India's Soft Power Paradox: Culturally Strong, Strategically Underinvested | The Reason Why
Published on: Jan. 2, 2026, 7:40 p.m. | Source: NDTV Profit
India today is more economically confident and geopolitically relevant than it has been in decades. Yet culturally, it feels less magnetic. This paradox sits at the heart of India’s soft power challenge. India’s soft power conversation begins with its ancient civilisation. Pluralism, religious tolerance, yoga, hospitality, warmth, Bollywood, food, music, English-speaking ability, and diaspora have always attracted the world. Much of this is true.
