenced Indian crafts and India has in return influenced world aesthetics. For the Indian craftsman his work has always been more than just a form of employment, there has always been a deep sacredness and spirituality accorded by the craftsman towards his creations.

However, with the advent of industrialization from the mid 18th to early 19th century cheaper forms of crafts based on industrial labour replaced the craftsmanship of the karigar. This shift was a substantial set back to the Indian craftsmen who however continues to be the crucible of India’s culture.

The values of Arts, Crafts and Design within the Centre

I 7of Soft Power envisions to discuss and comprehend the limitations faced by these small industries as well as their infinite potential. India being an influencer of arts and design on a global scale and having dominated the world market for centuries, seeks to re-establish cultural, educational and institutional links with other countries in order to elevate the recognition of its creative sector and create a global market for the craftsman.

In the international market, there remains a strong appreciation for Indian artisanal goods. Earth friendly in nature, Indian crafts are the need of the hour and Indian karigars are infusing these crafts with modern design influences to suit new markets and sensibilities. Each of these crafts are unique to the cultures that have influenced them as well as the region, just as are the individual producers or the communities they represent.

A global international trade outlook for India is not a new perspective. The complex but well organised system of international trade between ancient India and the rest of the world is fairly well documented. There were structures for trade and linkages to institutions, artists and patrons. These interactions and linkages all played a role in the Indianization of world culture and positioning India as an influential Soft Power globally.

These structures and interactions are not lost. They are reviving with the aid of various organisations as well as the growing interest in artisanal goods. Today, Indian arts, crafts and design can be offered to the new world in a whole new context. These linkages are not only increasing trade between countries but are leading to more positive outcomes in diplomacy and goodwill amongst people of different countries.



HISTORY OF INDIAN ARTS, CRAFTS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

The Indus valley civilization (3000BC -1700 BC) had a rich craft tradition as well as a high degree of technical excellence in hand skills like pottery making, metal and terracotta, jewellery, weaving and many other art forms. Craftsmen not only created what they required for their local use but for a much wider market across the country and the world. (Indian Archaeology, 1959-60)

During the Vedic age too (1500 BC) the rise of religious literature also created a market for the use of religious objects like pots made of wood, clay and metal. The Vedas themselves spoke of artists, craftsman and products that had gained popularity. Crafts and their makers were always respected members of society and in Indian mythology were said to have emerged from divine sources.

The Mauryan Empire (322BC- 185BC) also has some surviving remnants of its Buddhist influence in the form of stupas that were patronized by Ashoka. The great Lion Capital of Ashoka is a prime example of the mature design sensibilities of the ancient age. In the far north-west of India (modern Afghanistan and Pakistan) Greco-Buddhist fusion art developed (1CE- 500CE) and by the Gupta period (320CE- 550CE) Indian art represented by all major religions of the time reached its peak. In the south of India as well the Chola, Chera, Pandya Tamil dynasties all patronized regional arts, crafts and design and are known for their sculptures and fresco paintings.

The Mughal empire (1526 CE) too attracted Persian artists to India. Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan all left their indelible mark. Persian miniatures, Rajput paintings as well as the Pahari style amongst many others all incorporated Persian influences.

The Colonial period in India also brought in its own

I 9western influence as well as European patrons. Indian calicoes and muslin became vital to the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Danish East India Companies. The Chintz became the axis of all textile trade. Later, even artists were influenced by the western style of painting like Raja Ravi Varma. Fusion of the European romanticized style with Indian influences evident in many art works of of the era displaying The Tree of Life or Indian hunting scenes with elephants and tigers.

The story of Indian Arts, Crafts and Design is as old as the land itself. The confluence of religion and culture in India’s sculptures, paintings, earthenware and textiles remain unparalleled. It is this very synchronicity that makes Indian crafts unique and invaluable. While India has at times shared its aesthetics with other parts of the world, she has at the same time incorporated foreign design and aesthetics from other countries into its crafts. For instance, Batik and Ikat textiles were created for Africa and South Asian countries. This was possible due to maritime trade of the time and the route that the Indian Ocean provided for traders.

POTENTIAL OF INDIAN ARTS, CRAFTS AND DESIGN IN CREATING A NEW WORLD ORDER

Global leaders are largely moving towards greater cooperation and collaboration. The days of colonial domination is a thing of the past even while leaving some scars that still need healing. In the case of Indian arts, crafts and design there was a time as well when their development and market had been effected. With the disappearance of India’s royal houses which were some of the primary patrons of regional arts, crafts and design, craftsmen were left without patrons. This not only effected their creative focus but also left them without resources to experiment with new designs and techniques. The Industrial Revolution in Europe also made a



significant difference to the development of India’s Arts and Crafts. With new industries in England that produced textiles and goods faster and cheaper, the Indian cottage industry was left severely impacted. The British levied heavy taxes and duties on Indian imports making them far more expensive that the European counterparts. In 1721 the East India company was banned from importing Indian goods.

The artisanal value of these Indian goods also became less important to the buyer in contrast to industry manufactured goods. On the contrary the Indian markets were flooded with British made goods for the first time further damaging the Indian market.

The continued fall of sales of Indian goods as well as the lack of patrons, karigars that had historically passed their art down to the next generation started encouraging their families to take up alternate more profitable trades. Not only did the influence of India globally decline but also production of Indian arts and crafts in India slowed down.

However, the resilience of the Indian craftsman and his commitment towards his craft as a sacred act has carried Indian arts, crafts and design into the 21st century. It is this essential nature of the proud Indian craftsman and his sacred processes of creating India’s arts crafts and design that touches the human heart and mind, and this is the essence of what is sought to be translated into the soft power of a nation.

INCREASING RELEVANCE OF INDIAN ARTS, CRAFTS AND DESIGN

The crafts sector is the only industry that keeps the importance of human interaction alive in an increasingly machine oriented world. It relies on human contact at every step and that is what has maintained its relevance and uniqueness in the modern world.

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Cottage Industry in India had grown organically since the birth of civilisation. The power it has yielded has impacted entire communities. It not only has absorbed workers from both genders but also has given them a skill that can generate income.

With the importance of climate change and the need of the hour being earth friendly products, the time for Indian Arts, Crafts and Design to take centre stage has arrived. Even Indian architects today, are reverting back to ancient knowledge and craftsmanship. They are increasingly using indigenous architectural wisdom based on locally sourced materials like mud and bamboo, using energy efficient techniques, excluding chemical based plasters, harvesting rain water and solar energy, promoting recycling as well as harnessing local talent. All these methods for construction are well known to India. The revival of this ancient architectural knowledge is of great importance not just to the Indian craftsman but also to the global environment.

Most products in the markets today are not earth friendly. Indian artisanal products are completely Biodegradable, Recyclable and Renewable. These products are also economically cost effective in the long run. The ethical approach to fulfilling consumer demands requires us to switch to artisanal products and a earth friendly lifestyle.

With the entry of global online stores there is immense possibility to aid the revival of Indian arts, crafts and design and make it more available to a larger market. It will not only encourage karigars to become more technologically savvy but also allow the very last karigar to access a global market. It will enable him to cater directly to the online customer eliminating the need of a middleman. However, there is also a necessity for the government to dispense information and not only online marketplace training directly to the karigar but also to ensure



awareness to individual craftsman of standards, rules and regulations for export. Considering that employment generation by the handicrafts sector has been growing at about 6-7 per cent each year and has increased from less than Rs 60 lakh in 2008-09 to over Rs 70 lakh in 2011-12, it calls for developing a mechanism to enable rural and semi-urban entrepreneurs to take advantage of emerging market opportunities.

It is equally important alongside the promotion of online trade to keep alive the ‘bazaar’. The Indian bazaar has always been the social, economic and cultural heart of India. This is where human interaction, ideas and cultural and religious exchanges take place. Most importantly the ‘touch and feel’ quality of Indian crafts makes these objects real to the customer. The bazaar is an integral part of Indian culture and its preservation a necessity in a technology driven world. The impact of arts, crafts and design in India does not just limit itself to preserving trade but it also mobilizes culture to create a more understanding and appreciative society.

Access to urban and commercial spaces, exhibitions and fairs curated to global standards, generating interest worldwide through associations and fostering community enterprises aids the global positioning of Indian arts, crafts and design.

Few heritage villages are already successful models representing the community spirit of the craftsman, and more are being created to draw in visitors to witness not just the creation of products but also the cultural milieu. For instance, the heritage village of Raghurajpur in Odisha attracts tourism where people come to stay with the karigars, some to learn their crafts and some to imbibe the culture. The village fosters the spirit of the karigar and tradition of Indian arts, crafts and design. The promotion of heritage villages like Raghurajpur also creates access for patrons and consumers both nationally and internationally to recognise the value of the Indian karigar.

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India has realised its immense potential of bringing back to the world its philosophical, spiritual, artistic, and aesthetic capabilities and it is proud to share these with the world. The success of Indian arts, crafts and design is not the sole responsibility of the karigar or of the government. This is a collective responsibility and with the Indian artisan already reinventing himself his success does not seem distant. With the handicrafts sector being the second largest employment generator in villages the enthusiasm of the karigars is discernable. Through conferences such as these we aim to collaborate with individuals as well as institutions in order to bring out the full potential of Indian arts, crafts and design to create an effective movement towards greater respect for the earth, human creativity and an intangible heritage of treasures to share with the world.

Rami Desai is the Director of iSTRAT CA, a company that deals in research, communication and data management and skill development

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Indian Archaeology (1959-60), New Delhi. Pp.28.



AYURVEDA

Pavithra Srinivasan

Ayurveda is about life. Culture and medicine is as

old as life. There has been a never ending effort to

develop good health and discover cures and remedies

for the ills of mankind. Therefore Ayurveda is an inseparable

part of the culture of living and the Indian civilisation has

undoubtedly contributed to the promotion of good health and

alleviation of human suffering from time immemorial. What

makes it unique and incomparable is - this ancient body of

medical science is the world’s oldest holistic healing system

developed more than 3000 years ago!

The origins of Ayurveda are found in the Vedas - ancient

scriptures , Vedas being the body of knowledge of wisdom and

revelations as envisioned by the great rishis/seers.

Ayurveda is drawn from Atharva Veda, one among the four

Vedas (Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda being the first three). Compiled in approximately 900 BCE, it is in Atharva Veda that India’s ancient medical practice is comprehensively and

systematically outlined.

Ayurveda meaning “science of life”, seeks to balance

the body and mind, with the environment and seasons ,

by including Prana ( breathing), Yoga/Asanas/Niyamas (postures/disciplines) and Abhyanga (massage treatment) for

the holistic health and well being of humanity.

The Great Three Classics of Ayurveda consisting of

1. Charaka Samhita),

2. Sushruta Samhita, and

3. Ashtanga Hridayam Sangraha.

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along with other allied texts are important medical treatises

on Ayurveda.

Another great book written by Vāgbhata -

Ashtāngahridayasamhitā, is a guide to interpretations of the

Ayurvedic treatments is also extensively used in Kerala but

quite inconspicuous in other parts of the world.

UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCE OF AYURVEDA

Ayurveda as a treasure trove of invaluable information and

source of ancient science of holistic healing connects the present

to the past methods. This connectivity gives a continuity to the

origin, evolution, progression, and the technique of applying

the time tested methods to the present and the future.

It maps the right direction for well being for the future. The

concepts on which Ayurveda is based is as timeless as human

civilsation.

