Shaping Our Story: India’s Emerging Narrative on the Global Stage
India, with its rich history, diverse culture, and rapidly growing economy, is emerging as a powerful player on the global stage. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the narrative that a country presents to the international community becomes crucial in shaping its image and influence. India, recognizing the importance of this narrative, has been actively crafting its own story, one that resists manipulation, challenges global indices, creates an indigenous perspective, and asserts its power on the global stage. In this blog, we will delve into the significance of India’s emerging narrative and explore how it is shaping the country’s position in the world. Whether you are interested in global narratives, Indian politics, or international relations, join us as we uncover the importance of India’s narrative on the global stage and its implications for the future.
The Importance of India’s Narrative on the Global Stage
India’s emergence as a global economic power has significant implications for its narrative on the global stage. With an average economic growth rate of 8 percent over the past three years, India has become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Its share of world output increased from 4.3 percent in 1990 to 5.9 percent in 2005, showcasing its rising prominence.
Despite facing challenges such as the Asian crisis and energy price increases, India’s growth has remained robust. This growth has been accompanied by a significant reduction in poverty, with estimates indicating a drop in the poverty rate from 41 percent in 1992-93 to less than 29 percent in 2000. The reform process that began in 1991 has played a crucial role in driving economic growth and improving living standards.
However, it is not just economic growth that is important for India’s narrative on the global stage. India’s historical fear of the world, stemming from its colonization, has led to a moralistic approach and a tendency to close off from global participation. While globalization has brought benefits, it has also exposed India to a world where others set the rules. As a result, India now seeks to participate in the world on its own terms.
With a population of 1.4 billion, India has every reason to assert its own narrative. It is set to become the world’s third-largest economy and has one of the world’s largest diasporas, which is both proud and successful. India aims to participate in the world while rooted in its own civilization and heritage.
India’s narrative on the global stage is crucial for its position in international relations. It seeks to be staunchly sovereign, diplomatically autonomous, economically strong, socially cohesive, militarily powerful, and culturally independent. India refuses to be swayed by the narratives set by others and is actively shaping its own narrative.
To strengthen its narrative, India needs to focus on building a strategic narrative framework, analyzing discursive labor, and forming and projecting its own narrative. This requires the involvement of scholars in India who can evolve innovative concepts and theories through inter-disciplinary research. Such research can contribute valuable knowledge and insights to shape India’s narrative.
India’s government elites have a crucial role to play in shaping the narrative and projecting India as a leading power. They need to adopt an independent stance in global politics and be preoccupied with leveraging India’s strengths. By doing so, India can assert its narrative and have a powerful geopolitical case for its interests and values.
Resisting Manipulation: India’s Sovereign Approach to Global Engagement
India’s approach to global engagement is rooted in its commitment to maintaining its sovereignty and telling its own story. Gone are the days when India would try to fit in or change its identity to appease others. Today, Indians, both in the diaspora and within the country, celebrate and embrace their cultural identity without hesitation.
This shift in mindset and approach may be seen as threatening by the self-declared liberal elite, who have long been accustomed to controlling narratives. India’s success, achieved on its own terms, challenges their sense of control and authority. As a result, they may try to manipulate the narrative in various ways.
One such method is through the use of global indices, which often portray India in a negative light. The Global Hunger Index, for example, places India near the bottom of the list, while the World Democracy Index ranks it at 98th place. These indices are used to create a narrative that India is failing in various aspects. However, it is important to analyze and question the validity of these indices critically.
India should be proud of its achievements and not let external manipulation affect its global engagement. It is crucial to resist the neocolonialism embedded in these narratives and assert India’s indigenous narrative. By shaping its own story and refusing to be swayed by external pressures, India can effectively navigate international politics and maintain its staunchly sovereign, diplomatically autonomous, economically strong, socially cohesive, militarily powerful, and culturally rich position in global affairs.
Challenging Global Indices: India’s Response to Neocolonialism
India’s response to neocolonialism and its challenge to global indices is a topic of significant importance in the current global narrative. The absurdity of these indices and their impact on India’s democracy cannot be ignored. It is quite perplexing to see that India, a country with a rich democratic tradition, ranks lower than countries like Afghanistan on the global academic freedom index.
