EAM Jaishankar Expounds on ‘Why Bharat Matters’ at Raisina Dialogue 2024

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 24th Feb. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shed light on the essence of his latest book, “Why Bharat Matters,” during his address at the Raisina Dialogue 2024. Emphasizing the significance of understanding India’s role in the global landscape, Jaishankar underscored the country’s projected prominence in the forthcoming decades and centuries.

In elucidating the rationale behind his literary endeavor, Jaishankar articulated, “I wrote the book because I was really convinced it was important to present an argument today why, whether you are a national of this country or whether you are someone living abroad, it’s important to understand, why Bharat matters, that we will be bigger in everybody’s lives in the coming decade and the coming century.”

Jaishankar delved into the thematic contours of his book, delineating its exploration of global dynamics, including the ramifications of globalization, technological advancements, and the digital realm. He remarked, “It’s about globalization, the advances of globalization, but also the shortcomings, and problems created by globalization. It’s about technology and digital and how, again, they hold such great promise, but they have made us in many ways so vulnerable.”

Furthermore, Jaishankar explained on the overarching relevance of foreign policy elucidated in “Why Bharat Matters,” elucidating its pertinence to individuals beyond the realm of diplomatic discourse. He articulated, “It’s about telling people not involved in foreign policy why foreign policy matters to you.”

Transitioning to his subsequent publication, “The India Way,” Jaishankar juxtaposed its thematic focus with that of his preceding work. He delineated, “The first one was about the way, the second is about India’s significance in people’s lives.” The choice of terminology, “Bharat,” in “Why Bharat Matters,” as opposed to “The India Way,” was explained as an effort to encapsulate the transformative ethos pervading Indian society, polity, and worldview. Jaishankar expounded, “I’m trying to capture, a kind of transformation that has taken place in our society, in our polity, in our mindset, in our approach to the world.”