\Samvad

Kartik   Shukla 12 Vik. Samvat 2078, Yugabda 5123 : 16 November, 2021:SM 3016 (For Private Circulation only)


1. FESTIVALS: GURU NANAK DEV JI GURPURAB & DEV DIWALI 2. POSTAL STAMP OF DATTOPANT THENGADI RELEASED
3. TODAY’S BHARAT IS CONFIDENT OF ITS HERITAGE: PM MODI 4. DIWALI IN BHARAT AND AROUND THE GLOBE
5. CANADA BEGINS CELEBRATIONS FOR HINDU HERITAGE MONTH 6. HSS SewaDiwali
7. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD TO SEWA INTERNATIONAL USA 8. SEWA BHARATI RELIEF OPERATIONS IN KERALA
9. INTERNATIONAL AYURVEDA DAY IN BALI 10. ‘SHRI RAMAYAN YATRA’ STARTS WITH 100% OCCUPANCY
11. IIM AHMEDABAD LAUNCHES COURSE ON BHAGVAD GITA 12. DRONE DELIVERS VACCINE IN KARNATAKA
13. JANAJATIYA GAURAV DIWAS 14. OBITUARY: SHRI OM PRAKASH GARG
15. OBITUARY: PADMA VIBHUSHAN SHRI BABASAHEB PURANDARE 16. HABIBGANJ RAILWAY STATION RENAMED AFTER GOND QUEEN
17. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT  
Article: A WORLD UNION BASED ON RESURGENT ASIANISM

1. FESTIVALS: GURU NANAK DEV JI GURPURAB & DEV DIWALI: Guru Nanak Dev Gurpurab, also known as Guru Nanak Dev's Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is celebrated on Kartik Purnima - November 19 this year. It celebrates the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak - the founder of Sikhism.

The celebration of Guru Nanak Dev Gurpurab begins 15 days before his birth anniversary with pheris (processions). Two days ahead of Gurpurab, Akhand Path or a 48-hour non-stop reading of Guru Granth Sahib is held in the Gurdwaras. A day before Gurpurab, Nagar Kirtan is organised.
Dev Diwali, also known as Tripurotsav or Tripurari Purnima is celebrated every year at the holy city of Varanasi on Kartik Purnima.

It is believed to be the Deepavali celebrated by gods to mark the victory of Bhagwan Shiva over demon Tripurasur. Hence, to welcome the Gods, ghats are decorated with millions of earthen lamps on the day of Dev Diwali.
On this auspicious day, a large number of devotees come together to take a dip in the holy river Ganga (also called 'Kartik snan’).
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2. POSTAL STAMP OF DATTOPANT THENGADI RELEASED: On the eve of 101st birth anniversary of Shri Dattopant Thengadi, veteran sangh pracharak and founder of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, a postal stamp in his memory was released by Shri Ashwini Vaishanav (Ministry of IT & Railway, Government of Bharat) on November 10 at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, he said that Shri Thengadi was a true seer who foresaw the fall of all ‘ism’s.