For example, the three foundational constitutions of

Ayurveda are

1. Gunas - the nature/qualities/perceptions/mood based on

the five senses of hearing /sight /smell/taste and touch.

2. Dravyas - the five elements that constitute the creation -

earth water fire air and ether

3. Doshas - the activities / movements /the energetic force

that steers our lives.

The holistic healing in Ayurveda thus encompasses these

fundamental but most essential constituents of the functional

principles of life.

AYURVEDA


Ayurveda as a Soft Power:The notions of ‘wellness, calm and mindfulness’ have become

trendy pursuits over the past decade or so. Ayurveda as an

ancient science of holistic living, has found itself at the center of

this. Due to its increasing popularity, Ayurveda has the power

to become a prominent tool of soft power across the world,

having made an incredible impact in its effective methods of

enhancing good health and “wellness”.

Ayurveda has even penetrated the international level

through institutions such as the United Nations. “Amongst the

mandates of United Nations, health of mankind is the thrust

area of UN through World Health Organization (WHO).

Planning and execution of policies for mainstreaming of

traditional medicines (TRM) of respective countries along

with conventional system of medicine (allopathy), first in the

country of origin followed by the international arena, is the

priority agenda of operations of WHO. Within Indian context,

WHO accorded prime focus to Ayurveda in its activities related

to TRM.” (Chaudhary and Singh, 2011)

There is a demand to implement modern research

methodologies to help gain better understanding of Ayurveda

in the west and earn its equivalent place with modern medicine.

“Various methodologies are prevalent in medical treatment

today. Earlier, people used to rely on direct experience. But

now there is a system in place wherein documentation is done

and research is conducted. There is a research methodology....a

system of methodology has to be approved, which should be

pursued by the practitioners of Ayurveda. A common medical

practitioner keeps records of his observations and experience,

and writes papers on them. These papers are then published

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in (science) journals, on the basis of which experiments are

conducted. Good record keeping of Ayurveda is the need of

the hour”, stated RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (Press Trust of

India, 2018).

To bring Ayurveda on par with the status of Chinese

traditional medicine, the Modi government set up a separate

ministry called AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and

Homeopathy) that would institutionalize this ancient heritage.

In an effort to ‘brand Ayurveda’, AYUSH helps file dozens of

international patents, develop programs and courses at colleges

globally; and has appointed delegates to spread the awareness

of this ancient heritage. Agricultural efforts to help farmers

survive non-conducive environmental conditions are now

concomitant with revival of medicinal plants for ayurvedic

preparations: with plants like aloe vera and Indian gooseberries

grown in lands where crops have failed due to drought.

AYURVEDA’S CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMIC GAIN

According to the VISION 2022 ROADMAP FOR INDIAN

AYURVEDA INDUSTRY, a joint publication by Confederation

of Indian Industry (CII) and Frost & Sullivan (F&S), 2017,

Ayurveda is a USD 3 Billion market with a CAGR (compounded

annual growth rate) of 15-16% and comprises of the organized

and the unorganized sector. The industry offers both products

valued at USD 2.27 billion in 2016 (personal, cosmetic, OTC,

etc.) and services (~ USD 0.75 billion) that included medical

and tourism services (Frost & Sullivan et al., 2017).

Giants in former sector include well established corporations

that manufacture and market ayurvedic products like Charak

Pharma, Vicco, Baidyanath, Nagarjuna, Himalaya and Dabur. With

AYURVEDA


consumer confidence increasing in the adoption of natural

products for their well being and in cosmetics, along with

increasing environmental awareness, multinational consumer

goods mammoths like Colgate-Palmolive, Hindustan Unilever,

Emani, and Patanjali have also ventured into increasing their

line of products, increasing their “Naturals Portfolio” to meet

the consumer demand (Sachitanand, 2017). Many upstart

companies are mushrooming, especially by practitioners who

have been in the practice of ayurveda for generations. One

such enthusiast is Dr. Arjun Vaidya, from South Mumbai, a

sixth generation ayurveda practitioner who would like to see

ayurveda burgeon in the Western world like Yoga industry has

(Sachitanand, 2017).

Medical tourism in India, predominantly for Ayurveda has

increased the inflow of population from the West, who are

seeking a low cost, enjoyable and comfortable alternative for

treatment of their diseases and wellness. Ripe with the tradition

of Ayurveda, untainted and unbroken through generations,

Kerala is perhaps the only state in India which still continues

to practice this tradition with utmost dedication; and has the

largest number of Ayurveda colleges and practitioners in the

world (Benke, 2016). Ayurveda tourism contributes to 6.23%

to the national GDP and 8.78% of total employment in India

(Benke, 2016). Foreign tourists to Kerala increased by 6.60%

in just one year in 2015, to 7.75 lakhs, while domestic tourists

increased by 7.40% to 76.71 lakhs in the same year (Times

of India, 2016). Corroborating this trend, foreign exchange

increased by 15.07% in 2014 compared to the previous year to

Rs. 6398.93 crore (Times of India, 2016).

Nanda Kumar, the deputy director of Kerala tourism told

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Times of India in 2016 on a visit to Pune, “We have realized that

many a times, foreign tourists are looking at relaxing more than

sight-seeing. So we are planning to mix Ayurvedic treatment

along with sightseeing in such a way that the experience is truly

a stress buster for them.” (Times of India, 2016)

“A memorandum of understanding between Saint

Petersburg tourism board and Kerala is also on the cards. This

will happen next week in Mumbai, and is first of its kind MoU

of an Indian state with a foreign country,” claimed Nanda

Kumar.

The VISION 2022 ROADMAP FOR INDIAN AYURVEDA

AYURVEDA


INDUSTRY also lays out key strategies to increase the market

value to USD 9 Billion by 2022 by focusing on some key

strategies aimed towards branding Ayurveda as a system of

treatment to precisely diagnose the root cause of diseases and

eliminate them (Frost & Sullivan, et al., 2017). Globalization

of Ayurveda by enhancing industry and government

collaboration, getting the word across on the benefits of the

system of therapy, using Ayurveda to diminish the burden of

hypertension, diabetes and arthritis and training personnel

are some of the key ways the report envisions attainment of

this goal (Frost & Sullivan, et al., 2017). A comprehensive

Ayurveda Industry policy initiatives promoting increased

awareness among the public, especially the younger generation

are seen as vital strategic imperatives to achieve this growth

(Frost & Sullivan, et al., 2017).

ISSUES/ CONCLUSIONS

Prime Minister Modi’s socio-political strategies has been

steadily drawing awareness of the Indian public towards the

neglect that has been shown towards the ancient heritage,

thereby allowing the West to appropriate ayurvedic traditions

as “cures”, filing for patents without due credit to India,

and enabling big pharma and modern medicine to minimize

traditional alternative medicine. “Our grandmothers’

remedies have become the intellectual property rights of other

countries....” said Prime Minister Modi at the inauguration of

the second Ayurveda Day in New Delhi (Doshi, 2018).

In an interview with Vidhi Doshi for the Washington

Post earlier this year, Rajiv Vasudevan, the chairman of the

Ayurveda core group at the Confederation of Indian Industry,

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said that “Promoting Indian expertise could bring foreign cash

and has soft-diplomacy benefits...We are a proud nation, we

have rich history and we have something to share with the

world,”(Doshi, 2018).

Pavithra Srinivasan is a Research Fellow at the Center for Soft

Power, India Foundation

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Frost & Sullivan, et al. Vision 2022 Roadmap for Indian Ayurveda

Industry. 2017, http://www.gesindia.in/uploaded_files/pdf_

files_download/VISION-2022:-ROADMAP-FOR-INDIAN-

AYURVEDA-INDUSTRY07_40_23.pdf.

2. Sachitanand, Rahul. “Why Companies like HUL, Patanjali,

Dabur Are Taking a Crack at the Market for Ayurvedic and

Herbal Products.” The Economic Times, 15 Oct. 2017, https://

economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/

fmcg/why-companies-like-hul-patanjali-dabur-are-taking-

a-crack-at-the-market-for-ayurvedic-and-herbal-products/

articleshow/61084207.cms.

3. Press Trust of India. “Ayurveda Soft Power of India: RSS Chief.”

Business Standard India, 21 Oct. 2018. Business Standard, https://

www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ayurveda-soft-

power-of-india-rss-chief-118102100690_1.html.

4. Doshi, Vidhi. “How Ghee, Turmeric and Aloe Vera Became

India’s New Instruments of Soft Power.” The Washington Post,

29 Jan. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/

asia_pacific/how-ghee-turmeric-and-aloe-vera-became-indias-

newinstruments-of-soft-power/2018/01/28/5eb8d836-f4ce-

11e7-9af7-a50bc3300042_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_

AYURVEDA


term=.477e961d714d.

5. Chaudhary, Anand, and Neetu Singh. “Contribution of World

Health Organization in the Global Acceptance of Ayurveda.”

Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, vol. 2, no. 4, 2011, pp.

179–86. PubMed Central, doi:10.4103/0975-9476.90769.

6. Benke, Vandana R. “Impact of Ayurveda Tourism.” New Man

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, vol. 3, no. 1,

Dec. 2016, http://www.newmanpublication.com/admin/issue/

Articale/3-%20SECTION%20-%20A.pdf.

7. Times of India. “Kerala Looks at Ayurveda Tourism to Attract

Foreigners.” Times of India, 24 Feb. 2016, https://timesofindia.

indiatimes.com/city/pune/Kerala-looks-at-Ayurveda-tourism-

to-attract-foreigners/articleshow/51114297.cms.

8. Kerala Tourism Board. KERALA TOURISM STATISTICS -

2017 HIGHLIGHTS. 2017, https://www.keralatourism.org/

tourismstatistics/tourist_statistics_201720180314122614.pdf.

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CINEMA

Shreya C

A hundred and five years ago, India was dazzled by

Raja Harishchandra, the first Indian feature film, 3,700

feet long, that told a story from the Mahabharata

(Massey, 1974). Eighteen years later in 1931, Ardeshir Irani

directed the first Indian sound film Alam Ara (Beauty of the

World) that was a turning point for the Indian film industry. The

“talkies” created stars out of actors for the young to idolize,

spawned the creation of regional cinema – Bengali, Tamil and

Telugu talkies were made within a few months of Alam Ara’s

release – and created the glamour that we now associate the

industry with.

Bollywood, a portmanteau of Bombay and Hollywood,

entered common parlance in the 1990s and is often used as

an umbrella term to refer to the Indian film industry. Yet, in

the year 2015-16 regional language cinema accounted for

82.18% of films produced in India, with Tamil producing

15.30%, followed by Telugu 14.50%, Kannada 10.73%,

Marathi 9.46% and Malayalam 8.83% (Central Board of Film

Certification, 2016)1. Hindi movies account for roughly 18%

of all films produced in India. Each of these industries, boasts

of a following abroad and contributes to Indian soft power,

although undoubtedly, Hindi movie stars and films dominate

the space.

1 Although Bollywood is used as an umbrella term, the Indian film industry consist of Kollywood (Tamil), the two Tollywoods (Telugu and Tamil), Mollywood (Malayalam) and Sandalwood (Kannada).

CINEMA


Indian cinema has huge audiences from across the world

including Africa, the Middle East, North and South America,

Europe, Central Asia and Australia, and appeals to audiences

beyond the Indian diaspora. For instance, Shahrukh Khan and

Katrina Kaif performed at the coronation of Bhutanese King

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, a known fan of Bollywood,

in 2008 (Roy, 2012), and Chinese President Xi Jinping is said

to have watched and “liked” Dangal (Press Trust of India,

2017). Michelle Obama while in office danced to the tunes

of Bollywood songs (Sridharan, 2013) and Myanmar’s Aung

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San Suu Kyi once commented that “we all love to watch Hindi

movies” (Roy, 2012).

