>>1856512Furthermore, with its rapid economic and social development, India has become more strategically confident and more proactive in creating and developing a "Bharat narrative."
In the diplomatic sphere, India has rapidly shifted toward a great power strategy. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power, he has advocated for a multi-alignment strategy, promoting India's relations with the US, Japan, Russia and other countries and regional organizations. Now, India's strategic thinking in foreign policy has undergone another change and is clearly moving toward a great power strategy. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has distanced itself from the West and aligned itself more closely to the developing world. At the same time, India's reservations about Western powers have significantly diminished, and its activities within Western countries have become more frequent, extending beyond organizing large-scale diaspora events.
In the political and cultural spheres, India has moved from emphasizing its democratic consensus with the West to highlighting the "Indian feature" of democratic politics. Currently, there is even more emphasis on the Indian origins of democratic politics. Former National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party Ram Madhav, has stressed the need for "India's version of democracy."
India not only seeks to escape the "political dwarf" resulting from its history as a colony, but also wants to act as a "world mentor" both politically and culturally. In December 2023, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations organized the first "Knowledge India Visitors Programme," which brought together more than 77 scholars from 35 countries. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar emphasized the importance of building a strong "Bharat narrative" and explained the "Bharat narrative" in terms of economics, development, politics, and culture. Obviously, India no longer only regards cultural tradition as a channel to achieve its own interests or as a symbol to attract foreign tourists, but also sees it as one of the pillars of India's status as a great power.