He added that Shri Dattopant was of the opinion that policies should be formulated in accordance with the human nature. On the occasion, Shri Suresh (Bhayyaji) Joshi (National Executive Member, RSS), said that Shri Thengadi was a proponent of mutual cooperation and coordination rather than conflict. The program was presided by Shri. Hiranmay Pandyaji (President, BMS) and attended by Smt Meenakshi Lekhi (Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of Bharat) and Shri Kashmiri Lal (National Organising Secretary, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch) along with other dignitaries .
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3. TODAY’S BHARAT IS CONFIDENT OF ITS HERITAGE - PM MODI: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi invoked the great “rishi tradition” of Bharat as he inaugurated several development works in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, on November 5. PM Modi unveiled a 13-foot tall statue of Adi Shankaracharya and monuments related to his Samadhi.
On the occasion, he cited the construction of the Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya, beautification of Varanasi and the opening of Buddha tourism circuit of Sarnath, Kushinagar and Bodh Gaya and said that Bharat’s culture, traditions and religious centres are now being seen with a sense of pride. He added that Bharatiya philosophy talks about human welfare and looks at life in a holistic way and that Adi Shankaracharya made the society aware of this truth.
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4. DIWALI IN BHARAT AND AROUND THE GLOBE: Ayodhya's Deepotsav makes it to Guinness World Record: Ayodhya's Deepotsav made it to the Guinness World Records after Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department lighted over nine lakh oil lamps along the banks of river Saryu as a part of the grand Diwali celebrations on November 3. Apart from this, 3 lakh diyas were lit separately at different places in Ayodhya.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath tweeted that the world record has been set with the spirit of truth, affection and universal welfare. On the occasion, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy said that lighting of 12 lakh diyas in Ayodhya was a message of the dignity of Bhagwan Ram to the whole world.
Ambassadors of Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, and Kenya also participated in the event.
Prime Minister and Home Secretary of United Kingdom Visit Neasden Temple for Diwali: Hon Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Hon Priti Patel MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department of UK, celebrated the vibrant festival of Diwali with worshippers and members of the local community at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London – popularly known as ‘Neasden Temple’ – on November 7.
They also performed the abhishek of Shri Nilkanth Varni, the teenage form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
National Diya, Guyana: On October 31, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips of Guyana noted that Diwali serves as more than a cultural symbol of light where good overcomes evil and said that the holiday is a time of national unity where Guyanese across cultural backgrounds come together in a grand national celebration. The Prime Minister made these remarks at the Seventh National Diya Light-Up which was hosted by the Hindus for Selfless Service at the intersection of Rahaman’s Park on the East Bank of Demerara.
Along with his address, the Prime Minister also flipped the switch to illuminate a large diya display at the intersection.
Canada’s Trudeau extends greetings on Diwali: The Indo-Canadian community celebrated Diwali with fireworks as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the festivities at an event in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) along with the Canadian minister of national defence Anita Anand. Fireworks for Diwali were permitted in several municipalities including those in the GTA. Canada Post has also issued a special commemorative stamp to mark Diwali this year. It is layered with a Rangoli pattern and features a lotus, symbolising new beginnings, along with a ring of heart-shaped diyas expressing love and gratitude; and a spice box in the centre alluding to the food shared during the Festival of Lights.
President Cyril Ramaphosa wished Hindu community during Diwali:
President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his warm wishes to South Africa’s Hindu community for their observance of the religious festival of Deepavali and said that South Africa’s Hindu community makes a significant contribution to the spiritual, ethical, economic and cultural life of the nation through the values of honesty, patience and compassion.
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5. CANADA BEGINS CELEBRATIONS FOR HINDU HERITAGE MONTH: November is celebrated as Hindu Heritage Month in Ontario, Canada. Devi Mandir in Pickering and Hindu Forum Canada, an NGO, organized a program to commemorate the event. The ceremony which included bhajans and ethnic dances was attended by about 200 people. Bharat's Consul General in Toronto Apoorva Srivastava inaugrated the program and wished everyone in the community a happy Diwali. Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario's Minister of Finance, delivered the Canadian Premier's message to Hindu Forum Canada. He stated that Hindu Canadians have played a significant role in the country's efforts to get back on track, and that multicultural groups and organisations have played an effective role in combating the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The school board of trustees in Toronto district decided to dedicate the month of November to the sound of the cosmos, Om.