GROWTH OF INDIAN CINEMA ABROAD

Indian films have transcended language and regional

barriers, gained acceptance across populations and developed

a cult audience as it travelled beyond its own borders. Indian

movies are unique for their amalgamation of dance, drama,

music and poetry, drawing from ancient Indian theatre

traditions such as Kerala’s Kathakali, Tamil Nadu’s Terukuttu

and Maharashtra’s Thamasha. While often ridiculed among

scholars and critiques for being overdramatic and escapist –

a more pertinent question is, what is intrinsically wrong with

escapism? Some of Hollywood’s most successful movies are

escapist – the Star Wars series, The Avengers, and Guardians

of the Galaxy, the list could go on. Movies can act as a good

source of entertainment and allow audiences to go on a short

(and cheap) three-hour holiday. Nevertheless, the critique does

not always hold true, for India has produced a good mix of

masala2 and “intellectual” or serious films.

2 Masala films refer to popular Indian cinema.

CINEMA


Mother India, a hugely popular film, spoke of dignity of

labour and that of the individual (Ahmed, 1992), a topic which

resonated with audiences in the African continent, Southeast

Asia and the Middle East (Mishra, 1989). Channel 4 aired it

on British television “as part of its highly successful season

of Indian cinema” (Mishra, 1989), it was nominated for an

Oscar in 1958, and it is said that the movie continued to sell out

even a decade after its first screening in Nigeria (Larkin, 1992).

Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali traces the life of a poor, rural

Bengali family while subtly exploring the tense relationship

between rural-urban and the ongoing changes brought by

technology – electricity and a railway line – a theme that

resonated with audiences across the world. When Ray’s Pather

Panchali premiered at the Museum of Modern Art, New York,

little did he know that he would dispel “the long-held feeling

that India was unlikely to produce a great film” (Massey,

1974). The movie was so popular that it went on to win the

Best Human Documentary award at the 1956 Cannes Film

Festival, is the only Indian movie to be featured in BBCs Top

100 foreign movies ever made, and was described as having

“introduced Indian cinema to the West as cataclysmically as

Kurosawa’s Rashomon had done for Japanese films (Cherian,

2016).

The growth of Indian cinema abroad between the 1950s

and 1980s was exemplary. A large part of its success could be

attributed to the Indian diaspora who were widely travelled

and had settled in many parts of the world. Although the

first Indian movie, Sant Tukaram, a Marathi film, had won its

international award, prior to Indian independence in 1937 at

Venice, it was the Indian diaspora that introduced the movies

I 27

to the general public. They brought with them cassettes,

Bollywood posters and other movie paraphernalia, presenting

India’s colourful movies for locals to consume. In these three

decades India produced multiple hits, notable among them

Awara, Mera Naam Joker, Sholay, Pardesi and Disco Dancer, many

of which remain popular even today3.

In Tanzania the first permanent theatres were Bharat and

Krishna Cinemas that opened in the Indian quarters. It was

quickly followed by the opening of the “major theatre”, Empire

Cinemas, by Hassanali Adamali Jariwalla, a wealthy Indian

entrepreneur, who “pioneered the first cinemas” in Tanzania

and Zanzibar and screened Indian movies on the prime days of

Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays (Brennan, 2005). In South

Africa Bollywood movies are released every week in multiplexes

across the country (Barlet, 2010). In the Netherlands, Indian

movies are “very popular” among Surinamese Hindustanis

(Oonk, 2007) who also helped in propagating the cinemas,

most visible in The Hague (Verstappen & Rutten, 2007). Dutch

theatres screen Indian movies regularly and since 2001, NPS,

the official Dutch broadcasting network has been showing

Indian films, mostly on Sundays which has helped reach a

wider audience (Verstappen & Rutten, 2007). Mirroring this

development, India too has produced movies – America Alludu

(1985), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenga (1995), Hyderabad Blues

(1998), Hum Tum (2004), Swades (2004), Namaste London

(2007), Kabali (2016) – that dealt with diaspora emotions, the

longing to return to the homeland and similar themes that

resonated with the diaspora, were instantly successful.

3 In Russia, Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty enjoy a demi-god like status, especially among the older generation who remi-niscence and sing to Awara and Disco Dancer.

CINEMA


Conversely, Indian cinema is prevalent in countries like

Senegal, Nigeria, Russia, Japan and Peru, who do not have

a sizeable Indian diaspora. In Senegal for example, Indian

movies were introduced in 1953 with the release of Aan, and

has gained cult status ever since (Steene, 2012). No wonder it

came as no surprise to many when Akon, a Senegalese, sang

Chamak Chalo in Hindi for the movie Ra. One. Similar is the

experience in Nigeria, one of India’s most successful export

markets, where Indian cinema has permeated most households

through theatres, DVDs, dedicated Bollywood television and

radio channels, and dance clubs. The influence of Bollywood

is most visible in Nollywood spin-off movies, local dance and

Bollywood inspired Nigerian literature, soyyaya (Luedi, 2018).

The Nollywood film ZeeWorld Madness (2017), that pokes fun

at Nigeria’s obsession with ‘ZeeWorld Bollywood’, the channel

that plays Indian cinema on television, is a testimony of Indian

soft power. Telugu “power star”, Pawan Kalyan is admired

as much in South India as in Poland, Rajinikanth’s Muthu

(1998) ran for 23 weeks in Japan (Aiyar, 2017) and resulted in

tremendous fascination for India visible today in the number of

South Indian restaurants and “Rajini” fan clubs. The Telugu-

Tamil-Malayalam movie, Mahanati was widely received in the

North America despite little advertising.

What explains the popularity of Indian films abroad, despite

some countries restricting the entry of these movies through

quotas? Factors like the cast, certification, timing of release,

number of screen playing the movie, symbolic meaning of

the movie, format of release, and perception of India by the

movie’s foreign consumers, and the movie’s success in the

home market determine the success of India cinema abroad

I 29

(Hennig-Thurau, Walsh, & Bode, 2004). The relation India

shares with the foreign country also greatly determines the

entry and consequently the success of the movie. Nevertheless,

most of these factors are common to most movies that entry

any foreign market. Therefore, it is perhaps India’s cultural

proximity that it shared with its neighbourhood and beyond

that allows these films to engage with an audience in ways that

Hollywood movies cannot. Moreover, the movies that have

done well in foreign markets revolved around family, caste

and religion barriers, conservative societies, morality, struggle,

honour and family name, experiences which are also central

to these countries. Indian movies are looked at as “decent”

and allow the audience to be modern without being western,

helping in its organic spread across the world.

DANGAL – A NEW WAVE OF INDIA’S CINEMATIC

INFLUENCE

No paper on cinema as India’s soft power is complete

without a mention of the roaring success of Aamir Khan’s

Dangal, especially in China, a country where Indian movies

had not enjoyed a breakthrough, and S.S Rajamouli’s

Baahubali, across the world. Rob Cain, the film and television

director, describes the two movies in Forbes as a “one-two

punch” that “knocked out” everybody’s expectations (Cain,

2017) Baahubali opened in over 10,000 screens worldwide,

ran for over 100 days in Japan and “shattered all previously

held box-office records” for an Indian film in North America

(India Today, 2018). The protagonist, Prabhas, was described

as “a presence grand enough to transcend language” (Tsering,

2015), evident in its worldwide success. Dangal on the other

CINEMA


hand, which released as Let’s Wrestle, Dad! topped every movie

in China except for Transformers: The Last Knight and earned

$152 million (Cain, 2017). The success of these movies in the

Chinese market is significant as it not only remained a closed

market for Indian cinema but also restricts the entry and

screening of foreign films through stringent quotas. Yet, other

Indian films too captured the Chinese market such as Aamir

Khan’s Secret Superstar and P.K, and Salman Khan’s Bajrangi

Bhaijan. It is clear Aamir Khan remains a potent Indian soft

power in the Chinese market with his massive following and

potential to influence a young, growing audience.

Table 1: Breakdown of Dangal’s International box office

collection (Hungama, n.d.) (Cain, 2017)

TERRITORY GROSS REVENUE

CHINESE MARKETS 1,437 Crore

China 1,400 Crore

Taiwan 41 Crore

Hong Kong 23 Crore

OTHER TERRITORIES 229 Crore

United States & Canada 85 Crore

Arab Gulf States 60 Crore

United Kingdom 24 Crore

Australia 14 Crore

South Korea 6 Crore

Japan 3 Crore

Turkey 3 Crore

OVERSEAS TOTAL 1666 Crore

I 31

THE EFFECT OF INDIAN CINEMA

Following the success of Indian movies in foreign markets,

there has been an increased interest in cross border co-

productions and India centric location shooting. One of the

most popular of such films was a Soviet co-production Alibaba

aur 40 Chor (1980) that starred Dharmendra, Hema Malini

and Zeenat Aman from the Indian side (Salazkina, 2010) 4.

Equally popular was Raj Kapoor’s My Name is Joker (1970)

that starred Soviet actors. In 2009 a major Hollywood studio,

Warner Bros., entered India with its co-production Chandni

Chowk to China (2009). Although the film failed to deliver in

North America, interest from Hollywood continued and was

soon followed by Sony’s co-production of Saawariya, Fox

Studio’s Slumdog Millionaire, UTV Motion Pictures’ Chennai

Express and Walt Disney Pictures’ P.K. Hollywood’s Nightfall

and Crocodile 2 were shot and edited entirely in Ramoji Film

City, the world’s largest film studio complex, opening the

doors for other foreign films. Mainstream successful movies

like The Jungle Book, Octopussy from the James Bond series, The

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Eat Pray Love, The Darjeeling Limited

and Dark Knight Rises were either partially or fully shot in India.

It is of interest to note the influence Indian movies had on

local directors. Melodrama as a narrative technique and other

Indian cinematic attributes – centred on family, gender roles

and emotional stories – were adapted by Malaysian directors

to great degree, with many films having “more in common”

with Devdas and Shree than Hollywood movies (Heide, 2002).

Malaysian directors like P. Ramlee were greatly influenced by

4 Hema Malini was already a household name in the Soviet Union with two successful films – Sholay (1975) and Seeta aur Geeta (1972).

CINEMA


South Indian films and it is said that in the 1960s Malaysia,

Malay moviegoers “started to prefer the Hindi-language”

films which “were flooding the local cinemas” (Yusoff, 2013).

King Ratnam, a Sri Lankan filmmaker debuted with Komaali

Kings, a film that tells the story of the Tamilian population in

his country. In Malaysia, Shanjhey Kumar Perumal’s Jagat, a

Malaysian movie made in Tamil, was an instant award-winning

hit. The Hollywood movie Divorce Invitation (2012) was in fact

inspired by a 1997 Telugu movie, Aahwaanam. Even in Brazil,

the directors of the 2009 television show India: A Love Story,

that boasted of over 30 million viewers in the South American

nation, drew their inspiration from India.

The influence of Indian cinema as a soft power is best

appreciated when this admiration for Indian movie stars, films

and shooting styles generates a ripple effect in other sectors.

The movies create an interest in India among viewers who

in turn desire to consume all things Indian. Gaining traction

abroad for instance are Indian inspired weddings with song and

dance or Indian “exotic” locations, Bollywood themed night

clubs and restaurants, the creation of the Brazilian board game

– The Bollywood Game, and an increase in Indian tourism.

