Bharat: The Silent Superpower Sustaining the Modern World
Paromita Das
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 2nd June: In a global order often dominated by loud displays of power—through military, money, or media—Bharat has taken a different path. Its influence is not heralded with headlines or backed by imperial ambition. Instead, Bharat’s global role is marked by quiet strength, enduring contribution, and constructive engagement. It doesn’t demand attention, but it commands respect. It uplifts rather than dominates, sustains rather than controls. And while the world often overlooks it, Bharat has become one of the essential backbones of the modern global order.
An Ancient Engine of Progress
Bharat’s current global role is not an anomaly. Its foundations were laid thousands of years ago. As one of the oldest living civilizations, Bharat has historically driven the progress of humanity—not through conquest, but through innovation, philosophy, and knowledge. As early as the 1st millennium BCE, Bharatiya scholars had developed groundbreaking mathematical concepts such as zero, algebra, and trigonometry. Astronomers like Aryabhata calculated the Earth’s rotation, while philosophers explored the nature of consciousness, ethics, and governance.
During ancient and medieval periods, Bharat was a global hub of education. The universities of Nalanda and Takshashila were magnets for scholars from across Asia and the Middle East. Bharatiya medical practitioners, working centuries before modern science formalized anatomy and surgery, performed complex procedures and documented holistic treatments that continue to influence global health systems through Ayurveda.
Moreover, Bharat’s economic role in the ancient world was immense. It contributed over 25% of global GDP up to the 17th century, producing textiles, spices, steel, and knowledge that circulated through the Silk Road and maritime trade routes. Bharat did not expand through colonization; it expanded through sharing. This long legacy of contribution created the intellectual soil in which modern civilization took root.
The Modern Tech and Pharma Backbone
In today’s digital age, Bharat plays a different but equally vital role: that of a global talent and infrastructure powerhouse. While it may not lead the world in GDP rankings—yet—it drives systems that underpin global technology, health, and innovation.
Bharat now powers the information systems of the world’s largest corporations. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta depend on vast teams of Bharatiya engineers to maintain everything from artificial intelligence algorithms to cloud platforms. Google Pay was refined in Bharat. Amazon’s logistics AI is built by Bharatiya developers. Microsoft employs over 15,000 Bharatiya engineers who sustain key enterprise systems globally. Even Apple has moved large portions of its supply chain to Bharat, from iPhone assembly to chip design.
Meanwhile, in pharmaceuticals, Bharat is the largest supplier of generic medicines globally, accounting for 20% of global supply by volume. During the COVID-19 crisis, Bharat’s Serum Institute became the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, shipping over 250 million doses to 100 countries. Without Bharat, millions would have lacked access to life-saving vaccines and treatments.
Bharat has also become the world’s digital public infrastructure laboratory. Its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed over 100 billion transactions in 2023 and is being adopted in countries across Southeast Asia and Africa. Aadhaar, the biometric ID system covering over 1.3 billion people, is the largest digital identity program in the world and a model for other developing nations.
The World’s Talent Reservoir
Bharat’s single most transformative export may be its human capital. Its diaspora and domestic workforce are reshaping industries and institutions across the globe. CEOs of Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, and others are of Bharatiya origin. Bharatiya-born doctors, scientists, and engineers dominate healthcare systems from the UK to the US, helping fill critical gaps in aging and strained workforces.
Bharat produces nearly 1 million engineers each year and over 80,000 medical graduates, many of whom go on to serve internationally. Its education system, while imperfect, continues to be a talent incubator for cutting-edge industries from AI to climate technology. Bharat is not just exporting services—it’s exporting knowledge, solutions, and leadership.
A Compassionate Global Partner
Unlike many emerging powers, Bharat’s global influence is not rooted in control or coercion. It doesn’t seek to rewrite international borders or dominate trade through debt diplomacy. Instead, Bharat invests in partnerships based on mutual growth.
During global crises, Bharat often acts first and asks for little. It was among the first responders after the 2004 tsunami, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, and the 2023 Turkey-Syria disaster. In 2022, when Sri Lanka’s economy collapsed, Bharat provided over $4.5 billion in emergency support—more than any global financial institution.
Through programs like ITEC, Bharat has trained thousands of professionals from developing countries in engineering, healthcare, and public policy. From roads in Afghanistan to digital networks in Africa, Bharat supports infrastructure that builds sovereignty, not dependency.
This humanitarian and developmental outlook—free from empire-building or ideological export—makes Bharat a unique kind of power: a builder of coalitions, not an architect of hierarchy.
What the World Risks Without Bharat
The world’s dependence on Bharat is far deeper than most realize. A slowdown or withdrawal in Bharat’s global engagement would be catastrophic. Tech ecosystems would stall without Bharatiya engineers. Pharmaceutical supply chains would collapse, raising drug prices and reducing access. Disaster response and humanitarian aid would be delayed in dozens of countries.
The result would be geopolitical instability, digital disruptions, and humanitarian setbacks—all exacerbated in a world already stretched thin by climate change, economic inequality, and rising authoritarianism.
The Future Rests on Silent Shoulders
Bharat is not loud, but it is loud in impact. Its engineers power global platforms. Its medicines save lives. Its policies offer scalable, inclusive models for the Global South. And its people—both at home and abroad—anchor the world’s progress with competence, empathy, and quiet brilliance.
While some nations seek to dominate the world, Bharat helps hold it together. It may not always be seen in the spotlight, but behind the systems that make modern life possible, Bharat’s presence is constant, stabilizing, and essential.
The world must recognize Bharat not just as a rising power—but as a structural pillar of our shared future.