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6. HSS SewaDiwali: SewaDiwali is an initiative by Dharmic communities, individuals and organizations who believe in Sewa Dharma, i.e. Service to Humanity is Service to Divinity. Around Diwali, they organize food collection drives in the USA and donate it to local food banks.
On November 1, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA conducted a workshop for teenagers in Sunnyvale City Diwali Festival event. Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein stopped by and encouraged the efforts.
On November 3, Aurora City Mayor Irvin issued ‘Diwali Proclamation’ and presented ‘Mayors Award of Excellence’ for ‘SewaDiwali Food Drive’ efforts to more than 40 organisations.
Eight partners collected and donated more than 1500 lbs of food items to Muffin and Shawnee Community Services in Kansas City.
Maine became part of SewaDiwali for the first time. Sewa USA and HSS Sanskriti Shakha together raised 1500 pounds of food for local food pantry.
More than 1500 volunteers of about 290 partner organizations are working in more than 100 cities and 31 states for this food collection drive which will continue in the month of November.
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7. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD TO SEWA INTERNATIONAL USA: Sewa International - Houston Chapter received the prestigious Community Service Award at the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston’s Annual Gala on October 30. Bharatiya Ambassador in USA Taranjit Singh Sandhu presented the award in the presence of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Fortbend County Judge KP George and other dignitaries.
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8. SEWA BHARATI RELIEF OPERATIONS IN KERALA: Rashtriya Sewa Bharati (RSB) has intensified its relief operations in the landslide affected areas of Kootikal, Kerala. Around five-hundred houses were sanitized and rendered fit for use in a cleaning drive. 25 task force teams, each having five volunteers were deputed to carry out the operation. Various public buildings were also sanitised and cleaned.
RSB had also mobilised huge quantities of relief materials for the worst-hit areas of Elankad, Enthayar, Mundakayam and Puthanchantha.
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9. INTERNATIONAL AYURVEDA DAY IN BALI: An International virtual Ayurveda conference was organized by ICCS and Universitas Hindu Indonesia (UNHI) on the occasion of 6th Ayurveda day on November 2. The event was supported by Embassy of Bharat in Indonesia, Griya Sehat Ayurveda (traditional health centre, UNHI), Ikayuveda (Alumni association of health faculty, UNHI) and BEM FKES (students union of health faculty, UNHI).
Ayurveda doctors from 5 countries namely Bharat, Indonesia, Nepal, Australia and France presented the status and scope of Ayurveda in their countries. The keynote speech was given by the Ambassador of Bharat to Indonesia Mr. Manoj Bharti. Shri Shyam Parnade, Secretary of Sewa International was a special guest for the event which was also attended by the consul general of Bharat in Bali Mr. Prakash Chand. 
A month long Indonesia wide video competition was also conducted. Participants had to submit 1-2.5 minute video related to any herb in Indonesia. Three winners were selected from the received videos by a jury comprising of faculty of health, UNHI and other eminent personalities of Bali. Competition results were declared on Ayurveda day.
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10. ‘SHRI RAMAYAN YATRA’ STARTS WITH 100% OCCUPANCY: On November 8, Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the first glimpses of the ‘Shri Ramayan Yatra’ on twitter. Specifically designed to promote religious tourism in places associated with the Ramayana, Shri Ramayan Yatra rail circuit has been launched under the “Dekho Apna Desh” initiative by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The deluxe AC tourist train departed from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station on November 7 for 16 nights and 17 days with 132 tourists on board. The rail circuit is set to cover every destination that has Shri Ram’s footprints including Ayodhya, Nandigram, Janakpur, Sitamarhi, Kashi, Prayag, Shringverpur, Chitrakoot, Nashik, Hampi and Rameshwaram.
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11. IIM AHMEDABAD LAUNCHES COURSE ON BHAGVAD GITA: The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has launched the first-of-its-kind executive programme on 'Understanding Bhagavad Gita' for corporate professionals to teach management lessons. 
The objective of the programme is to gain insights into ethics and values to promote meaningful impact in organisations and strengthen concepts of contemporary management and value-based leadership. 
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12. DRONE DELIVERS VACCINE IN KARNATAKA: On November 13, a remote primary health centre in Anekal taluk, Bengaluru Urban district, received a consignment of Covid-19 vaccines through a drone. The delivery was made by a new octocopter drone developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), which is capable of hefting 15-kg payload over 24 km. The octocopter flew from the Chandapura primary health centre (PHC) at an altitude of 300 metres at a speed of 10 metres per second and covered an aerial distance of about seven km in about 10 minutes.