Furthering Indian soft power are also actors like Priyanka

Chopra who have now become a household name abroad,

especially in North America. When mainstream primetime

television shows like The Big Bang Theory or The Mindy

Kaling Show and Master of None include an Indian character

as a protagonist it goes a long way in furthering Indian soft

power. The effect of this influence can be reversed too – take

for example the wooing of Indian film stars and directors by

foreign governments to shoot in their country to boost tourism

from India.

I 33

CONCLUSION

To conclude, Indian cinema was global even before

“globalisation”. It travelled across the British Empire and made

its way into film festivals prior to Indian independence, and

continues to be a force to reckon with. If Indian cinema in the

1950-1980s produced movies like The Apu Trilogy, Awara, Mera Nam Joker, Indian cinema has today, belted out mainstream hits

and new age movies for the audience to consume. The Lunchbox (2013) for instance was screened in over 70 nations with little

to no marketing. Indian movies have become so mainstream

abroad that in 2015 a video surfaced on the Internet showing

Miss Nigeria and Miss Indonesia bonding over their love for

Bollywood films and simultaneously singing to Dil To Pagal Hai. Regional cinema has found its niche and own foreign

markets, contributing effectively to Indian soft power, despite

Bollywood’s overarching popularity. BFI Southbank even

celebrated Indian regional cinema in 2017 giving a platform to

movies that are otherwise overshadowed by their Bollywood

counterpart. Today, Indian films are celebrated world over –

they are invited for screenings at virtually every film festival,

have become some of the highest grossing films worldwide,

movie stars are being invited to co-host or perform at major

events, and the number of co-productions and star cross-overs

is on the rise. Despite the hurdles that Indian cinema faced, it

is undoubtedly one of India’s most powerful soft power tools.

Shreya C is a Research Fellow at India Foundation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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41371253

2. Central Board of Film Certification. (2016). Annual Report

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Bollywood Tunes during Diwali Celebrations [VIDEO].

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washington-bollywood-520002

6. Ahmed, A. S. (1992, May). Bombay Films: The Cinema as

Metaphor for Indian Society and Politics. Retrieved November

10,

2018, from Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2 (pp 289-320).

I 35

Cambridge University Press. JStor: https://www.jstor.org/

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1. Mishra, V. (1989). The Texts of ‘Mother India’. Kunapipi, 11(1,

2. Article 14), 119-137.

8.Larkin, B. (1992, May). Indian Films and Nigerian Lovers: Media

and the Creation of Parallel Modernities. Modern Asian Studies,

26(2), pp. 289-320. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/

1161182

9. Cherian, V. K. (2016, October 31). India’s Film Society

Movement: The Journey and its Impact. Retrieved November

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2018, from Google Books: https://books.google.co.in/

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10. Brennan, J. R. (2005). Democratizing Cinema and Censorship

in Tanzania, 1920-1980. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from

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International Journal of African Historical Studies Vol. 38, No. 3,

CINEMA


pp. 481-511. JStor. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40033967

11. Oonk, G. (2007). Global Indian Diasporas: Exploring

Trajectories of Migration and Theory. Retrieved November 26,

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12. Verstappen, S., & Rutten, M. (2007). Bollywood and the Indian

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13. Steene, G. V. (2012). Indophilie and Bollywood’s Popularity in

Segenal: Strands of Identity Dynamics. In A. G. Roy, The Magic

of Bollywood: At Home and Abroad. SAGE Publications India.

14. Luedi, J. (2018, February 3). Move Over India: How Bollywood

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I 37

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a Cult Following In...Japan. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from

South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/

society/article/2104058/tamil-star-who-inspired-new-life-paths-

his-japanese-fan-club

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Nearing $150 Million At China’s Box Office. Retrieved

November

29, 2018, from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/

2017/05/29/no-its-not-a-typo-dangal-is-nearing-us-150-million-

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chinas-box-office/#55a3ab8e5b32

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Media Products: Understanding the Success and Failure of

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Alibaba as Political Allegory. Retrieved November 18, 2018,

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Cinema Journal, Vol. 49, No. 4 pp 71-89. JStor: https://

www.jstor.org/stable/40801482

21. Heide, W. v. (2002). The Malaysian Cinema. In W. v. Heide,

Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National

Culture (pp. 161-240). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam

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22. Yusoff, N. (2013). Comtemporary Malaysian Cinema: Genre,

Gender and Temporality. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from

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n_thesis.pdf

23. Barlet, O. (2010). Bollywood / Africa: A Divorce? Retrieved

November 20, 2018, from Black Camera Vol 2 No. 1 pp 126-143,

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2979/blc.2010.2.1.126

24. Bhat, C., & Bhaskar, T. (2007). Contextualising Diasporic

Identity: Implications of Time and Space on Telugu Immigrants.

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I 39

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dangals-taiwan-run-with-285k-1-85-cr-through-day-6/

CINEMA


CUISINE

Aman Nair

Food has, since time immemorial, served as the

cornerstone for not only the survival of individuals,

but also the survival of states. Politics has historically

always been forced to pay attention to the issue of food, and

this is unlikely to stop in the future - with a country’s food

policy, its guarantee of food security, its food sovereignty and

its overall food culture all contributing the stability and strength

of a nation (Brown, 2011).

This influence of food also has an effect on the soft power

of state. The power of food in framing the perception of a

country, or people, cannot be denied (Long, 2004). Cuisine

serves as one of the facets through which members of ethnic

communities can communicate authentic experiences, and also

acts as one of the pillars through which a group of people or

country can acquire cultural capital (Long, 2004; Molz, 2004;

Mkono, 2012).

In terms of Indian cuisine, there is little doubt that Indian

cuisine is one of the most recognized cuisines at the global

level, with Indian restaurants being mainstays in all major

cities around the world. Given the apparent popularity of

Indian food therefore, it is imperative that we examine its role

in India’s wider soft power strategy.

This paper will look at the case of Indian food in the United

States, and how its link to Ayurveda and wellness can act to

increasing its prevalence in the state.

I 41

The following list outlines the prevalence of Indian restaurants

in 20 major countries around the world. The data is collected by

reviewing the websites Yelp and Zomato. Where Yelp data was

unavailable, we used Zomato.

INDIAN CUISINE IN AMERICA – THE WELLNESS

REVOLUTION

When one considers the size of the Indian population in the

United States, it would be a logical assumption that Indian food

is one of the dominant ethnic foods in the country. However,

when compared to Chinese and Mexican restaurants across

the US, there are about only 1/8th of the number of Indian

restaurants (Ferdman, 2015).

CUISINE


Despite the historically low market share of food sales

however, Indian food is enjoying a boom in the US market at

the moment thanks to one thing – its properties in the field of

wellness.

As Americans have become more health conscious they

have increasingly begun to look at Indian food and its links

to Ayurveda as a means of staying healthy. A simple scan of

health and wellness websites and blogs in the US will show that

there is a growing affinity for products like coconut oil, ghee,

turmeric, ashwagandha and khichdi (Shah, 2018). This represents

a sizeable shift given Indian food’s historical perception in the

west of being an overly spicy, cream filled takeout food.

And when examining the phenomenon, it is easy to see

why Indian food is becoming popular in this way. The rise of

Indian cuisine and Ayurveda in the United states is closely

linked the the rise of yoga in the previous decade. “The same

philosophy that gave us yoga also talked about mindfulness,

meditation, and Ayurvedic eating, I think the interest in it is a

natural evolution” says Basu Ratnam, owner of Inday, a fast

casual mini chain in New York City. Meanwhile Sana Javeri

Kadri, the founder of DiasporaCo, a spice company, says “I

think people who have access to seeing Indian food through

the lens of Ayurveda are people who are into yoga, or some

form of appropriated Indian culture,” (Shah, 2018).

And while Ayurveda is a complex system with multiple

guidelines on how to stay healthy, some of the tenants are easy

to carry out and require not much effort. For example, things

such as avoiding mixing certain combinations of food, or not

eating at certain times of the night are simple to follow for any

person.

I 43

This along with the fact that much of Indian cuisine seems

to be in line with trends that have become popular in the United

States recently. As the number of vegetarians and vegans grow,

they are constantly looking for new food that meets their

dietary restrictions. And as the cuisine with the largest variety

of vegetarian food, Indian cuisine fits the description perfectly.

And as distrust in manufactured everyday western medicine

grows, the use of natural remedies such as turmeric to cure

illness have become exponentially more popular.

But as with any rise in popularity of a country’s culture,

it is important that we ensure such a rise does not result in

appropriation and ultimately a loss of soft power potential.

As Nik Sharma, author of the cookbook Seasons says “It’s

important that Indian food and culture doesn’t get pigeonholed

into wellness… There is so much more to it, but learning about

Indian food from wellness is such a niche perspective.”

As mentioned earlier, a browse of wellness sites in the

States will throw up a list of ones dedicated to Indian food and

Ayurveda, but very often it is not Indian people running these

sites or even the companies that supply the product. And so it

is important that we temper any conversation of Indian food’s

growing popularity with a cautious attempt to prevent cultural

appropriation. When dishes like khichdi are being touted as a

wonder food without acknowledging its Indian roots, or by

distorting the recipe so it barely resembles a traditional Indian

one, one has to question whether this is in fact soft power.

Those dangers however should not distract us from the fact

that Indian cuisine, and indeed Indian culture, is penetrating

itself further into the heart of American society. More people

are beginning to embrace India, its culture and its food. And if

CUISINE


we are able to effectively use that, then it will undoubtedly be

one of our strongest soft power assets.

Aman Nair is a Junior Research Fellow at the Center for Soft


BIBLIOGRAPHY

3. Brown, L. (2011). “THE NEW GEOPOLITICS OF FOOD.”

Foreign Policy (186): 54. Chelliah, J., Brian, D’Netto (2008).

“Japanese Whaling Strategies.” The Management Case Study

Journal Vol 8(2): 65-82.

4. Long, L. (2004). Culinary tourism: A folkloristic perspective on

eating and otherness. In L. Long (Ed.), Culinary tourism (pp. 21

–50). Lexington: University of Kentucky.

5. Molz, J. (2004). Tasting an imagined Thailand: Authenticity and

culinary tourism in Thai restaurants. In L. Long (Ed.), Culinary

tourism (pp. 53 –75). Lexington: University of Kentucky.

6. Mkono, M. (2012). Using net-based ethnography (Netnography)

to understand the staging and marketing of ‘Authentic African’

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Hospitality and Tourism Research, 31(2), 387– 394.

7. Ferdman, Roberto A. “Why Delicious Indian Food Is Surprisingly

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h t t p s : / / w w w. w a s h i n g t o n p o s t . c o m / n e w s / w o n k /

w p / 2 0 1 5 / 0 3 / 0 4 / w h y - d e l i c i o u s - i n d i a n - f o o d - i s -

surprisingly-unpopular-in-the-u-s/?noredirect=on&utm_

term=.28d20f11d1d5.

8. Meszaros, Eva. “Research Spotlight: Ethnic Foods: Flying High.”

Specialty Food Magazine, July 2012, https://www.specialtyfood.

I 45

com/news/article/research-spotlight-ethnic-foods-flying-high/.

9. Shah, Khushbu. “How Wellness Influencers Made Indian Food

a Trend.” Bon Appetit - Healthyish, Nov. 2018, https://www.

bonappetit.com/story/wellness-influencers-indian-food.

