Cultural diplomacy is one of the oldest forms of diplomacy where states seek to mobilise cultural resources to gain traction or achieve foreign policy goals. It involves showcasing the country’s culture through various events and activities, concerts, exhibitions, etc. It’s a very important dimension of a country’s soft power and India, in the last decade, has successfully wielded this dimension of diplomacy.
In fact, in the Indian context, the international reach and recognition of the country’s soft power was realised long before when India’s culture, art and spiritual wealth attracted seekers from around the world, for centuries. Most recently, in January 2021, India’s first cultural diplomat to the US, Dr Moxraj, returned after spending three years teaching Sanskrit, Hindi and spreading traditional Indian culture along with Yoga and meditation in several American states.
The ancient Indian Vedic doctrine ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ that translates to ‘The entire world is one family’ was among the first steps towards what we could call now a global citizenship. Long before political boundaries were drawn demarcating nations, India was already leading the way and exercising this soft power.
And now, the new India is redefining and reorienting diplomacy by aggregating new elements of soft power that are relevant in today’s world.
Cultural richness an asset
In recent times, cultural diplomacy has become an important pillar of Indian foreign policy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweaked Indian diplomacy by incorporating new elements of soft power. The five pillars of soft power include Samman (dignity), Samvaad (dialogue), Samriddhi (shared prosperity), Suraksha (regional and global security), and Sanskriti evam Sabhayata (cultural and civilisational links). All the five elements are in consonance with India’s larger political and economic goals.
Cultural diplomacy translates to ‘exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs and other aspects of culture, with the intention of promoting mutual understanding’ – the ultimate goal being to be able to build and maintain long-term relationships and trust.
Through ancient times, India has been a leader, culturally and spiritually. It won’t be wrong to say that cultural diplomacy is India’s gift to the world – one among thousands other such as the concept of infinity, the numeral zero, Ayurveda, world’s first university at Takshashila, etc.
Cultural diplomats pave the way
One of the most effective ways to prevent conflict, diffuse escalation and further peace is through cultural pursuits. In India, the Ministry of External Affairs’ Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), established in 1950 to strengthen cultural bonds with other nations, has been instrumental in promoting and upholding these pursuits.
The ICCR sent 162 teachers to various diplomatic missions across the world in 2018, as part of an initiative of the Modi government, to ‘create awareness about traditional Indian culture.’ Among these teachers was Dr Moxraj who is well versed in Vedic texts and spent three years teaching Hindi and Sanksrit along with traditional Indian culture, yoga and meditation in the US as part of this initiative.
Born in Rajasthan in 1979, Dr Moxraj has worked under three ambassadors Navtej Sarna, Harshvardhan Shringla and Taranjit Singh Sandhu. While in the US, as part of the initiative, Dr Moxraj led the International Day of Yoga celebrations in front of the US Capitol, White House and the Washington Monument.
Additionally, he taught Hindi and Sanskrit, through special classes started by the Indian embassy, to Indian Americans, US citizens and members of the diplomatic community in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and few other states.
A few institutions such as George Washington University and Georgetown University invited him to conduct special Hindi classes and praised the Indian government and the Indian embassy for the initiative.
Importance of religious commonalities
In December 2021, the ICCR organised a summit where a delegation from Bhutan visited Nalanda University in Bihar. The visit underlined the importance of Nalanda as a Buddhist monastic centre of learning and one of the first residential universities in the world. In 2018, on the occasion of the completion of 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan, the Queen Mother of Bhutan remarked that Buddhism was India’s greatest gift to the Bhutanese people.
She emphasised on how following the arrival of Buddhism and great Buddhist masters from India, the teachings of Lord Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava continue to influence the lives of every Bhutanese. Guru Padmasambhava was an eight century Indian sage who is considered the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
In 2019, to honour the birth anniversary of Guru Rinpoche (another name for Guru Padmasambhava), a statue of Buddha was gifted to Bhutan by India. PM Modi chose Bhutan for his first official state visit as PM in 2014 underlining the importance of the country in India’s ‘Neighbourhood-First’ policy.
COVID-19 had a few positives too
During the Covid-19 pandemic, when millions across the world were coming to terms with the lockdown woes, there was a respite for Americans who could participate in certain initiatives launched by the Indian embassy in the US. The embassy launched ‘Yog Apke Dwar’, ‘Yoga at Home’ where Dr Moxraj conducted online yoga programme.
Not just this, Dr Moxraj also took Hindi and Indian culture to Hollywood when he conducted special classes for African-American Hollywood actress and singer Mary Milben. Milben’s two videos – National Anthem of India on India’s Independence Day in August and Om Jai Jagdish Hare on the occasion of Diwali – have been widely acclaimed.
Mary said, “I fell in love with India because of Dr Moxraj, not only because of the language, but also I was introduced to India, the Indian American community and India community all over the world.” Dr Moxraj said, “The Vedic doctrine of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’ has found its own resonance in the post-Covid-19 world.”
‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the concept that all individuals are collectively responsible towards each other and their shared future, forms the basis of UNESCO’s ongoing dialogue between cultures, religions and civilisations.
Challenges of cultural ambassadors
When the ICCR’s cultural centers shut down during the pandemic, the autonomous body under the government of India decided to go online and launched several online classes in order to continue promoting India’s cultural heritage. The cultural centers are located in US, Europe, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Guyana, South Africa, the Netherlands, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, among others.
The task of preserving and promoting culture is not an easy one. UNESCO through the World Heritage Committee and the Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage is India’s partner in promoting an ‘international, inter-cultural dialogue and promoting in the long run international peace and security.’
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.
India’s cultural heritage is both tangible and intangible. The latter passed down from one generation to the next and includes folklore, oral traditions, performing arts, festivals, etc. It’s not an easy task to preserve this heritage and even more challenging to further it. Needless to say, Indian culture is complex especially because of the layers of influence, over centuries.
Another daunting task is to ensure comprehension especially among the younger generation. It’s important to present traditions and heritage to them in a manner that is easy to understand and attractive for the youth to get involved in.