This represents a significant turnaround time, according to Dr Manisha, the taluk’s medical health officer. She said that it usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes to deliver vaccines to Anekal from Chandapura by road.
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13. JANAJATIYA GAURAV DIWAS: On November 10, the Union Cabinet approved the declaration of November 15, the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’. Birsa Munda, born on 15 November, 1875, was a Bharatiya freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero from the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau area. Week-long celebrations have been planned from November 15 to 22 to commemorate the glorious history of tribal people, their culture and achievements. On November 15, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi participated in the 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' celebrations in Bhopal's Jamburi Maidan where more than two lakh tribals - many in traditional attire - had gathered from across Madhya Pradesh. In his speech on the occasion, PM Modi said that the inspiring stories of tribal heroes and heroines in the freedom struggle should be remembered, honoured and introduced to the new generation.
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram celebrated the event in Bilaspur, Patiala, Patna and other cities across Bharat and has planned to conduct programmes in tribal districts of all states across Bharat. Programmes will also be conducted in many urban cities and towns to spread awareness about the contribution of tribals in nation building endeavours.
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14. OBITUARY: SHRI OM PRAKASH GARG: Shri Om Prakash Garg, who was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since his childhood, breathed his last at a hospital in Patna on November 6. He was 95 years old. Shri Garg was born in Uttar Pradesh in 1926 and was a pracharak since 1946. From 1991 to 2000 he worked in Nepal where he was one of the founding members of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, HSS Nepal.
Since 2005, he was a member of the management committee of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). In a condolence meeting in Delhi on November 15, Sarkaryavah of RSS Shri Dattatreya Hosabale shared his experience of working with Shri Garg and remembered him as a self-effacing, dedicated swayamsevak.
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15. OBITUARY: PADMA VIBHUSHAN SHRI BABASAHEB PURANDARE: Padma Vibhushan Shri Balwant Moreshwar Purandare, popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare, died at 5 am on November 15 at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune. He was 99 years old. Babasaheb Purandare was a celebrated author, historian and theatre personality. He was known for his scholarly work on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He wrote several books on the king, his administration and the forts from Shivaji’s era. Babasaheb Purandare also directed ‘Jaanta Raja’, a popular play on Chhatrapati’s life.
In 2015, he received the state government’s Maharashtra Bhushan award and in 2019, he received the Padma Vibhushan, Bharat's second-highest civilian award.
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi extended his condolences on the demise of Babasaheb Purandare and tweeted that Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare leaves behind a major void in the world of history and culture.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat said that with Shri Purandare's death we have lost a Shatayu Shiv Rishi. Noting that Babasaheb had fought as a soldier in the Dadra Nagar Haveli Mukti Sangram (struggle for the liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli), Dr. Bhagwat also said the historian's life will inspire the society for generations to come.
Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Uddhav Thackeray also expressed grief at the demise of Babasaheb.
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16. HABIBGANJ RAILWAY STATION RENAMED AFTER GOND QUEEN: On November 15, Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the modern Rani Kamalapati railway station (earlier known as Habibganj) in Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailed Rani Kamalapati as the pride of the Gond community. The Gond community comprises the largest tribal group of Bharat with more than 1.2 crore population.  Rani Kamalapati was the last Hindu queen of Bhopal who in 1722 built the now ASI-protected seven-storey Kamlapati Palace that overlooks Upper and Lower Lakes in Bhopal.
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17. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors: Sachin Tripathi, USA
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Religion means to abide by the laws of God, just as good citizenship means to abide by the laws of the government. Faith may be blind faith. Faith is not the real description of religion. Religion means the laws given by God, and anyone who follows those laws is religious. – Srila Prabhupada
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JAI SHRI RAM