CUISINE


LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Aman Nair

The 8th schedule of the Indian constitution has outlined

2 official languages and 22 “scheduled languages” that

have been given official recognition by the government

of India, making India the country with the highest number

of recognised administrative languages. And going beyond

the merely official, the country has a total of around 454

languages, making it the fourth most multilingual country in

the world (Hallett, 2016). This multiplicity of languages is

undoubtedly one of the country’s most distinctive features; one

which separates from nearly all other countries in the world.

Indian languages have ranged across the entirety of human

history, starting with the truly ancient languages of Sanskrit

(Woodard, 2008) and Tamil (Lehmann, 1998), to the much

newer languages like modern day Hindi (West, 2009). This

linguistic diversity is not only a unique cultural factor, but can

also serve to be one of the foremost pillars of India’s future soft

power strategy, if properly leveraged.

This paper will therefore examine the general role that

language plays in terms of soft power, and the specific role

of Indian language in two aspects - as a gateway to classical

literature and wider Indian culture, as well as being a means of

preventing the appropriation of indian culter

It will do so by first examining the relationship between

Language and Soft Power. It will then analyse this relationship

in the context of India, by using the example of Sanskrit.

Finally, it will outline the challenges facing Indian language on

the global stage and how they can be overcome.

I 47

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND SOFT

POWER

“A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a

language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot

separate the two without losing the significance of either language or

culture.” (Brown, 1994)

When Joseph Nye first defined the notion of soft power

(Nye, 1991) he spoke of the ability of a country to influence

the decisions of other countries, not through coercion but

through attraction.

It is important to note that when discussing the effect

of language on soft power, it is not done in the strict sense

mentioned by Nye. That is to say, we are not attempting to

draw a direct link between India’s language and literature, and

its ability to influence the decision making of other countries.

Instead what we refer to is the creation of a “ready and

receptive pool” of individuals that are “more knowledgeable

about, and more sympathetic to” India “and its broad policy

objectives” as a result of having studied an Indian language,

or some Indian literature (Hill, 2016). The aim is, therefore, to

examine if such a group exists, and if it does, how can its size

be increased and how can it be leveraged for India’s gain?

One of, if not the, most important factors in the formation

of such a group of people is the ability to create an affinity and

aspiration on the international stage for that country’s culture

(Nye, 1991). While language is undoubtedly one aspect of that

culture, its true power comes in so far as it acts as a conduit for

the rest of that country’s culture. The language of a country

is the single largest hurdle to the spread of its culture and one

need only look at the dominance of American pop culture



to see how the language of its propagation, i.e. English, has

exponentially increased its audience.

HOW CAN INDIA’S LANGUAGES HELP ITS SOFT

POWER?

With respect to India specifically, language can play two

roles in the spreading of India’s culture.

The first role is the standard one of Indian language being

a means to experience Indian culture at a deeper level. For

example, should someone with an interest in Indian culture

learn an Indian Language, then they will be able to better

immerse themselves into the literature of that language -

thereby furthering the connection between India and them.

The second role that Indian Language has to play, is

to create a means by which Indian culture when taken to

foreign shores, forever remains distinctly Indian. Currently,

India’s greatest cultural problem has been the creation

of a direct link between its cultural exports and itself

(For example, it was only very recently that there was a

concentrated effort to reclaim yoga as being distinctly Indian).

It is therefore possible to draw two channels wherein efforts to

promote Indian language should be undertaken - as a means

to access literature, and as a means of preventing cultural

appropriation. The following sections will examine these

channels, taking the example of Sanskrit.

SANSKRIT AS A GATEWAY TO LITERATURE AND

WIDER CULTURE

With over three millennia of documented literature (Banerji, 1989), Sanskrit can serve as the perfect gateway for people

I 49

from all over the world to immerse themselves fully into the

depths of India’s culture.

From yoga to classical arts, there is no element that stands

in isolation - with all the elements of India’s culture being interlinked. Given the interconnected nature of India’s cultural aspects, Sanskrit and its literature can serve as the perfect framework for understanding these connections.

Sanskrit has affected every aspect of India’s culture in some

form or another, and so provides individuals with a perspective

that would be unavailable through any other language. Sanskrit is

an intrinsic part of yoga, ayurveda, spirituality and philosophy,

and any study of these subjects requires that the student have

an understanding of Sanskrit. Furthermore, Sanskrit is the only

language that is able to accurately articulate certain ideas that

have developed in India over many millennia. One need only

look to a concept like Dharma, which has had an overarching

impact over all of India’s culture, to see that there is no clear

translation for such a concept in any other language. In such

situations, Sanskrit is the only ways wherein one can truly

understand the complexities of such concepts, and therefore

it is only through Sanskrit that one can understand the true

impact of such concepts on India’s culture.

SANSKRIT’S ROLE IN PREVENTING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

Indian culture has, over the past decades, faced a problem of appropriation. That is to say, when India’s culture has been exported over the world, it has been adopted by other societies without recognising India as the originator of that culture. This in turn has affected India’s ability to create tangible links between foreign



individuals and India. One need only look at the history of Yoga internationally to see this. Prior to recent initiatives, such as the International day of Yoga, India has been unable to create clearly recognisable linkages between itself and yoga practitioners around the world. And a major reason for this has been the translation of yoga and its asanas from Sanskrit to other languages. By changing the name of yoga asanas, ayurvedic medicine, and even aspects of Indian spirituality and religion, people around the world fail to associate these aspects of Indian culture with coming from India, and in this way Indian culture looses its essence when sent abroad. It is therefore imperative that going forward, India must ensure

that such translations do not happen.

CHALLENGES FACING INDIAN LANGUAGES AND THEIR SOLUTIONS

While Indian languages form a significant portion of the dominant languages on the global stage (Simons and Fennig, 2018), this is largely a result of the domestic Indian population. When examined in terms of the number of countries wherein these languages are spoken, Indian languages often range between 1 as the least and 7 as the most (Simons and Fennig, 2018). Therefore, the first challenge facing India is that of increasing the total number of speakers of its languages.

In this field, India must look at the blueprint laid out by

China and its Confucius Institute. The Confucius institute

is a state supported organisation that aims at “developing

Chinese language and culture teaching resources and making

[Ministry of Education] services available worldwide, meeting

the demands of overseas Chinese learners to the utmost

degree, and contributing to global cultural diversity and

I 51

harmony.”(Ministry of Education, 2012). The institute is

headquartered in Beijing and has, since its inception, opened

numerous centres in countries all around the world.

While other countries have similar institutes, such as

France’s Alliance Français, what makes the Confucius institute

a tempting model is the administrative structure that it employs

with respect to its centres. There are three forms of centres -

those that are controlled by the main headquarters, those that

are licensed to the host country, and those that are controlled

through a joint partnership of the main headquarters, a

Chinese university and a university in the host country (Gil,

2009). By creating a joint partnership between the centres and

local universities, the institutes are able to acquire a much

larger audience than simply those who have a special interest

in China.

Given how wide India’s cultural impact can be, it is important that that India adopts a similar strategy of ensuring local integration, so as to maximise its soft power potential. This must be done either through a systematic reform of the ICCR cultural centres or through the creation of an entirely new organisation. This reformed/ new organisation can also take advantage of facilities such as the internet and local advertising to begin to

target individuals in specific regions so as to further integrate

themselves into the local community.

The second challenge is ensuring the eventual conversion of

India’s linguistic potential into true influence. As mentioned

earlier, this paper looks at the relationship between soft power and language in terms of creating receptive groups of people. However, once such a group is created, India must find a way to convert it into tangible influence at the state level. India must



look at countries like Japan as cautionary examples. In the case of Japan, while there is an overwhelming favourability for Japanese culture, this favourability has not transformed itself into any real power for the Country at the International policy Level (Otmazgin, 2008).

CONCLUSION

This paper has attempted to analyse and examine the question of how India can leverage its numerous languages to increase its soft power influence across the globe. Firstly, the country must recognise the strength of its languages, such as Sanskrit, in not only providing a point of entry into a deeper level of culture but also in terms of preventing the loss of its already exported culture. Secondly, it must find innovative ways of dealing with the

challenges of increasing the number of people speaking Indian

languages, and then converting that number into tangible

influence.

One thing certain - as India continues to assert itself on the International stage, it will require a coherent and well structured soft power strategy that includes its numerous languages.

Aman Nair is a Junior Research Fellow at the Center for Soft


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hallett, Rachel. 2016. “These Are the World’s Most Multilingual Countries.” World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/worlds-most-multilingual-countries/.

I 53

Woodard, Roger. D. 2008. The Ancient Languages of Asia and

the Americas. Cambridge University Press.

Lehmann, Thomas. 1998. Old Tamil. in Steever, Sanford,

The Dravidian Languages, London: Routledge, pp. 75–99

West, Barbara A. 2009. Encyclopaedia of the Peoples of Asia

and Oceania. Infobase Publishing.

Brown, H.D. 1994. Principles of Language Learning and

Teaching (3rd Edn). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.

Nye, Joseph S. 1991. Bound To Lead: The Changing Nature Of

American Power. New Ed edition. New York: Basic Books.

Hill, David T. 2016. “Language as ‘Soft Power’ in Bilateral

Relations: The Case of Indonesian Language in Australia.”

Asia Pacific Journal of Education 36 (3): 364–78. https://doi.org

/10.1080/02188791.2014.940033.

Banerji, Sures Chandra. 1989. A Companion to Sanskrit

Literature: Spanning a Period of Over Three Thousand Years,

Containing Brief Accounts of Authors, Works, Characters, Technical

Terms, Geographical Names, Myths, Legends and Several Appendices.

Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Simons, Gary F, and Charles D Fennig. 2018. “Ethnologue:

Languages of the World, Twenty-First Edition.” 2018. http://

www.ethnologue.com.

Ministry of Education. 2012. “Guojia Duiwai Hanyu

Jiaoxue Lingdao Xiaozu Jianjie (The Leadership Committee

of Chinese Language Council International).” 2012.

http://202.205.177.9/edoas/website18/49/info1349.htm.

Gil, J. 2009. “China’s Confucius Institute Project: Language

and Soft Power in World Politics.” Global Studies Journal Vol 2

(No 1): 59–72.



Otmazgin, N.K. 2008. “Contesting Soft Power: Japanese

Popular Culture in East and South East Asia.” International

Relations of the Asia Pacific, Vol8 (No1): 73-101.

I 55

PERFORMING ARTS

Aparna Sridhar

The New York Times reviewed Bharat Ratna winner

MS Subbulakshmi’s concert in Carnegie Hall on

October 21, 1977. The reviewer John Rockwell wrote

(Rockwell, 1977):

“Miss Subbulakshmi is considered to be the best woman

singer in India today; it would be interesting to hear any male

singer who is better. Her excellence is built upon every attribute

of artistry you can think of. The songs, in a variety of languages,

were mostly in praise of various Hindu deities, and ranged

from pieces with a wide range of melismatic ornamentation

on single syllables to strict devotional chants. It is a rare art

and a rare artist that can simultaneously seem happy and sad,

contemplative and yearning, and Miss Subbulakshmi and her

music encompassed those supposed opposites effortlessly.

She does this with a singing voice that is remarkably pure—

not “white” or vibratoless, really, so much as exactly focused.

The production is supremely relaxed, yet the control of

ornamentation—the characteristic semiyodelling shimmers

that are the basis of Indian vocal fioritura—is breathtaking, as

is her teasing exactitude of pitch and rhythm.”

