The concept of cultural diplomacy refers to the exchange of ideas, information, art and other important aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding. Therefore, cultural diplomacy is always considered a long term investment, creating a positive view and impressions of a country among the people of the other country. Many nations, especially India, have gotten over the perspective of seeing military might and economics as the sole factor defining the foreign policy directives. The realities of the 21st century are as such that a nation cannot command power in the international system on the basis of hard power alone, it needs soft diplomacy too. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Nepal and the foundation-laying ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture in Lumbini was one of the main highlights of the visit. Nepal and India enjoy age-old historical, cultural, traditional, religious and social relations. These close, comprehensive and multidimensional relations often add value to their bilateral economic ties and help understand each other’s aspirations and sensitivities. But mainly it is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, that has always guided India’s overtures towards the world including its neighbours. And this phenomenon started happening thousands of years earlier in Indian context, when cultural and religious emissaries from India moved around the globe with life messages.
Religious tourism is another way to spread this soft power across India’s borders, including through the ‘Buddhist Circuit’. This constitutes a journey purely for internal peace. It is a journey through austere stupas and ancient monasteries reverberating with the mystical chants of sacred Buddhist mantras. Every point on the Buddhist circuit has a history steeped in myth and meaning, every monument stands testimony to faith fused into reality. Another example is the ‘Ramayana Circuit’, which is equally immense.
Though, India possesses a relatively small chunk of Buddhist population, it is still legitimate for it to endorse Buddhist diplomacy given a number of reasons, including the fact that the faith originated in India. More than 95% of Buddhist populace resides in the Asian continent and is highly intrinsic to a number of countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos as far as their national values and identities are concerned. An already well-established international Buddhism network across the geographical spread of these countries plays a key role in lives of millions of people following this faith, a fact churning a lot of potential for Indian Foreign Policy. These countries also matter for India to counter the Chinese influence in the region. These countries are important for India’s Foreign Policy, a fact that was best highlighted when India changed its ‘Look East’ Policy with ‘Act East’. This move may lead to creating a strong impact in the realm of cultural diplomacy, which is also an integral part of the ‘Panchamrit’ resolution of the present government. The government adopted five principles under this as new pillars of India’s foreign policy structure. Apart from ‘Sanskriti evam Sabhyata’, meaning cultural and civilisational linkages, other four prinicples are ‘Samman’, ‘Samvad’, ‘Samriddhi’, and ‘Suraksha’.
India’s cultural diplomacy lies in its love, tolerance and understanding, which are more relevant than ever before in a world where the forces of fundamentalism and extremism are raising their ugly heads. It’s composite culture spread worldwide, reflects the evolution of its own history. The manner in which India seamlessly absorbed other cultures but never lost its own sheen, is something rarely found elsewhere. Cultural bonding can also be one of the ways to prevent conflict and promote peace. Indian spirituality has had a global presence for centuries. One of its important manifestations in today’s world is the large number of Yoga centres spread across the world. At the personal initiative of PM Modi, the UN General Assembly recognised 21st June as International Day of Yoga.
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