S04 - IHC - India Softpower - Participants Copy PDF 2025

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IIM Bodh Gaya

2025

Dr. Vittal Rangan S

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This document appears to be presentation notes on Indian Heritage & Culture, focusing on India's soft power. The document includes a recap, discussion on Western Universalism, ancient Indian knowledge, and soft power opportunities. It also details questions and answers.

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19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture India – Soft Power and Hard Power Dr. Vittal Rangan S 2025 1 Indian Heritage & Culture Re...

19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture India – Soft Power and Hard Power Dr. Vittal Rangan S 2025 1 Indian Heritage & Culture Recap 1. India – are we obsolete?. We have our key strengths. 2. Western Universalism: Why we should not blindly build on the sinking foundation of West. Should follow what is right with India’s Culture and Heritage. 3. What is Ancient + Indian + Knowledge (also, How to acquire superior knowledge) 4. Framework of IKS (Sanathan Dharma, Other traditions) 5. Vedic Memorizing (The world’s Mystery): is scientific & relevant Next in Agenda: India – The Soft Power & Hard Power Vittal S/ IIM BG 2 2 1 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture India – The Soft Power Vittal S/ IIM BG 3 3 Indian Heritage & Culture The Hard & Soft Power Hard Power: Soft Power: It is the ability to force It is the ability to attract, persuade (Nations with the best hard rather than coerce. Less need to use resources tend to be strongest) the stick. Arises out of the Country’s Arises out of Country’s Economic, Political & Military Culture & human resources, political might ideas & policies. Hard power in the long-run tend Soft power is increasingly important to cause destruction as it builds up in dealing with the transnational resentment. common issues across countries that require multilateral cooperation for their solution. Vittal S/ IIM BG 4 4 2 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture India – Soft Power 1. Ayurveda 11. Religion 2. Cinema 3. Cuisine 4. Arts, Crafts and Design 5. Language, Literature 6. Museums 7. Performing Arts 8. Spirituality & Yoga 9. Tourism Note: 10.Education The list is not exhaustive Vittal S/ IIM BG 5 5 Indian Heritage & Culture India’s – Soft Power Opportunities AYURVEDA: Called the 21st century medicine because it is medicine without side-effects. It is an established science. In our country, we harness it slowly. E.g. West took Panchakarma (practiced in villages of Kerala) in its fold. Panchkarma treatment in the West costs around $7000. Foreigners coming to India for ayurvedic treatments find it more cost- effective and diverse than the options in their country (e.g. SVYASA UK) E.g. Couple from California, came and lived in India for 4 years. Took back many medicinal herbs and plants from Kerala. Set-up a culture farm in California. Claim to supply best quality herbs. We do not have many herbal resources in India yet. Vittal S/ IIM BG 6 6 3 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture India’s – Soft Power Opportunities SPIRITUALITY & YOGA: Yoga is $27 billion Industry in America alone! (in 2016) Most of it is owned by Americans. Till recently, we disowned Yoga & our spirituality. E.g. Movie Matrix: is based on the scripture called “Yoga Vashista”. There is a book on this published by New York University. Vittal S/ IIM BG 7 7 Indian Heritage & Culture India’s – Soft Power Opportunities SPIRITUALITY & YOGA: Yoga is $27 billion Industry in America alone! (in 2016) Most of it is owned by Americans. Till recently, we disowned Yoga & our spirituality. E.g. Movie Matrix: is based on the scripture called “Yoga Vashista”. There is a book on this published by New York University. E.g. More than 100 Universities abroad offer courses on Vedic Studies – Indology. These courses are taught by local people (ToI article, Jan 2024). Hardly 2% of professors teaching these courses are of Indian origin. Because: Most Indians are not well-versed in such studies. We have these books on bookshelves. But, no one is available to promote it. Vittal S/ IIM BG 8 8 4 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture India’s – Soft Power Opportunities TOURISM: We have the best tourism prospects in the World; E.g. People go to Egypt to see monuments – 2000-4000 years old Indian monuments are 5000 - 10,000 years old. Our Temples, Churches and Mosques are architectural marvels: time to promote it. e.g. SVYASA Gaya Boy, Spiritual Tourism Vittal S/ IIM BG 9 9 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q1: Author contemplates 4 points about, what constitutes the world leader & what are the examples he gives and what data does he discuss? Ans: 1. Population – We top the chart. India will be number 1 in the world, overtaking China by 2034. 2. Military Strength: We are the 4th largest army in the World 3. Nuclear power: We have it. 4. Economy: We are 5th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Vittal S/ IIM BG 10 10 5 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q2: Author says, none of these adds up (to me) that India can really contribute to the world in this 21st Century? What does he give as an Option then? Ans: The combination of these hard power, adding up to something else, for example: Culture. In other word, people call it as “Soft Power”. Vittal S/ IIM BG 11 11 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q3: Who invented the concept called Soft Power? Ans: Prof. Joseph Nye, American Political Scientist. Former Dean of John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Book: The Means to success in World Politics Vittal S/ IIM BG 12 12 6 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q4: According to the author, what exactly is a country’s “Soft Power”? Ans: It is the ability of the country to attract others because of its: Culture, Political values, Its foreign policies. Vittal S/ IIM BG 13 13 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q5: Give a few examples of “Soft Power” cited for the countries like French, China? Ans: Alliance Francaise – French soft power British Council – UK soft power Beijing Olympics – Chinese soft power USA – Voice of America, Fulbright Scholarship Vittal S/ IIM BG 14 14 7 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q6: In citing soft power, the author mentions about McDonalds, MTVs. Are these soft-power of USA? What is the point he is driving in this discussion. Ans: Soft power is something that emerges partly because of the Government and partly, despite Government. Vittal S/ IIM BG 15 15 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q7: In citing soft power, the author mentions multiple communication examples such as Internet, TED age, cellphone videos, email gossips. He says, “all sorts of communication devices are telling various stories to its people”. What is the point is he trying to make? Ans: Countries with access to multiple channels of communication and information have a particular advantage. Vittal S/ IIM BG 16 16 8 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q8: India is astonishingly a connected country? How? Ans: Currently, 509 million cellphones in India. We are larger than the USA as a telephone market. Vittal S/ IIM BG 17 17 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q9: How is Bollywood taking a certain aspects of India around the globe not just to the India diaspora in the USA and UK, but also to Africans and Arabs. Please explain the illiterate women example in a village in Senegal. What is the example and what is the connection to soft power (she is an illiterate)? Ans: The village women takes a bus once a month to the capital city of Dakar to watch a Bollywood movie. She cannot understand the dialogue. The movies give her a great time – the song, dance, actions, other stuffs. Connection: Goes away with star in her eyes about India, as a result. This is happening more and more. Vittal S/ IIM BG 18 18 9 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q10: Afghanistan: 8.30 pm in the evening. “Watchman example & Tulsi Zindabad” Explain what happens? What it the connection to Soft Power? Ans: “kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi” dubbed into Dari, was telecasted. Most popular television show in Afghan History. Suspend marriage function at 8.30 pm. Connection: Every Afghan family wanted to watch TV. That is the influence India has on rest of the World. Vittal S/ IIM BG 19 19 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q11: After citing examples of Entertainment, he is referring to various other soft power aspects. Please mention a few Ans: Same is true about: Our music, dance, art. Yoga, Ayurveda, Indian Cuisine. Vittal S/ IIM BG 20 20 10 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q12: What is special about Indian restaurants in Britain? Ans: Indian Restaurants in Britain employee more people than the coal mining, ship building, iron and steel industries combined. Vittal S/ IIM BG 21 21 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q13: In today’s information era, it is the not the country with bigger army that wins, it is the …….that prevails. How does it connect to soft power? Ans: It is the country that tells a better story that prevails. India is the land of better story. (that applies to us as well). India soft power: Story comes from the softer aspect of life and not by hard power like Nuclear and Army. It is the influence than the dominance. Vittal S/ IIM BG 22 22 11 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q14: How is the image of India changing? Please connect to the perception of India as a soft power. Ans: Stereotypes are changing on the image of India. Today, people speak of IITs with same reverence they have for the MITs. India soft power: We have gone from the image of India as land of fakeers or snake charmers to the image of India as a land of mathematical geniuses, computer wizards, software gurus. Vittal S/ IIM BG 23 23 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q15: What is the example he is giving about Jewish history and they reaching India? What is the story of Islam coming to India. Please connect these to India Soft Power. Ans: Saint Thomas, when he first landed in India at Kerala around 52 A.D., he was welcomed on shore by flute playing Jewish girl. Islam came peacefully to India. India soft power: To this day, in the history of Jewish people, there has not been a single incidence of antisemitism (no prejudice against the Jewish people). Islam also found a peaceful and welcome home in India. That is the Indian story of tolerance. Vittal S/ IIM BG 24 24 12 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q16: How many languages are recognized in the 8th Schedule of our Constitution? Scripts written in the Rupee Notes/ Indian Currency? Ans: 22 languages Vittal S/ IIM BG 25 25 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q17: India is a nationalism of an idea. What are the examples he gives for emphasizing this point: Ans: 1. The name India comes from “Indus” that refers to Sindhu, the river that is now part of Pakistan. 2. The election won by an Italian, country run by a Sikh, appointed by a Muslim President of a Country with majority Hindus. 3. India emerges from an ancient civilization, sustained by a pluralist democracy. Vittal S/ IIM BG 26 26 13 19-01-2025 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q18: The author speaks of a very unique principle of India. We have enduring differences of caste, creed, color, culture, cuisine, custom and costume and we still rally around the consensus. What is the simple principle he is referring to? Ans: 1. The principle is that we do not have to agree on everything all the time. We need to agree on the ground rules on how we will disagree. 2. Many learned scholars of 1950s and 1960s assumed that India will disintegrate. But, as a country, India managed to maintain consensus on how to survive without consensus. That is India of 21st Century. Vittal S/ IIM BG 27 27 Indian Heritage & Culture IKS – India Soft Power Q19: What are the things India needs to overcome as per the author? Ans: 1. Can’t be super-poor and super-power. We need to overcome our poverty 2. Fix our hardware of development: Ports, Roads, Airports & all Infrastructure. 3. Fix our software of development: need for an ordinary person in India 1. To have 2 square meals a day (we cannot be super-poor and super-power. We need to overcome our poverty). 2. To send his children to a decent school, 3. To aspire to work in jobs that will give opportunities to transform lives. Vittal S/ IIM BG 28 28 14 19-01-2025 Thank You Question & Answers [email protected] 29 15

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