MS Subbulakshmi: (Ghosh, 2018)

PERFORMING ARTS


Every artiste, Indian or otherwise, strives to achieve this

connection with their audience. It is in conveying the universal,

that the particular is appreciated. The profoundest truths of

the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas have always

moved Indian music and dance. “Dance can be studied as a

mere technique, but the symbolic, religious aspect which is an

integral part, cannot perhaps be completely understood in a

few years of study. In dance itself, the mystical experience of

the artiste has to communicate itself to the audience,” writes

one of India’s greatest dance exponents, Mrinalini Sarabhai.

There are international standards of excellence in

performance and content, and if India wants to become a

cultural soft power, it is not just the artiste but the institutions

back home, the infrastructure, the agencies facilitating the art

forms, the sponsors, who have to come together and create a

system that supports excellence.

Aspiring youngsters today are despairing of the Indian art’s

inability to build a contemporary yet rooted identity, provide

context and meaning to performances, and a reassurance that

a credible quality system is in place.

In an article in the Economic Times in June 2017 (Sridhar,

2017), I wrote about the crisis in the arts: “For any art form to

flourish, the system has to promote and sustain very high levels

of quality at its apex -- both intrinsic quality and quality of

presentation, appeal, and access and engagement, in order to

thrive. The platforms matter, the spaces matter, the impresarios

matter.

Today, the spaces, the context for Indian classical music,

have become jaded and people no longer see the spaces where

Carnatic music is being presented as places where they can go

I 57

to and enjoy an evening of good music. And a few “established”

names notwithstanding, they cannot trust it to give them the

sense that they are listening to the best in the industry today.

Add linguistic and regional politics to the mix, and things get

distressing.”

Both listeners and artistes, young and old, are disenchanted.

There is no sense of that excitement you get when you are

listening to artistes on the rise, who are doing well and are the

future. The Classical music and dance world today is an art

form without a story. It needs to tell its old stories but also tell

new ones. The old story of mathematical execution of raga

phrases and the old story of bhakti has to be told in a fresh and

engaging way.

HISTORY AND EXPOSURE TO THE WEST

The biggest impact of colonization on India art has been the

displacement of a sense of pride in our traditions and creative

art forms, and the creation of a sense of inferiority complex

about what we have to offer.

Fortunately, unlike in painting and architecture, “the British

largely left music and dance alone and did not try to create

institutions to create superior dance or music forms and the

guru-shishya parampara was left undisturbed to a large extent,”

says sculptor Shakti Maira in his book Towards Ananda

(Maira, 2006).

In the early days of post-Independence, artists tried to

identify closely with Indian values and history, given the role

of artists during the freedom struggle, especially the works of

national poets Rabindranath Tagore and Subramania Bharati.

However, in contemporary India, artistes who have established

PERFORMING ARTS


themselves globally, prefer to be known as international artistes,

distancing themselves from their Indian identities, which can

be problematic when projecting them as examples of Indian

Soft Power in the Arts. Perhaps the problem is that even after

several decades after Independence, it is only after artistes are

recognised by Western institutions are they are taken seriously

in India.

Forging a Pan-Indian identity has been easier in popular

culture where commercial agendas have driven creativity. In

the last two decades, the visibility of the classical performing

arts has diminished due to the influence and emergence of new

and western dance forms. A FICCI report released two years

ago states that the highlight of most of the Bollywood films

are their elaborate dance sequences. “Over the past few years,

Bollywood movies have created their own signature style of

dance that combines the legacy of India’s varied classical and

folk dances, along with certain elements of Salsa, Hip-hop,

Rumba, Arabic, Jazz and Latin dance forms. The international

appeal of Bollywood dancing is increasing in the US, Europe

and in Canada with a large Indian diaspora.” (Ernst & Young

and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry,

2016)

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Government involvement

The Government of India has largely been responsible for

the promotion of Indian art. The Performing Arts comes under

the ambit of the Ministry of Culture which provides funding

for infrastructure, travel, as well as awards, scholarships and

fellowships. Additional autonomous bodies have been set up

I 59

including the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Indian Council for

Cultural Relations, seven zonal cultural centres to promote

cultural activities within their zones.

However, it remains that within India, there is a lack

of infrastructural, logistic, technical and financial support

to leverage music and dance as soft power resources and

capabilities. Government support for the performing arts is

insufficient and the process of applying for funds is cumbersome

and full of red tape and nepotism.

Internationally renowned Western music composer Zubin

Mehta is building a school of Western music in Mumbai. He

says that if a child wants to learn Western music seriously

today they have to leave India for a certain amount of time.

“As for venues, isn’t it a disgrace that there is no concert hall

in Delhi, the national capital? Look at China and Japan and

Korea. Don’t we need to build a concert hall, not for Western

music, but for Indian music, for everything concerning India?”

(Sharma, 2016)

Homi K Bhabha, the Director of the Mahendra Humanities

Centre, at Harvard, has stressed this point, saying “If you want

to have influential soft power you have to have influential

infrastructure. If you want soft power, it is not a kind of cuddly

thing.” (NDTV, 2013)

The FICCI report on the Performing Arts states inadequate

infrastructure as the top most problem followed by obtaining

of sponsorships. Easing out of permissions was the top most

regulatory support required from the Government. (Ernst &

Young and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &

Industry, 2016)

Currently there is no coordinated or coherent government

PERFORMING ARTS


strategy for the promotion of Performing Arts abroad.

Countries that have topped the Soft Power tables usually have

a cultural arm through which they promote their culture.

Most Indian cultural bodies are restricted to one office per

country even in large countries like the US and in Europe, with

little impact. While the Indian performing arts have become

more prominent in the global stage, with artistes getting a

number of opportunities to perform in foreign festivals and in

collaborative projects, artistes felt that increased efforts must be

made to collaborate with organizers of foreign festivals – thus

creating enduring ties (eg. the loss of one of the largest Indian

classical arts festivals in the Netherlands because of a change

in the director of the organizing group.)

Private participation and support

In the West, in addition to Government support, the arts are

hugely supported by private philanthropy. In India, while the

performing arts find it easier to attract corporate sponsorship,

companies usually have their own agenda which is not always

supportive of creativity. The National Culture Fund (NCF) set

up by the Government as a PPP funding mechanism has had

only a handful of contributions from the private sector. Most

of the funders are from the public sector.

Indian organisations or NGOs organizing music concerts

abroad should look at attracting the local community to their

programmes. An exchange of musical and cultural ideas can

happen only when music moves out of traditional venues

catering to the Indian diaspora, to public places where there

are more non-Indians present.

I 61

STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING ARTISTIC POTENTIAL

AT THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Short Term

1. Revamp the Indian Council for Cultural Research to reflect

the country’s current arts potential and capabilities. To

create resources within ICCR to fund and nurture talent on

a large scale with greater transparency and turnaround time.

2. Adopt or set up a Cultural group to represent Indian artistes

abroad. Such a group could build up a repertoire of high

quality productions and compositions for national and

international performances; combine an ancient art form

with modern approaches; be representative of the different

art forms of India and reflect the cultural ethos of the

country; grade musicians and dancers in different forms

(classical, semi classical, light, folk, and free) and genres

through an assessment of their level of competence and

knowledge and skills acquired.

3. All government activities including political, historical,

social, and cultural events, should involve, primarily, the

pool of graded Indian artistes. These artistes should be

remunerated fairly for their participation in these activities.

4. Circulate and Publicise all major Indian cultural events on

Social and Digital Platforms so that people are aware of

what is happening.

Medium Term

1. Set up ICCRs in more places so that people have access to

Indian culture at regular intervals.

2. Involve all stakeholders, artistes, NGOS, researchers,

academia, media, and the general public for framing

cultural policy.

PERFORMING ARTS


3. Commission expertise for qualitative and quantitative data

collection and analysis for building up a soft power index

with regard to music and dance and their uses for enhancing

global image of the country.

4. Collaborate with governments of other countries to

enable local artistes and groups of artistes to perform in

international shows for greater exposure and presence.

5. Involve Corporates to a greater extent. Add a new option

– Corporate Cultural Responsibility, within CSR. It can

be a mutually beneficial partnership where the sponsors

get eyeballs and footfalls and the art organisers get to host

events.

Long-term

Smart Cities have a crucial role to play in the promotion of

art and culture. If one talks about the Soft Power of countries

like France, the US or Japan, the stories are about Paris, New

York and Tokyo. The closest that India comes to these cities

in Mumbai. It has the only international standard auditorium

at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA). The Vice

President of a multinational company once said that many

international gigs have refused to perform in India because

of the lack of a good auditorium with good acoustics. The

Government of India in 2015 launched the Smart Cities

Mission to develop 109 cities by FY 2019-20. The idea is

that the Smart Cities architecture should reflect the culture

and tradition of the place. One of the key aspects should be

to provide art and cultural institutions which would define

liveability of the city. There is a need to develop art/creative

clusters within these Smart Cities which would be able to

attract tourists and sustain the local population. Creative

I 63

clusters can encompass art and craft galleries, public squares

for theatre and dance performances, music and movie venues.

The availability of cultural districts could be an attraction for

economic activities to take place in a creative environment.

CONCLUSION

If India wants to incubate the Indian Performing Arts in

order to harness its Soft Power, then the ecosystem has to

become more transparent, supportive and excellence more

than anything else should direct curation and promotion.

Aparna Sridhar is the Editor of the Music Magazine

Saamagaana, and a Writer for Times of India

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Rockwell, John. “Music: India’s Best Woman Singer.” The

New York Times, 21 Oct. 1977. NYTimes.com, https://

www.nytimes.com/1977/10/21/archives/new-jersey-

weekly-music-indias-best-woman-singer.html.

2. Maira, Shakti. Towards Ananda: Rethinking Indian Art

and Aesthetics. Viking, 2006.

3. Ernst & Young, and Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce & Industry. Creative Arts in India: Theater,

Dance and Crafts Industry. Federation of Indian Chambers

of Commerce & Industry, Dec. 2016, https://www.

ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-creative-arts-in-

india/$FILE/ey-creative-arts-in-india.pdf.

4. Sharma, Kanika. “It’s a Shame India Lacks Concert

Infrastructure: Zubin Mehta.” Hindustan Times, 17 Apr.

PERFORMING ARTS


2016, https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/it-s-a-

shame-india-lacks-concert-infrastructure-zubin-mehta/

story-PWbvysfNUldHl7HvTTsGGN.html.

5. NDTV. Art, Music and Culture: How Do We Harness

India’s Soft Power as a Globally Strategic Asset? 2013. www.

ndtv.com, https://www.ndtv.com/video/news/news/art-

music-and-culture-how-do-we-harness-india-s-soft-power-

as-a-globally-strategic-asset-301345.

6. Sridhar, Aparna. “Why Carnatic Music Is in a Crisis of

Context and Curation.” The Economic Times, 4 June 2017.

7. Ghosh, Ruchira. “M. S. Subbulakshmi And The Voice

That Mesmerized Millions | #IndianWomenInHistory.”

Feminism In India, 17 June 2018, https://feminisminindia.

com/2018/06/18/ms-subbulakshmi-essay/.

I 65

SPIRITUALITY

Sudarshan Ramabadran

One of the most significant aspects of spirituality is

that its profoundness can subtly permeate through

our lives subtly, creating a deep and integral link

between spirituality and life. While placing spirituality into a

global perspective is indeed a challenging task, spirituality

by its very nature can fit in anywhere and everywhere! Let us

link the two by first looking into what spirituality means and

entails.

