Based in Delhi Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad (ARSP), also referred to as the Indian Council for International Cooperation, has been working on diaspora issues for four decades. It has forged closer ties with immigrant Indians that include the Girmitya diaspora, the Dollar diaspora and the Gulf diaspora. ARSP also prides itself on running a Roma center that has cemented ties with Roma community forces in Europe, whose relationship with India dates back nearly 1,000 years.
Story of India talks to Virendra Gupta, President of ARSP and former Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago and South Africa. He was also Deputy Director General of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyzes (IDSA) and Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Ambassador Gupta talks about the changing narrative of Indian diplomacy in a volatile world, how the diaspora views India with new confidence, and how India should shape its foreign policy in the near future.
Excerpt from the interview:
IN: How has Indian diplomacy progressed in the last seven decades?
Gupta: We have moved from ideological anchors to purely national interest. I think at a certain point in our foreign policy we were quite delusional.
Now, we have gathered the strength and courage to properly articulate our national interest. We are much more agile and much safer because of advances in economics and technology.
We must remember that this belief of today stems from what we have created for ourselves since the time of independence.
No ambiguity in India’s foreign policy – well defined and clearly structured in our national interest – compliments FM @DrSJaishankar #IndiaAt75 @aropra01 @Crystal_x_Clear pic.twitter.com/JCniJQBrau
— RAKESH VAID (@rakeshvaid) August 6, 2022
IN: With major global developments happening around us, how do you see India’s foreign policy evolving in the future?
Gupta: Our foreign policy must have our national interest in mind. We have reached that litmus test where we know our strengths in today’s complex world.
Often, I hear social media chatter about India being a vishwa guru (world leader) or that we should play a mediating role in the Ukraine conflict, and also that we should play a bigger role in international affairs. I don’t think we’ve reached that stage yet.
An overreach could lead to catastrophes in foreign policy. We need to be very focused on our business mind and have our global exposure. India believes in the policy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is a family), but this happens in a long-term perspective.
Last year Afghanistan was in turmoil after the Taliban took power. Afghanistan is in the immediate vicinity. Once again people said that we should help bring different groups together in Afghanistan. I don’t think these are practical ideas and I think we now know where we stand in world affairs.
Also, I’d like to see inside. We still have a lot of unfinished business on the development front – poverty, housing, food, education and electrification. Therefore, we need necessary exposure to global issues and must be aware of domestic resources and challenges.
IN: At ARSP you are actively working with the Indian diaspora and engaging with foreign academics. Do expats see us in a different light now?
Gupta: The diaspora sees a growing India and takes a great degree of pride in association with India. There has also been a greater degree of acceptance of India’s cultural and soft power. I would venture to say, India has been put on the high pedestal of cultural power. Indian patterns and motifs are becoming fashionable. India is the toast of times and, I am not exaggerating.
I am making a comparison between the last three-four decades till now. There was a time when you saw an Indian in New York and you would think he was an illegal immigrant or a small shop owner. Now you see an Indian and think he is creating software. India’s brand image has grown significantly.
If I remember correctly, Shashi Tharoor had mentioned somewhere that there was a time when people from India’s neighborhood said that they are not Indians. Now those people are happy to be called Indian, even South Asian, even when they know they are not.
I vividly remember that as High Commissioner in Trinidad, I was told that previously children in schools would not open Indian food in front of other students. They would eat their hidden food. Then came a time when Indians would celebrate Diwali for 1.5 months. Every major government department would celebrate Diwali and the streets would be illuminated in a grand manner. People began to take pride in wearing their costumes and serving Indian food, even inviting their friends over for meals and parties. There is a sea change in attitudes.
I see a sense of pride in India as a country. It has a growing brand image of India.
Our culture has not changed, it remains the same. We have changed. Our people have developed the confidence to connect with our culture.
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IN: How does the world perceive India now?
Gupta: The world sees India as a rising power and that explains almost everything. As India rises, there is new admiration in the world. So what’s the difference? At one time we were a colonized nation. British rule left us poor, left us exhausted.
We were a weak nation. But we had claims to be a world leader. Jawaharlal Nehru had a certain vision, he had great knowledge, but he was delusional in his understanding of the world.
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was a good thing. At that time it was not wise to join a camp and it turned out right. We got the advantage from both blocs – Western and Communist. The US thought that India was a Soviet satellite. Despite this, India was the recipient of the largest US aid. But the world never took us seriously.
We prided ourselves on leading the NAM with over a hundred countries. But we were not taken seriously.
I think our policy hasn’t changed much since then. We are still ‘uncommitted’ in a sense, but now, the world takes us seriously. For example – look at the stand India has taken on the Russia-Ukraine war. Both sides keep us in touch with their views. We have kept our national interest in mind. The result is that Russia thinks that we have maintained our old friendship with them, while we have been able to balance the US as well.
India is seen as a tolerant and liberal society, except for a few digs here and there. Take for example the Gulf countries where we have good relations with both Sunni and Shia countries.
Many portray Modi as a Hindu, right-wing government. It’s not true. I think he understands India’s national interest. Whatever he has done on the global stage is designed to secure our national interest.
Now look at Pakistan. It is a very big place. It is also powerful. The world no longer looks at Pakistan as a trustworthy nation. In fact, it has become a must to visit Pakistan. If you have several Pakistan visas stamped in your passport, you are looked at with suspicion by other countries.
IN: ARSP has done considerable work with the diaspora. With the rapidly changing world, are you changing in some ways?
Gupta: The basic motto of ARSP is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and we approach our relations with our neighbors in that broad perspective. We are focusing a lot these days on promoting people contacts with Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh. We are promoting the concept of one-sided, non-reciprocal relations with our neighbors. This broadly means that India should not expect reciprocity with some countries in our relations. Their well-being is also our well-being – a concept that Indians must understand.
We must allow our neighbors autonomous, sovereign space and they must not feel that they are dominated or overwhelmed by India. Indians must understand that some of the demands in the neighborhood cannot be met by India alone. Their demands are far greater than we ever imagine.
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