Prof. Ashwini Chhatre at the Deccan Dialogue Conference

Ease of global travel, the rise of social media and an empowered diaspora have helped project India’s rich cultural and constitutional heritage making India a major soft power state in the world. Various facets of soft power like Bollywood, TV serials, Yoga, Ayurveda, political pluralism and religious diversity have facilitated in their significant way India’s economic engagement with the rest of world and also opened up new opportunities for Indian business. Cultural affinity plays a significant role in gaining trust and clinching trade and investment deals. Soft power and economic diplomacy go hand in hand. Businesses and policymakers need to pay more attention to these aspects. An agenda that calls for focused deliberations in this context is the internationalisation of higher education and how it can strengthen India’s stand as a ‘soft power’ and can be leveraged as a useful tool of economic diplomacy.

Kieran Drake, Minister Counsellor, Political and Press, British High Commission

Nitin Pai, Co-Founder and Director of Takshashila Institution

M V Rajeev Gowda, Hon’ble Member of Parliament

Rujuta Diwekar, Nutrition and Exercise Science Expert

Chair: Ashwini Chhatre, Associate Professor and Academic Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business