In his book, “A Brief History of Spirituality,” Philip

Sheldrake posits that, “…modern spirituality is centred on

the deepest values and meanings by which people live… It

embraces the idea of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial

reality. It envisions an inner path enabling a person to discover

the essence of one’s being. In modern times the emphasis is

on subjective experience… incorporating personal growth or

transformation, usually in a context separate from organised

religious institutions.”

Over time, the idea of spirituality seems to be becoming

increasingly disassociated from the idea of religion, even

though one has its roots in the other. There is a formlessness

involved in spirituality which is absolutely personal and inner

in nature. It is part of everyone, whether they know it or not.

Herein lies its tremendous strength.

Now, let us look into the definition of soft power. The Soft

Power 30 report that is brought out by USC Center on Public

Diplomacy and the Portland Communications says, “In contrast

to the coercive nature of hard power, soft power describes the

use of positive attraction and persuasion to achieve foreign

SPIRITUALITY


policy objectives. Soft power shuns the traditional foreign policy

tools of carrot and stick, seeking instead to achieve influence

by building networks, communicating compelling narratives,

establishing international rules, and drawing on the resources

that make a country naturally attractive to the world.”

How has India harnessed its spiritual power as part of its soft

power projection and how it should continue to do so? One way

of looking at it is that it is a simple case of demand and supply.

India has come to be known as a spiritual soft power because

across the world, the one thing which is most sought after is

peace, and India has always had an abundance of promoters,

proponents, patrons, pursuers and practitioners of peace. What

is more, peace as a commodity is in ever-increasing demand.

Margaret Elizabeth, an Irish lady, met Swami Vivekananda

in London in 1895 and thereafter became his disciple and

was known as Sister Nivedita. Mirra Alfassa, a French lady,

who worked and collaborated with Sri Aurobindo, came to

be known as “The Mother,” a name given by Sri Aurobindo

himself. In the recent past, the Academy award winning actress

Julia Roberts embraced Hinduism. Many Indian spiritual

saints and mystics have inspired seekers from the West who

have found a deep connection with spirituality. The demand of

seeking is relevant even today and it is a continuum.

As materialism grows, so does the want for balance, in a

seemingly no-win situation. It does not come by the snap of

one’s fingers. There are ideals and values that must be first

lived, before peace can follow as a by-product. Such ideas are

present in India’s spiritual texts and not locked away, in a secret

hidden cave. They are available and accessible to one and all,

regardless of caste, creed or colour.

I 67

It is not that India has intentionally monopolised the

“spiritual market” so what makes spirituality and soft power

so synonymous? Expounding on the subject at Roundtable

on Spirituality hosted by The Centre for Soft Power Studies,

Chennai, on October 21, 2018, Dr. David Frawley stated that

India has always been a ‘vishwaguru’ or in today’s parlance

a trendsetter, be it in the field of art, education, medicine or

literature, to name but a few. He went on to state that, “India’s

ancient traditions, largely based on spiritual foundations, have

empowered Indians to be pioneers in various ways. And while

there has been flexibility as times have changed, there are

also many values that have stood the test of time and are still

being practiced today as they always have been. Indeed, one

of India’s greatest strengths is that not everything in India has

changed with time”. As the saying goes, “If it is not broken,

do not fix it.”

While Yoga and Ayurveda have permeated the global

space in more tangible ways, India’s spirituality has touched

international lives in more subtle, albeit undeniable, ways. As

spiritual values can have no copyright or trademark, across

the world we have people living the Indian ways without

even knowing that they are Indian. Take for example the

practices of mindfulness and meditation. These are no new-

age discoveries, but rather age-old means of connecting with

oneself, as prescribed by the spiritual masters of India.

Swami Vivekananda, whose 156th birth anniversary India

and the globe commemorated on January 12, 2019, emphasised

how spirituality is at the core of India’s soft power. “If India

is to die,” said Swami Vivekananda, “religion might be wiped

off from the face of the earth and with it Truth.” He went on

SPIRITUALITY


to add, “We have yet something to teach to the world. This the

very reason, the raison d’être, that this nation has lived on, in

spite of hundreds of years of persecution, in spite of nearly a

thousand years of foreign rule and foreign oppression. This

nation still lives; the raison d’être is, it still holds to God, to the

treasure house of religion and spirituality” (Narayanaswamy,

2012 ).

His words remains true to date and permeate the minds of

global citizens. In contemporary times, worldwide academia

slowly but surely acknowledges India’s contribution to the

world through the prism of spirituality. An American Journal,

Scientific American, has credited ancient Indians for the

understanding of the life principle and their understanding of

yogic science. The journal noted the contribution of Pranayama

as well (André, 2019). “Recommendations for how to modulate

breathing and influence health and mind appeared centuries

ago as well. Pranayama (breath retention) yoga was the first

doctrine to build a theory around respiratory control, holding

that controlled breathing was a way to increase longevity.”

Therefore, it makes a compelling case for India to strengthen

its soft power diplomacy by showcasing its spiritual roots. On a

visit to Mongolia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, used

the term “spiritual diplomacy” for the first time. Addressing

the Great Hural, the Mongolian Parliament, the Prime

Minister affirmed (Press Information Bureau, 2015), “I bring

the greetings of your 1.25 billion spiritual neighbours. There is

no higher form of a relationship; no bonds more sacred than

this.” It is precisely for this reason that India can take a giant

leap vis-à-vis soft power diplomacy by positing its greatest

contribution, spirituality, to the world.

I 69

The idea of a civilisational heritage and spirituality has

entered the Indian foreign policy lexicon in several ways. Daya

Thussu has also gone on to term this as the ‘Indic Civilisation’

(Kishwar, 2018). This has also manifested as sanskriti evam

sabhyata (cultural and civilisational links), as one of the main

pillars of the Panchamrit principles outlined by the Indian

government in April 2015 (Kishwar, 2018).

The Indian leadership, under the present Government,

has used spiritual linkages to enhance relations with other

countries. For instance, in August 2014, during his visit to

Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Nepal as

the “land of Sita and Janak,” and as “the country of Buddha’s

birth,” thereby bringing millennia old religious connections

into the present day. As an addendum, India has also mooted,

through its Ministry of Tourism, the Buddhist Circuit that

will enable India’s civilisational connect with its neighbours.

Buddhism’s presence in the foreign policy discourse has been

promoted by a number of spiritual organisations, think tanks,

individuals etc. The Buddhist strand of thought and religion

originated in India and so it makes absolute sense for India

to promote Buddhist diplomacy. With the advent of the

Buddhist Tourist Circuit, India is home to numerous sites of

importance to the Buddhist faith, such as Bodh Gaya, Sarnath,

and Nalanda. India is also the place where the world’s largest

spiritual gathering takes place in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh –

Kumbh Mela. In 2013, Harvard University researchers even

came to Prayagraj to study the Kumbh Mela, from the prism

of logistics, economics and design.

Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian

Studies at the Harvard University who was part of that research

SPIRITUALITY


has beautifully enunciated Hinduism. She says, “Hinduism is

an imaginative, an ‘image-making,’ religious tradition in which

the sacred is seen as present in the visible world - the world

we see in multiple images and deities, in sacred places, and in

people. The notion of darsan calls our attention, as students

of Hinduism, to the fact that India is a visual and visionary

culture, one in which the eyes have a prominent role in the

apprehension of the sacred. For most ordinary Hindus, the

notion of the divine as ‘invisible’ would be foreign indeed. God

is eminently visible although human beings have not always

had the refinement of sight to see. Furthermore, the divine is

visible not only in temple and shrine, but also in the whole

continuum of life-in nature, in people, in birth and growth and

death.”

It is pertinent to note that spirituality has found its way

across the globe, earning India its ‘soft power’ status much

before the term itself was coined. While the US exported MTV,

Coca Cola and McDonalds, India exported spirituality and its

values across the globe.

We, as a nation, are at a very critical juncture with respect

to the use and play of soft power in global politics. China has

left no stone unturned in ramping up its soft power assets and

deploying them to serve its said objectives. It intends to have

at least 1000 Confucius Institutes by 2020, across the world. In

this context the time is ripe for India to know and leverage the

spiritual impact that the nation has had on the world. This will

no doubt enable India’s standing in the global power structures

and serve its interests.

Spirituality is not a business to be run on profit and loss

basis. It is much beyond that and it has permeated the globe

I 71

for eons and it will continue to do so. In the world outside

today, there have been several ambassadors like Ramakrishna

Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Kabir, Guru

Ravidas, Ramana Maharishi etc. who have enabled innumerous

people abroad to embrace spirituality and transform their lives.

Christopher Quilkey from Australia, who is also a Member

of the Editorial Board of the Mountain Path Magazine said

at the recently held Conference on Soft Power in New Delhi,

organised by India Foundation, in December 2018, “Be

assured, the power of the principle that envelops India, that

is spirituality, is slowly pervading the group consciousness of

this world.”

Sudarshan Ramabadran is a Senior Research Fellow and

Administrative Head, Centre for Soft Power, India Foundation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. “Spirituality.” 2019. In Wikipedia.

h t t p s : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w / i n d e x .

php?title=Spirituality&oldid=876751701.

2. Sheldrake, Philip. 2007. A Brief History of Spirituality. 1

edition. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

3. “Soft Power.” 2019. In Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soft_

power&oldid=878441564.

4. Breslin, Shaun. 2011. “The Soft Notion of China’s ‘Soft

Power.’” Report. London: Chatham House.

http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/

view/-/id/1001/.

SPIRITUALITY


5. Narayanaswamy, Ramnath. 2012. “Spirituality Is India’s

Soft Power.” Deccan Herald, August 8, 2012.

https://www.deccanherald.com/content/270207/

spirituality-indias-soft-power.html.

6. André, Christophe. 2019. “Proper Breathing Brings Better

Health.” Scientific American. January 15, 2019.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-

breathing-brings-better-health/.

7. Press Informationa Bureau. 2015. “Text of Remarks by

Prime Minister in the Mongolian Parliament.” May 17,

2015.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=121802.

8. Kishwar, Shantanu. 2018 “The Rising Role of Buddhism in

India’s Soft Power Strategy.” ORF (blog). Accessed January

16, 2019.

https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-rising-role-of-

buddhism-in-indias-soft-power-strategy/.

9. PTI. 2014. “Narendra Modi Wins Hearts and Minds by

Using Nepali Language in Speech,” March 8, 2014.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-

and-nation/narendra-modi-wins-hearts-and-minds-by-

using-nepali-language-in-speech/articleshow/39558089.

cms.

I 73

YOGA

Raghu Ananthanarayanan

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies

unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment;

harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and

well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness

with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and

creating consciousness, it can help in well being.”

These were the words

of Prime Minister

Modi as he addressed

the 69th session of the United

Nations General Assembly on

27th September 2014 (“Text

of the PM’s Statement at

the United Nations General

Assembly”, 2014). It was at

this meeting that the prime

minister introduced the idea

of establishing an officially

recognised international

day of Yoga. And following

this, on December 11th 2014,

a resolution was passed in

the United Nations General

Assembly, fixing June 21st as

the International day of Yoga.

The official recognition of

YOGA


an international day of yoga serves to represent how far yoga

has come as establishing itself as a cultural phenomenon on

the global stage. It has come to be one of the most identifiable

aspects of India’s culture, and boasts a large group of practioners

from all around the world. Given this, it is undoubtedly one of

India’s most potent soft power assets.

