As Indian foreign policy thought seeks to avoid the term “soft power”, it instead proposes a vision of “cultural diplomacy”—de-emphasising the very notion of “power” in its approach to diplomatic outreach. Instead, the concept of mutual understanding and coequal dialogue is what comes to shape Indian public diplomacy and cultural influence efforts, writes Elena Remizova, Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo Representative Office in India.
The search for an attractive image of the state to project externally is characteristic of all countries, and the larger and more diverse a country is, the more difficult it is to identify such an image.
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”—or “the whole world is one family”—a line drawn from the philosophical texts of the Upanishads, has today become the leitmotif of India’s humanitarian policy. It became widely known globally during India’s presidency of the G20 in 2023, and it was with this phrase that Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened his article in the Russian press marking the conclusion of that presidency. In the view of the country’s leadership and representatives of most public institutions, this phrase encapsulates India’s millennia-old cultural tradition and the very “idea of India”.
Paradoxically, a country that has absorbed the legacy of the ancient civilisations of Hindustan has had to grapple with the question of what constitutes its national purpose, and what image of the state should be conveyed to the world.
The search for a national purpose in India began long before 1947—those fighting for independence sought an ideological foundation for liberation from colonial rule. It was evident that inspiration had to be drawn from the period prior to the arrival of the East India Company, but how far back into history should one go? The difficulty lay in the immense diversity of the regions comprising British India, in the kaleidoscope of languages and cultural traditions of its peoples, as well as in differing interpretations of historical events. For this reason, the eras of the Mughal Empire and the pre-Mughal period were not adopted as reference points. Ultimately, the choice fell on the so-called “golden age”—an idealised construct of a society during the period of Brahmanism, roughly corresponding to the first millennium BCE and including the time of the Maurya Empire. Its founder, Chandragupta Maurya, is regarded as the first to have unified and wisely governed vast territories in the north-west of the subcontinent. The construction of this “golden age” inevitably led to a self-perception as heirs to, and bearers of, a millennia-old cultural tradition. This tendency gave rise to two principal currents in Indian cultural and political thought—conventionally described as nationalist and pluralist. While the former finds expression largely within the country, the latter is projected externally and serves as the foundation of Indian cultural diplomacy.
Such an expansive understanding of cultural diplomacy inevitably entails a large number of actors. At the state level, however, two institutions serve as the official channels: the Ministry of Culture and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, which operates under the Ministry of External Affairs.
The international activities of India’s Ministry of Culture are grounded in agreements concluded with foreign states on cultural exchanges and joint cultural programmes, including festivals. In implementing these programmes, the Ministry may engage other ministries and agencies, foremost among them the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The idea of organising festivals abroad became highly popular in India in the 1980s: the first official overseas festival took place in the United Kingdom in 1982, followed by events in the United States and France in 1985, and in the Soviet Union in 1987. Many Russians of middle and older generations recall the reciprocal festivals between the Soviet Union and India in 1987–88. The festival in the Soviet Union proved the most expensive for India, with a budget of around 20 million US dollars—for comparison, the festival in the United States in 1985 cost 15 million. Whereas private sponsors contributed to the financing of the US festival, the event in the Soviet Union was funded entirely by the state.
Today, the necessity for such scale and expenditure is far from evident. With the emergence of new instruments for disseminating and communicating information, the concept has also evolved: the Ministry of Culture and the Council for Cultural Relations now organise smaller-scale festivals, tailoring their concepts to specific regions. The choice of target audience determines the content. Thus, in engagement with Sri Lanka, Nepal, China, Mongolia, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries, the theme of Buddhism is actively employed; with a number of Central European countries, the theme of Roma culture; with Western European countries, the theme of Indological studies; with Iran and Afghanistan, the theme of shared cultural heritage; and with certain CIS states and Muslim-majority countries, themes relating to Sufism and the Mughal period. As part of these cultural programmes, the Council also invites foreign performers to India, typically dance or musical ensembles.
In addition to promoting Indian culture abroad and deepening cultural ties, the Council administers educational quotas for foreign students. Each year, the Ministry of Education allocates several thousand places to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Council, generally ranging from 3,000 to 6,000. These places are distributed across general disciplines, as well as allocated to specific countries—special quotas exist for citizens of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, African countries, and others—and for particular fields of study, including Indian classical dance, musical instruments, and, more recently, traditional Indian medicine. In the latter area, the Council works closely with the specialised ministry responsible for the development of Ayurveda, homeopathy, and yoga.
