It’s all about perceptions

Gaurav Kanthwal

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family) is the oft-quoted verse used to describe the guiding principle of India’s foreign policy. 

In the realms of foreign relations, cultural diplomacy is described as a course of actions based on exchange of ideas, values, tradition and other aspects of culture or identity to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation and promote national interests.

Its role in international relations is that of a connecting bridge that promotes conversation between the two nations or civilisations, fostering cooperation and understanding.

What then is India’s cultural diplomacy? A tool in implementing country’s foreign policy, a soft power to wield or a philosophy. It is much more than the summation of all three.

Paramjit Sahai, in his book Indian Cultural Diplomacy, examines all and comes to a conclusion that it is beyond the power paradigm. “Cultural diplomacy is about understanding other as we would like them to understand us,” he says. Since India’s Independence, the remarkable feature of Indian cultural diplomacy is its focus on promoting understanding rather than using it directly to promote its foreign policy interests.

It is for this reason India has not delineated a formal policy on cultural diplomacy. There is no policy document, no White Paper or a common template but only a country-specific policy. Moreover, the government acts as a mere facilitator with PSUs, private sector, non-governmental bodies taking up the bulk of load.

Sahai, India’s former Ambassador/High Commissioner to Malaysia (1996-2000), suggests that India needs to set up a joint policy mechanism to synergise the Ministries of External Affairs and Culture to work as strategic partners. To promote India’s diversity, the former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) official sees an enhanced role of states in the activities of cultural diplomacy. One of the most important observations that Sahai makes in the book is the need to establish a connect with the youth. At present, India’s thrust area is Know India Programme (KIP) focusing primarily on Indian diaspora. This approach can have certain limitations: firstly, diaspora likes to align itself with the values of host country and adopts apolitical postures; secondly, diaspora is forthcoming only when the hosts country is willing to engage; thirdly, diaspora may suffer from lack of unanimity due to varying agenda; and fourthly, it is not necessary that the views of diaspora and its mother country may have same views. 

Sahai cites USA as an illustrative example: while it accepts ethnic-based involvement in democratic processes, it does not entertain diaspora’s involvement in foreign policy-related issues. 

In a globalised world where culture is getting homogenised at a fast pace, leading to tensions in different communities, cultural diplomacy has to brace up to new challenges. India, one of the five ancient cradles of civilisation, also finds itself in a precarious position. Is India’s message of spiritualism in danger of getting lost in the increasingly globalised world dominated by materialism? Can it sustain the ‘Idea of India’, its diversity and pluralism when the world is witnessing increasing divisiveness and hatred.

The crux of the book is that cultural diplomacy is primarily about perceptions. It is not how we perceive or project ourselves to the world but how we are perceived by the world.