This paper will examine how yoga can be utilised in

creating Indian soft power, given its current status, as well

as the challenges it faces. It will do so by first looking at the

current status of yoga as being central to India’s identity, the

challenges that the propagation of yoga faces and how yoga

can form the central base for all of India’s cultural activities.

YOGA AS THE CORE OF INDIC IDENTITY

Yoga forms the core of all Indic philosophy and arts and

is therefore the key to projecting what is Indian. Its practice

and theory have influenced all Indian philosophical traditions,

including the likes of Advaita Vedanta, Dvaita, Vishishtadvaita,

Buddhism, Jaininsm as well as the bhakti movements. The

practice of yoga is seen as the foundation for Natya Shastra,

Vastu Shastra, Artha Shastra and Ayurveda.

Given this centrality of Yoga to India’s cultural heritage,

It is not an exaggeration to say that the robustness and depth

with which Yoga is offered to the world directly impacts India’s

Brand. It is therefore imperative that the representation of

India in the media or in serious writing must refer to Yoga,

in order to accurately articulate what is essentially Indic. And

so it is important for India to pay heed to the field of Yoga

and the discourse surrounding it, since the identity of India is

currently being built with Yoga as the key stone.

I 75

The following paragraphs will examine the current status of

Yoga in the world with respect to its diversity, its research and

study, and the role that Sanskrit plays with respect to it.

a. The diversity of Schools

Yoga is not a monolithic entity, and as such there is a

multitude of schools of Yoga that examine Yoga through

numerous perspectives. These schools tend to focus on specific

aspects of yoga and are often represented by different gurus.

Given this multiplicity of schools makes it difficult to create

a standardised curriculum that ensures that the basic tenants

of yoga are taught in a way that is correct and that adheres to

the essence of yoga and Indic thought. This historical lack of a

basic minimum standard has resulted in numerous new ‘types’

of yoga that are essentially gimmicks and which do not spread

the core meaning of Yoga, and indeed do little for Indian

soft power (Connor, 2017). Seen through the lens of Soft Power,

maintaining this leadership in Yoga teaching as well as discrediting

the odd and very commercial “innovations” that bring disrepute to the

deeply spiritual discilpline becomes crtitical

b. Scientific Research and study

Research into yoga, especially in the west, has recently

occurred from two different spheres – the scientific and the

anthropological. On the scientific side there has been a strong

push in the west in the area of research into various aspects

of Yoga, such as the ability of Yogis’ to control autonomic

nervous system responses (Streeter et al. 2012) and brain states

(Streeter et al. 2007). This area of research into the neural and

healing science behind yoga is an area in which India is in

danger of losing its leadership.

It will not be easy to compete with the west in the

YOGA


technological area, but we still hold credibility in the practice

of the deeper aspects of Yoga. Retaining the role of being the

primary source of credible practitioners is vital. This can then

be supported by establishing research centres that study Yoga

from a modern lens also. Reversing this process of digestion is very

important for retaining the Indic leadership in the area of deep healing

through spiritual practice.

c. Sanskrit as the bedrock of Yoga

The deep knowledge of Yoga is embedded in Sanskrit. It

is therefore very important that sanskrit studies are nurtured

and its importance is made known. The prevailing tendency

is to look at Sanskrit as only a language of propagation, and

is therefore neglecting its impact. Not only is the language the

repository of ancient knowledge in many areas of science, it

also anchors the most authentic knowledge of Yoga. There is a

tendency of foreign and western researchers to dilute this aspect

of Sanskrit when looking at Yoga through an anthropological

lens. Most of this research neither references Indian adepts nor

the shastras adequately. This dilution not only allows them to

question the claims of the antiquity of Yoga, it allows them

to take liberties with its interpretation. Once the practice of

Yoga is distanced from its roots in Sanskrit, it becomes easy to

question its links to the rishi tradition and the Hindu origins

of the spiritual knowledge. This seems to be a very imminent

threat to our retaining both the authenticity of Yoga and to

define its contours. It becomes possible to falsely highlight

esoteric and fringe practices as being the mainstream, further

propagating the limited image of India as the land of snake

charmers, tigers and elephants. All this then allows for the

following:

I 77

• To present the practice as exotic

• To present Yoga as backward and atavistic

• To refute its meaning in contemporary living

• To focus the idea of Yoga on its physical and exotic aspects

and therefore defocus its deeper aspects

• To question its insights into human psyche and physiology

The western researcher then takes on the burden of cleansing

Yoga of its superstitions and “non-scientific” practices. The

new and washed Yoga is then the preferred version. The Indic

roots then become peripheral to the new Yoga. What this enables

in not only a license to distort the practice, but also to divorce it from

its spiritual aspects. This tendency is growing at an alarming rate and

this will seriously affect our ability to present Yoga as deep, meaningful

and representative of the finest aspects of the Indic Tradition.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF YOGA’S CURRENT STATE

The issues that were discussed have serious consequences to

the strength of Brand India:

1. India will no longer be linked to Yoga

2. The aspects that are linked to it will be the esoteric and

the peripheral

3. The pull of India as a Yoga destination will dwindle

and affect its ability to attract foreigners.

4. Cultural appropriation and more dangerously

“deculturing” Yoga will make Yoga global, which means it is

useless as a way of portraying our Identity.

5. Digesting Yoga into Western Psychology, Health

Sciences and Neuro Sciences.

YOGA


THE WAY FORWARD:

One of the key players in this process of ensuring Yoga’s

correct spread is the Government, but given the fact that

Governments bend to political winds, we cannot look solely to

the Government for carrying forward sustained action. They

can provide a conducive atmosphere for credible research and

for its spread. Enabling the setting up of academic institutions

for the study and dissemination is also an area they can

influence. Government can also look to create a very credible

and comprehensive curriculum so that a high standard for the

teaching of Yoga can be established. This would also enable

an Indian body to have an influence across the world to define

what is Yoga.

To better understand the steps that can be taken, it is

important to understand the framework through which yoga

operates internationally. There are four levels into which Yoga

can be segmented:

• The level of Gurus

• The level of Research

• The level of teaching

• The level of commercializing and productizing.

India has a clear presence only in the area of Gurus. The

standardising of teaching Yoga has been taken up in Europe

and America in right earnest. We have to make efforts to regain

leadership in this area. The business opportunity in the area of

accessories for Yoga is huge. The leader in this area is the US.

We need to explore how this can be changed.

Understanding the research segment needs more attention.

I 79

Firstly, It is vitally important to re-anchor research in Yoga

through reiterating its deep links with Sanskrit. In this way, the

technological advantage of the west can be negated, and we

can catch up with it with some effort. It is only in the physical

aspects of Yoga that technology is a differentiating factor. In

the areas of therapeutic use of Yoga India could become a

leader very easily. Its population as well as the critical need for

low cost health delivery can be leveraged to create a huge base

for the deployment of Yoga Therapists. This base can then be a

space for research and study also. In the areas of psychological

health and spiritual progress technology becomes even less

of a factor. Rigour is the key in these areas. Again, in India,

the need for work on the area of psychological health is huge.

Yoga has many aspects that focus on inner work (antaranga

sadhana). This research depends on deep study of our shastras

which again is in our control.

The spiritual leadership lies with Gurus. Here it is imperative

that we create some safeguards. We are seeing more and more

cases of people using the guise of being spiritual teachers

breaking boundaries of dignity and respect.

It is also important to counter the negative and divisive

discourse that seems to have developed around Yoga in India.

This will taint the sheen of Brand India. The world in general

and India in particular is in dire need of a bridge between the

inner and the outer, between tradition and modernity. Yoga is

the ideal integrator. Its philosophy is profound, timeless and

lends itself to scientific interrogation. We must leverage this

capability firstly with the youth of India and then offer it to the

world.

YOGA


AN ARCHITECTURE FOR SOFT POWER

When we look at the influence Yoga has had on the

development of our civilization it will soon become obvious that

Yoga has been the well spring of all serious pursuits. In fact the

third chapter of the Yoga Sutra speaks about the various areas

of application of the mind capable of samyama. These include

what we now classify as science, healing, personal excellence,

communication, spiritual enquiry and so on. In fact, the Natya

Shastra, the Vastu Shastra, Ayurveda and the Artha Shastra

specifically mention that one of the key qualifiers for a person

aspiring excellence in these arts has to be a Yogi.

If take this idea forward and use the idea of a Vastu Purusha

mandala, and place Yoga as its central square we get four broad

directions of its influence:

• The universe of Healing

• The universe of Personal Excellence

• The universe of Art

• The universe of Socio-Political action

I 81

At the centre of these four universes is the deep spiritual

Sadhana. Therefore, the exploration and exposition of this

interrelated universe could be very powerful. We have great

icons who exemplify each of the universes. To illustrate:

• Raman Maharishi and Ramakrishna as spritual icons

• Yogacharya Krishnamacharya and Varrier- Healing

• Acharya Goenka and Yuval Harari- Personal Excellence

• Yehudi Menuhin and Kelucharan Mahapatra- Arts

• Mahatma Gandhi and Vivekanada- Socio-Political action

As we work on these arms of the application of yoga we

can build a compelling case for seeing Yoga at the centre of

many contemporary applications from sports to leadership,

from the arts to eco-sensitive lifestyles, from science to depth

psychology.

YOGA


CONCLUSION

To conclude, it is clear that Yoga is an aspect of Indic

culture that lies at the heart of what is Indic tradition. Its reach

is far, and it has a role to play in influencing all aspects of

Indian culture. As such it is imperative that Yoga be made one

of the central themes of India’s soft power strategy, and that

it be portrayed internationally in a manner that is true to its

essence. In ensuring this, India will be in a position whereby it

will have one of the most powerful tools for soft power to ever

be created.

Raghu Ananthanarayanan has co-founded Sumedhas Academy for

Human context, The Barefoot Academy for Governance and FLAME

TAO Knoware (Pvt. Ltd). He is now engaged in mentoring a young

group of “sacred activists” called Ritambhara, as well as co-creating

a platform of Yoga Teachers from the Krishnamaachaarya Tradition

called “Ananta Yoga”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. “Text of the PM’s Statement at the United Nations General

Assembly.” 2014. Narendra Modi. September 27, 2014.

https://www.narendramodi.in/text-of-the-pms-statement-

at-the-united-nations-general-assembly-6660.

2. Streeter, Chris C., J. Eric Jensen, Ruth M. Perlmutter,

Howard J. Cabral, Hua Tian, Devin B. Terhune, Domenic

A. Ciraulo, and Perry F. Renshaw. 2007. “Yoga Asana

Sessions Increase Brain GABA Levels: A Pilot Study.” The

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 13 (4):

419–26. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2007.6338.

I 83

3. Streeter, C. C., P. L. Gerbarg, R. B. Saper, D. A. Ciraulo,

and R. P. Brown. 2012. “Effects of Yoga on the Autonomic

Nervous System, Gamma-Aminobutyric-Acid, and

Allostasis in Epilepsy, Depression, and Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder.” Medical Hypotheses 78 (5): 571–79. https://

doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2012.01.021.

8. Connor, Liz. 2017. “Beer Yoga Is the Fitness Trend That

Will Let You Drink While You Downward Dog | London

Evening Standard.” The Evening Standard, April 26, 2017.

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/beer-yoga-

is-the-fitness-trend-that-will-let-you-drink-while-you-

downward-dog-a3524071.html

YOGA

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