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A WORLD UNION BASED ON RESURGENT ASIANISM
RAM MADHAV

Hindu and Buddhist priests and monks were the first people to carry India’s influence across its boundaries two millennia ago. The Buddhist monks largely chose the land routes with the exception of Sri Lanka, where Buddhism was taken by the son and daughter of emperor Ashoka – Mahinda and Sanghamitra – in 3rd century BCE. Monks from Northern India had traveled to Tibet, China, Mongolia and Bhutan carrying the religion of Buddha. On the other hand, the Hindu priests too managed to reach countries as far as Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia in the initial centuries of the first millennium carrying with them the benign religion of Hinduism. While there were references to instances of the Greek and Hindu scholars exchanging philosophical ideas in the pre-Christian era, recorded evidence of Hindu influence over the countries in the Indian Ocean region dates back to 4thcentury CE.
Almost for a millennium after that, the region, which is today described as South East Asia, used to be called as Greater India. Although the southern empires like the Cholas and Pandyas had undertaken military expeditions through the great oceans to expand their influence over remote islands like Borneo and Bali, it in effect remained cultural only to a great extent. The religion and culture of the benign colonisers were heartily welcomed by the subject societies leading to establishment of not only the religious customs and traditions but also large temples and monuments. From Bali in Indonesia to Cham areas in Vietnam to Angkor Vat ruins in Cambodia, the living and historical evidences of the influence of India is conspicuous to this day.
History progressed, and socio-politico-religious realities of these lands had undergone major changes over centuries. India too was preoccupied with its battles against the invaders for almost a millennium, and hence had no time for its cultural empire. Yet, the historical memories did not fade away. When the time came to unshackle from the imperialist yoke, India did not think only about itself, but the entire Asian neighbourhood. If Rishi Aurobindo talked about Asian renaissance as India’s historic responsibility, Gandhi and Nehru talked about Asian relations for anti-imperialist brotherhood.
In his address to a radio station in Tamil Nadu on the eve of independence, which also happened to be his birthday, Rishi Aurobindo talked about his five dreams. While advocating for freedom and unity for people of India as his first dream, Aurobindo turned to Asian resurgence as his second dream in which India had an important role to play. “Asia has arisen; large parts are now quite free or are at this moment being liberated; its other still subject or partly subject parts are moving through whatever struggles towards freedom. Only a little has to be done and that will be done today or tomorrow. There, India has her part to play and has begun to play it with energy and ability which already indicate the measure of her possibilities and the place she can take in the council of nations,” he exhorted.
A few months before Aurobindo’s exhortation came the Asian Relations Conference on 23-25 March 1947 called by Jawahar Lal Nehru with the objective of bringing about a “psychological revolution,” “a new imagination of Asia”. There were 230 delegates and observers from 30 countries at the conference, highlighting the faith and trust reposed by many of them in India’s leadership. A new ‘Asianism’ or ‘Third Worldism’ was born at the conference. Unlike the Asianism of India thus far, which was limited to the cultural remnants in Greater India, Nehru’s mission was to create an Asian federation that would eventually be a step in the direction of greater world federation. Interestingly, Aurobindo too talks about the same idea as his third dream a few months later.Although Nehru declared that his intention was not “against anybody,” he and other speakers at the conference were equally categorical that the new Asianism would make sure that Asians wouldn’t become the “playthings of others”. There was a clear desire articulated by many speakers at the conference that Asia should be free of Western influences. It cannot be Communist either. Hence the idea that Asian nations should form a coalition as Third World countries.
Gandhi was invited to deliver a speech on the last day of the conference. He made certain interesting observations. Terming all wise men from Zoroaster to Buddha to Jesus to Mohammad – not to talk of Rama and Krishna – to be belonging to East, Gandhi emphasised on Asia’s antidotal message to the West. “What I want you to understand is the message of Asia. It is not to be learnt through the western spectacles or by imitating the atom bomb. In this age of democracy, in this age of awakening of the poorest of the poor, you can redeliver this message with the greatest emphasis. You will complete the conquest of the West, not through vengeance, because you have been exploited, but with real understanding. I am sanguine, if all of you put your hearts together – not merely heads – to understand the secret of the message these wise men of the East have left to us, and if we really become worthy of that great message, the conquest of the West will be completed. This conquest will be loved by the West itself”, Gandhi told the conference.
Asian Relations Conference did not survive for long. Nehru’s Asianism dream died its quiet death after the Bandung Conference of Non-Aligned nations in Indonesia in 1955. But Asianism and Third Worldism did not die. Asianism survived through different experimentations in the region like EAS, SAARC, BIMSTEC and IORA. It manifested through the principle of ‘Neighbourhood First’ in 1990s and transformed into the principle of ‘together we grow’ under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Third Worldism took the shape of non-alignment in later years and ‘strategic autonomy’ today.
At a time when a new Cold War is beginning to threaten the world order, India needed to turn a leaf or two from the old-world politics of Asian centrality and strategic neutrality. More importantly, it should realise that it has a much bigger role to play in the world politics than what Nehru had intended to seven decades ago.

