Why Bharat Matters

by S. Jaishankar

In this particular endeavour, I contemplated a world that is struggling with economic disruptions, the Covid pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, an exploding West Asia (Middle East) and sharpening great power competition, and sought to assess India’s prospects in ascending the global hierarchy in such volatile conditions. That exercise brought home to me how much we have progressed in the preceding years and how differently we are now seen as compared to the era before 2014. India has today moved out of the defensive non-aligned posture, engaging multiple nations on a range of issues with equal confidence. It is also a greater contributor to solutions, regional or global. This marks its emergence as vishwa mitra, a partner of the world that is making a greater difference with each passing year.

My personal acquaintance with Narendra Modi began in 2011, when I was Ambassador in China and he was the Chief Minister (CM) of Gujarat. While awaiting his visit, I was struck by the meticulousness of preparations and his interest to assess China’s progress in different fields. It was apparent to me even then that he envisaged developments in both India and China in terms of civilizational resurgence.

He was clearly impressed by the economic and technology advancements of Japan but also by their social cohesion and cultural pride. I also have a recollection of him speaking well about the leadership quality of Lee Kuan Yew. It was no surprise that he made it a point to attend his funeral later on in 2015.

The most noticeable feature of PM Modi’s work style is the ability to constantly integrate the big picture and the smallest of details. He could be as immersed in briefings about chip wars or energy futures as in handling of evacuation operations or in the value of a best practice. Every visit, every speech and every engagement has a meaning; they end up as one part of a larger mosaic. Some of what is debated and decided responds to the demand of events. But the more persistent thread is of determinedly charting a strategic course and adjusting that to the unpredictability of our times. It would probably surprise many to learn how much time and effort has gone into that larger exercise over the last decade. The unfolding may look natural and often spontaneous, but the reality is actually one of continuous planning and implementation.

This book is a collection of 11 essays, all of them interconnected and some even overlapping. They range from an analysis of the global landscape to an identification of India’s opportunities. There is the big picture but also the real practicalities that make up the world. Key relationships are addressed in detail but the entire global framework is presented as well. Some forays take us into the past, others into the future. All together, they seek to explain a decade of change.

India’s quest to ascend the global hierarchy is an endless journey. But as we take stock of the progress made and anticipate the challenges ahead, it is certainly reassuring that this is propelled by such deep national commitment and confidence. Whether drawing strength from its heritage and culture or approaching challenges with the optimism of democracy and technology, this is certainly a New India, indeed an India that is able to define its own interests, articulate its own positions, find its own solutions and advance its own model. In short, this is an India that is more Bharat.

The challenges of a global order in transition have been magnified by the back-to-back impact of the Covid pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and the fighting in West Asia. There is no question that this has now become a much tougher world. For India specifically, the going has been far from easy. Many of the larger concerns have impacted it directly. The changed posture of China on the border, in particular, is a major factor in its strategic calculus. But a determined leadership and a supportive society are helping it to navigate this turbulent era. Rising powers seek stability most of all; India must plan to rise amidst serious unpredictability.

Technology, too, has become more of a game-changer than in the past. Its ability to impact the daily routine is much deeper, as indeed the capability to weaponize our normal activities, needs and resources. In fact, the pace has reached a point where we are compelled to think in terms of ‘techades’. And then there are the perennial games that nations play, expressed through competitive politics between individual countries or, sometimes, groupings. Each of these phenomena is a key factor in the fashioning of contemporary Indian foreign policy, individually as much as cumulatively. Today, India has to not just prepare for a re-globalization that corrects economic and technology concentrations but also use that opportunity to strengthen comprehensive national power.