Discuss the role of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in promoting India's soft power abroad. (UPSC CSE Mains 2018 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 2)
- India’s soft power and cultural diplomacy can influence geopolitics. It is internationally recognized that one of India’s significant global contributions has been the exercise of its soft power, drawing on its ancient cultural and civilizational roots. India possesses a significant amount of soft power, which is the ability to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or force.
- India’s soft power is primarily derived from its rich cultural heritage, diverse traditions, ancient history, and contributions to art, literature, music, cinema, yoga, spirituality, and cuisine. This soft power has enabled India to engage in cultural diplomacy, which involves the use of cultural assets to build bridges, foster understanding, and enhance its international image and influence.
- Cultural bonding can be one of the ways to prevent conflict and promote peace. The pursuit of cultural diplomacy and soft power in India is underpinned by MEA’s institutional structure, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) which was established in 1950 to revive and strengthen India’s cultural relations with the rest of the world.
- The ICCR is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs.
- It was established in 1950 with the aim of promoting Indian culture and its values abroad and fostering cultural exchanges between India and other countries.
Functions
- Organising cultural festivals, performances, exhibitions, and lectures in India and abroad.
- Granting scholarships to foreign students to study in India.
- Offering courses in Indian music, dance, yoga, and languages.
- ICCR has been assigned the responsibility of facilitating the celebration of the International Day of Yoga by Indian Missions/Posts abroad since 2015.
- Collaborating with international organisations, cultural institutions, and foreign governments to promote cultural exchanges.
- In order to promote India’s Soft power and enhance India’s skills of cultural diplomacy and reinforce the dialogues between the civilizations, Council organizes international conferences on subjects like Indology, Buddhism, Sufism, Tagore and other subjects related to Indian culture, philosophy and society.
- These Conferences eventually help the Council to accomplish its resolve to continue to symbolize India’s great cultural and educational efflorescence. To sustain and share this idea to promote India’s rich heritage, these Conferences prove very useful and interactive, with bringing eminent Indians scholars & other international scholars at the same platform.
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