Challenges, experiences, opportunities, and imagination have shaped the India story in the soft power terrain over the 11 years of the Modi government since 2014. In this period, soft power has not only emerged as a guiding force, it has become the soul of India’s diplomatic strategy, propelling the country to new heights and redefining the parameters of global knowledge exchange.

The term soft power, coined by Harvard professor Joseph Nye in the 1980s, originally referred to a country’s ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction, rather than coercion or force. While Nye focused largely on American cultural exports and value systems, India’s approach to soft power has been more layered, rooted in its civilizational depth, democratic ethos, and an inclusive, pluralistic vision of global engagement. Over the past decade, India has redefined this term through distinctly indigenous lenses. The collation, collaboration, and curation of new ideas, themes, and platforms have reshaped how we understand and apply soft power.

Advertisement

From yoga and ayurveda to cinema, cuisine, education, and digital infrastructure, India has offered a fresh ‘cuisine of thought’, blending tradition with modernity. These exports are not just cultural; they are connectors, linking India with people, policies, and perceptions across geographies. India’s pride of place in the global soft power discourse today is no accident. It is the result of strategic clarity, cultural confidence, and a reimagined diplomatic approach grounded in lived culture rather than formal posturing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has given soft power a renewed focus, anchored in participatory energy, collaboration, and innovation. What has emerged is a people-first soft power matrix, lived through festivals, amplified in films, and echoed across student exchanges, diaspora engagement, and techenabled global outreach. This philosophy was most vividly on display during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. The theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, was more than symbolic.

It became a lived experience. Music, crafts, cuisine, and digital storytelling were seamlessly interwoven into the diplomatic fabric of the summit. Leaders didn’t just engage in dialogue; they immersed themselves in India’s diversity, art, and cultural vibrancy. By transforming policy platforms into cultural showcases, India introduced a new grammar of influence, one that communicates as much through symbolism as through strategy. It demonstrated clearly that India doesn’t divide tradition from innovation, it weaves them together. This year’s International Day of Yoga, celebrated globally on 21 June, further amplified that spirit with the theme “Yoga for One Earth, One Health.” It was a powerful articulation of India’s timeless belief in personal well-being as the cornerstone of collective harmony.

From the UN headquarters to ancient temple backdrops and bustling city squares across continents, the celebration reaffirmed yoga’s role as a cornerstone of India’s soft power story. Indian missions across the globe led these events with grace and purpose, reaffirming that India’s influence is felt through peace, not power. A critical pillar in India’s soft power evolution has been education diplomacy. Prime Minister Modi has consistently championed the potential of education tourism as a global connector. Initiatives like Study in India, the growing network of Institutes of Eminence, and expanding academic collaborations with foreign universities reflect India’s ambition to become a global education hub, not just for affordability, but for its unique blend of ancient wisdom and forward-thinking pedagogy.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has been a turning point in this journey. With its emphasis on multilingualism, critical thinking, and global academic integration, NEP 2020 is positioning India as a destination for both substance and spirit. India today is not just offering degrees; it is offering a philosophy. Platforms like DIKSHA, designed for digital, inclusive learning, are now being studied by countries seeking low-cost, scalable educational models that democratize access and encourage lifelong learning. Indian cinema has long been a cultural export, but in the past few years, it has evolved into a powerful soft power weapon. From Payal Kapadia’s historic win at Cannes 2024 to the worldwide resonance of South Indian films, Indian storytelling has pushed through linguistic, geographic, and thematic boundaries.

These films are more than entertainment; they are emotional emissaries, carrying Indian values, visuals, and voices into hearts across the globe. Alongside cinema, India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), comprising platforms like UPI, Aadhaar, and DigiLocker, has transformed the country into a model for ethical, people-centric technology. This is soft power with utility, digital tools that serve public good and offer replicable frameworks for emerging economies. India is no longer just exporting culture; it is exporting scalable, inclusive systems. India’s 32 million–strong diaspora continues to be a potent force in this soft power matrix. Their contributions across sectors, from politics and business to science and arts, position India as a truly global node. Initiatives like Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and sustained engagement with youth of Indian origin have ensured that the diaspora remains deeply connected, not just nostalgically but functionally.

At the same time, India’s democratic resilience, its electoral strength, media pluralism, and civic vibrancy, continues to be its most enduring moral soft power. In a global climate fraught with polarization and digital disinformation, India’s messy but vibrant democracy remains a beacon of balance and endurance. The last 11 years have not merely expanded India’s soft power toolkit; they have reimagined the entire arena. Soft power today is not a side narrative; it is central to how India sees itself and projects itself. It flows through food, faith, fintech, festivals, and films. It educates through NEP, heals through Ayurveda, and connects through yoga. It does not lecture, it lives. It does not dominate, it draws. India’s greatest strength lies in its ability to blend civilization with innovation, emotion with execution. Its soft power is not ornamental; it is operational.

Not passive, but persuasive. And in a world increasingly divided by noise, India is offering a voice rooted in harmony. The future of influence may be digital, mobile, and global, but it is also deeply Indian. And now more than ever, the world is listening.

(The writer is a former civil servant who writes on cinema and strategic communications. The views are personal. Inputs were provided by Zoya Ahmad and Vaishnavie Srinivasan.)