Asianism of the last century did not succeed partly because India and China – two large nations in the region – could not get along. The Sino-Indian War of 1962 had thrown water over Indian romanticism about leading the Third World with Asian centrality. But the fact that its immediate playground is its Asian neighbourhood was never forgotten. With the formation of SAARC and BIMSTEC, it tried to return to its pet theme. It evolved further when India became a full dialogue partner with ASEAN in 1995 and developed its own ‘Look East policy’.
Nelson Mandela, the legendary leader of South Africa visited India in the same year. That visit had resulted in the birth of another regional coalition called the Indian Ocean Rim Association – IORA. During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime, the Look East policy has been upgraded into Act East policy. Through these initiatives India tried to revive its Asianism theme. It had its Achilles’ Heel to its west in Pakistan and by extension the Arab and Islamic Middle East and West Asia. In the last few years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully attempted to overcome the jinx and build stronger ties with that region too.
While the 20th century ended with the collapse of the Cold War politics, the world did not remain multilateral for long.A new Cold War is taking shape in the new century with Eurasia and Indo-Pacific emerging as the epicentres of global power politics. Unlike the last century when the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States was fought in far away Pacific-Atlantic region, the new Cold War is raging in India’s immediate neighbourhood.
One of the central themes of the Asianism of 1940s and 50s was that Asia wouldn’t be allowed to become a playground of big power rivalry. In his Shangri La address in 2018 at Singapore, Prime Minister Modi reiterated it by insisting on Indo-pacific region to be inclusive and peaceful. Many Asian nations aspire for it as new war clouds gather in the region.
Like at the time of budding Asianism in the last century, China remains a challenge in this region now also. During the last Cold War, China benefitted massively by siding openly with America from 1970s onwards. China’s current economic prosperity is a gift of America in the 1980s and 90s. India cannot afford such politics because the new Cold War is being fought at its doorstep. Aggression of China in the Indo-Pacific region and formation of new military alliances like AUKUS led by America to counter that aggression have the potential to turn the Asian region into an Armageddon. Together, they will bring highest number of nuclear submarines in India’s backyard.
India needs to recalibrate its response to this evolving challenge carefully. Western Quad may be a romantic idea to checkmate China in UAE and Israel, but what is more important for India is the Indian Ocean region. Countries in this region look up to India as the biggest power in the neighbourhood. At the Asian Relations Conference, there were a large number of leaders present from this region and they were the most supportive of all to India’s leadership. In a way, it is India’s natural region of comfort.
India needs to invest more energy on this region. It’s relations with immediate neighbours like Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with whom it shares a strong cultural and people-to-people bonds, need greater attention. China’s footprints are all over in the region. India needs to go beyond its diplomats and build newer and firmer bridges with leaders and peoples in these countries.
There is a misplaced obsession with India’s soft power potential in its neighbourhood among sections of Indian political establishment. It is time we realised that soft power in its conventional form is an over-used and outlived concept. Need of the hour is smart or sharp power, where the cultural advantages are used strategically to secure national interests. Building an International Airport at the Buddhist pilgrim centre of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh by Modi government is one such example of smart power in action.
While we should continue to benefit from our growing bonds with America and other western powers, we must never give up on the core principles of foreign policy set at the time of independence that include Asian centrality, inclusivity, and strategic autonomy. While China is a ‘risen power,’ India is the ‘rising power’ in the region and if strategised well, it has the potential to play the pivotal role in building a ‘world union’ envisaged by Aurobindo and other leaders of independence on the basis of a resurgent Asianism.

Author Brief Bio: Shri Ram Madhav is an author and thinker who is the Former National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is a Member of the Board of Governors of India Foundation. He also serves as a Member of the National Executive of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). (www.indiafoundation.org) -GoTop


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