Yoga—and the associated practice of Ayurveda—is currently regarded by India as a principal driver of cultural diplomacy. The adoption by the United Nations of the International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2015 was seen as an achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and since then the government has invested considerable effort in promoting yoga in various countries. Yoga has become an Indian brand. Centres of yoga and Ayurveda have been established in several countries—for example, Indian–Chinese and Indian–Turkmen centres—as well as yoga centres in Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, and elsewhere. In Russia, as in most countries, the International Day of Yoga is observed annually, typically in central urban venues and with continuously growing participation.
Alongside yoga in importance—though surpassing it in popularity—stands Bollywood. Outside India, Indian cinema is watched not only by the diaspora. It enjoys its greatest popularity in South and Southeast Asia, China, Mongolia, Korea, and the Arab world. Indian actors serve as cultural ambassadors both informally and formally, for instance as United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors. Bollywood and other Indian film industries have long surpassed Hollywood in the number of films produced annually and constitute a powerful instrument of India’s cultural diplomacy.
Another driver of cultural diplomacy is gastrodiplomacy. Indian restaurants can now be found in nearly every corner of the world. They entered Europe via the United Kingdom, where chicken tikka masala is among the most popular dishes. Television programmes devoted to Indian cuisine are popular abroad, and festivals of Indian food are held in many countries. Each year, the Council for Cultural Relations awards the Annapurna certificate to overseas Indian restaurants in recognition of their contribution to promoting authentic Indian cuisine and culinary traditions.
In cultural diplomacy, popular sports also serve as drivers. It is often said that cricket is a national religion in India. It is the most popular sport, played by the vast majority from an early age, and its championships attract millions of fans. On the global cricket stage, India consistently holds a leading position, and Indian cricket stars are no less famous worldwide than Bollywood celebrities. It is also necessary to mention widely popular sports such as chess, field hockey, and badminton. At the same time, in recent years India has sought to promote indigenous sports, such as kho-kho. The first World Cup in this game was held in New Delhi in 2025, with 23 countries participating.
Indian dance and music are most popular in countries with similar musical traditions. Each year, dozens of Indian dance and musical ensembles receive grant support from the Council for tours abroad.
The Council also supports the establishment of centres of Indian studies at various foreign universities. These centres primarily provide linguistic training, offering instruction in Sanskrit and a range of Indian languages.
The principal platforms for advancing Indian cultural diplomacy worldwide are approximately 40 cultural centres operated by the Council. These centres host courses in Indian classical music, dance, yoga, and the study of Hindi and other languages of the subcontinent. They organise exhibitions and various events, and mark Indian national and religious holidays, above all Holi and Diwali. Initially, these centres were intended to maintain ties with the Indian diaspora abroad in response to its cultural needs. The first centre was opened in 1972 in Guyana, followed by centres in Suriname and Fiji. Depending on the audience, even the language of instruction was selected accordingly—for example, in Mauritius teaching continues to be conducted in Bhojpuri, used by the local Indian diaspora. Gradually, however, the Council has sought to transform these centres into venues for interaction between Indian and local cultures, while also reshaping narratives—presenting India to local audiences not as an exotic and mystical land, but as one of the leading states of the contemporary world.
With the approval of the diplomatic mission in the host country, the Council is authorised to award grants to foreign non-profit organisations for the implementation of public diplomacy projects. Such support is primarily extended to applicants from developing countries. In countries with large Indian diasporas—Canada, the United States, Australia, Western European countries, and parts of Southeast Asia—numerous well-resourced non-profit organisations exist that often informally assume the role of cultural centres by organising exhibitions, festivals, and educational courses.
The question of private initiative in the implementation of cultural diplomacy remains a subject of debate within India’s expert community. On the one hand, there are concerns about the commercialisation of cultural initiatives; on the other, there is recognition of resource constraints. At present, in a number of countries, cultural projects are implemented within the framework of public–private partnerships, reflecting both the need to harness reasonable societal initiative and the limitations of public funding in achieving the objectives of cultural diplomacy, particularly in Western Europe and the United States. Within this model, the centres perform initiating and supervisory functions, while local partners assume the financial burden.
Overall, it can be concluded that Indian cultural diplomacy today possesses a solid institutional foundation and a set of highly popular instruments. Notably, unlike a number of other countries, India has also succeeded in articulating a coherent idea that it presents to the international community. Drawing on a relatively successful cultural outreach, the country projects the slogan “the whole world is one family”, inviting a rethinking of the global order—one in which India, as the heir to an ancient civilisation, assumes the role of a guru endowed with the necessary spirituality to foster civilisational dialogue among peoples and states.