Furthermore, the imposition of environmental, social, and governance norms (ESG norms) raises concerns about neocolonialism. These norms, created by a few NGOs funded by organizations like US Aid, Soros, and others, lack globally agreed parameters. Yet, they are being used to certify and regulate countries worldwide. This is a clear example of neocolonialism, where external entities attempt to dictate and control the narrative.
India must remain vigilant and aware of attempts to manipulate and control its position in the global system. The influence of external funders and NGOs in creating parameters and certifications cannot be underestimated. It is crucial for India to assert its sovereignty and refuse to be swayed by these attempts.
In shaping its global narrative, India should focus on its strengths as a staunchly sovereign, diplomatically autonomous, economically strong, socially cohesive, militarily powerful, and culturally independent nation. By taking an independent stance in global politics and refusing to be swayed by external pressures, India can shape the narrative according to its own interests.
India’s evolving relationship with the Near East and its policy measures will be affected by what happens on its northern and western fronts. The country’s strategic narrative framework should include an analysis of discursive labor, the formation and projection of India’s global narrative by government elites, and the preoccupation with leverage in international politics.
Creating an Indigenous Narrative: Interpreting India to the World
In the previous section, we discussed the need for India to create an indigenous narrative and interpret itself to the world. We highlighted how a small group of individuals, with their own political and ideological agendas, manipulate the global narrative about India. These individuals, often associated with foreign think tanks and with connections to Indian academia and elite circles, have significant influence over how India is perceived internationally.
To counter this manipulation, it is crucial for India to reclaim its narrative and present its perspectives authentically. This involves not only interpreting India to the world but also interpreting the world to India. By turning the gaze and actively engaging in the interpretation of global events, India can assert its power and shape the narrative in its favor.
A concrete example of this power move can be seen in the editorial section of major Indian newspapers. Often, during significant political events or elections in India, these newspapers feature editorials written by Western academics who may have limited understanding of the complexities of Indian politics. This highlights the need for India to challenge these narratives and provide its own interpretations.
Creating an indigenous narrative is crucial in countering neocolonialism and ensuring that India’s voice is heard on the global stage. It is essential to evolve innovative concepts and theories through interdisciplinary research that can be useful for knowledge creation and shaping global narratives. By presenting India as a staunchly sovereign, diplomatically autonomous, economically strong, socially cohesive, militarily powerful, and culturally rich nation, India can refuse to be swayed by external influences and shape its own destiny.
Power Moves: India’s Shift in Perspective and Influence
The Pew Research Center recently conducted a survey on views of India and its prime minister in 23 countries. This comprehensive survey explored how Indians perceive their country’s international influence and their political leaders. It is worth noting that this is the first year that the Global Attitudes Survey included countries from Africa and Latin America, expanding the scope of the study.
To gather the data for this survey, nationally representative surveys of 24,674 adults were conducted from February 20 to May 22, 2023. The surveys were conducted over the phone in countries such as Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In other countries like Hungary, Poland, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil, the surveys were conducted face to face.
One interesting aspect that emerged from this survey is the disparity in the representation of Indian perspectives in international media compared to the representation of foreign perspectives in Indian media. The survey highlights that Indian scholars and experts often contribute to international media outlets, offering insights and analysis on global politics. However, the same level of representation is not reciprocated in Indian media, where foreign perspectives are often missing from the discourse.
This disparity may be attributed, in part, to a lingering hangover of colonial-era thinking. It is important to recognize and address this issue to ensure a more balanced and fair representation of different perspectives. By fostering a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, we can promote a richer understanding of global narratives, Indian politics, and international relations.
To Wrap Things Up
India’s emerging narrative on the global stage holds immense significance for the country’s future and its position in the world. By resisting manipulation, challenging global indices, creating an indigenous perspective, and asserting its power, India is shaping its story to align with its values and aspirations.
As individuals interested in global narratives, Indian politics, and international relations, we must understand and appreciate the importance of India’s narrative. By doing so, we can gain insights into the country’s evolving role and contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding India’s global presence. As India continues to shape its narrative, we need to remain engaged and informed, as the story of India’s emergence on the global stage will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications.
