India and the race for Soft Power

Earlier i.e. pre Cold War period nations are compared on the basis of quantitative metrics such as population, concrete military assets, gross domestic product[GDP] and many more.But post Cold War an Harvard University professor Joseph Nye introduced a term 'soft power'' which compare nations on the basis of culture,traditions,music,literature,sports,etc.

These days a lot of talks is going on this topic[soft power] throughout the world.But India is making the most of this so-called soft power.This is because of rich cultural heritage,traditions,diverse society that this land inherits.Hard power is necessary but it has got limitations.Afghanistan and Iraq has taught us that the side with large army does not always win,but a land with more diverse culture always have an upper side than these big guns.

This is not new.When France lost war in 1870 to Prussia,one thing that French did was rebuild their cultural heritage and art to prove their worth which is appreciated in entire world today.

India is leading in the same path.Indian dance,art,music,fashion,movies have the same effect in the world.This is evident.Bollywood is already making its presence felt in global scenario through entries in Oscars and many more international awards ceremonies.It is Indians who had won beauty pageants maximum times.A.R. Rehman had taken Indian music to another level.Zakir Hussain,and many more through their contributions to classical music made India proud in global stage.

In recent time,Indians also registered their names in Booker and Pulitzer Prizes.F.M Hussain,S.H. Raza dominated the field of art in international level.Even in the field of sports India is tightening its nuts and bolts.

India has the largest poll of engineers,doctors,and scientists throughout the world.Even U.S.A Presidents once asked his people to start learning Mathematics and Science so that Indians does not acquire their jobs.IITS and IIMS made their presence felt.Though MIT,STANFORD,OXFORD are best in world but still IIT entrance paper is considered toughest in the world.

All these indicate that India is heading in the right direction and will be able to create a new image for itself as a responsible power.

way to go India.......

From the desk of a Ganguly fan

Sourav Ganguly____the name is not new in the world of cricket nor it is worth forgetting. A legend who gives batting a new definition. A captain who teaches world how to lead like a king.But these is not all we can say about this batting legend who crossed 10,000 run mark in record matches.He is a man of strong heart,well determined and knows how to bounce back on his critics.

He is the one who introduced many cricketers{Yuvraj Singh,Mohammad Kaif,Harbhajan Singh,Irfan Pathan,Zaheer Khan,Ashish Nehra} to international cricket and in the process of building a strong team to fulfill the dream of every Indian of getting world cup to India he lost his place in the team.Greg Chappel {most likely to be known as former coach of Indian cricket team}theory says ''survival of the fittest" when this batting legend was not in the best of form and made every arrangement for his exit from international cricket but this man deserves something better than this.He made the selectors think on his prospect once again through his performances in domestic and county cricket and made a re-entry to team{this time more powerful and focused than before}and gave his critics a set back.

Though India made a shameful exit from world cup but still no body demurred on his performance and capabilities.


Since most likely many changes can be seen in Indian dressing room, we can hope to see this legend once again leading the team from the front and more important can see India winning matches.......