Leadership; India vs Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew vs Narendra Modi https://t.co/bAh4LsE24n https://t.co/2fL0iFl5Gj

Leadership; India vs Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew vs Narendra Modi https://t.co/bAh4LsE24n pic.twitter.com/2fL0iFl5Gj

— India Outbound (@india_outbound) July 11, 2018

from Twitter : https://twitter.com/india_outbound

New India Conclave: Recognizing and celebrating rural change makers https://t.co/TMpZvZuxJ2 https://t.co/53GQ6kPDR4

New India Conclave: Recognizing and celebrating rural change makers https://t.co/TMpZvZuxJ2 pic.twitter.com/53GQ6kPDR4

— India Outbound (@india_outbound) July 11, 2018

from Twitter : https://twitter.com/india_outbound

New India Conclave: Recognizing and celebrating rural change makers

The heart of India lies in the villages and the youth of rural India is its pulse. Many great ideas, initiatives, and aspirations are born here, and survive against the toughest of odds. In spite of this, rural India and especially its youth are not recognized. As someone belonging to and having lived in a village, I understood and wished to change this scenario. Thus, the idea of New India Conclave through the Y4D Foundation was born.

The Y4D Foundation is a platform for the country’s youth to express and develop in various walks of life. The New India Conclave is an initiative that further lends an opportunity, especially to the rural youth, for their voice to be heard. While their city counterparts get relatively easier access and exposure vis-à-vis their work, the rural youth are often far removed from it.

 

Their great innovations are shaping the future of the country, but are rarely in the spotlight, and are not widely known or appreciated. It is an untapped potential, one which is the true strength of India and yet not in the collective eye. Through New India Conclave, youth achievers from the villages are invited to come forth and present their thoughts, ideas and innovations to the country and the world. Their due recognition is also a prime objective of the New India Conclave.

These achievers are ordinary people who are making a difference in their own extraordinary way.

The recognition is thus a token of appreciation and a form of encouragement for them to carry their work forward with gusto. With this thought in mid, we have designed our nomination categories in the following way:

 

Nominees under these categories will be honoured as achievers in their chosen path, and will be celebrated as inspirations for others.

 

What makes the New India Conclave even more special is the participation of thought leaders from various fields of excellence. This covers an entire spectrum of people, from social workers to bureaucrats, right up to the Chief Ministers of various states and the honourable Prime Minister of India.

We met all these dignitaries and presented our ideas. These were met with enthusiasm and a belief that this initiative will yield positive and inspirational results. Their presence at the conclave is a value addition of guidance and insight that fuels the raw passion of the innovators. Every expert invited is a beacon of light being shed in that domain, lighting up a new path of progress for trailblazers to explore. Keeping this in mind, we have arranged the panel discussion with the topics of Rural Development and Youth Participation, Skilling and Opportunities of Business in Rural Areas, and Aspirations of the Rural Youth and the Government Roadmap. The brand ambassador of this conclave is an actor with recent socially relevant films to his name, Mr. Akshay Kumar. The campaign, inaugurated at his hands on 1st of May, 2018 will conclude on July 16, 2018 with the Conclave at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

 

With this background, I would like to urge you to nominate a rural achiever whose work has inspired you. The nomination process is user friendly and can be found on our website http://www.y4d.newindiaconclave.in/, which is available in 12 Indian languages. Similarly, if you wish to make a difference, you can also volunteer with us for this fulfilling cause. The steps to register yourself as a volunteer can also be found on the website.

 

Through our representatives and your participation, we can ensure that our heroes from rural India get their rightful place under the sun. Join us and strengthen our efforts for them to find their platform. The time has come for the villages of India to assert the importance of their achievements in all aspects of life. It is time to say ‘Ab Bari Hamari’!

source https://www.indiaoutbound.org/new-india-conclave-recognizing-and-celebrating-rural-change-makers/

Building India’s Soft Power Since 1893

 

We are not talking about a start-up in the 21st century! Instead we go back to the late 19th century, specifically 1893, when a young monk crowdsourced his way to represent Hinduism at the World Parliament of Religion in immediate post-civil war America. The young man, Swami Vivekananda, representing a country under the yoke of colonialism, transformed how people looked at India through a series of speeches – a defining moment in India’s history of soft power.

 

Beginning with “Brothers and Sisters” rather than the traditional “ladies and gentlemen”, he embodied the “better angels of our nature” by welcoming everyone as his equal, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion or colour. And gender too. By acknowledging the women in the assembled audience, he was undoubtedly in the vanguard of progressive thought, in those days, not just in the US but across the world that was dominated by oppressive colonialism.

Within such a context, the call for equality of all individuals irrespective of their origins or stature in life was not only progressive but could be considered truly revolutionary. Vivekananda firmly extended the same spirit of equality to all religions.  

“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true,” he said.

“As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.”

At the final address he went on to say:

“It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character.

In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, 

I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance: “Help and not fight,” “Assimilation and not Destruction,” “Harmony and Peace and not Dissension.”

Could any message be more relevant in today’s world wherein we have seen destruction and the worst forms of human depravity in the name of religion?

The haunting images of the inhumane plight of the Syrians, Rohingyas and most recently, children/toddlers being locked up in cages in the 21st century, supposedly the “beacon on the hill” for human freedom, show that this holds true even for the refugee crisis that has become a sore point in the US, European Union, Middle East and Asia Pacific due to lack of safety and opportunity.

Here was a young monk, in the 19th century, who was proud of his country, despite the humiliating backdrop of colonial oppression, and represented his heritage of welcoming people of diverse identities, without forcing them to amalgamate.

“I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.”

He ended his speech with the words:

“I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”

His speeches in Chicago in 1893 embodied India’s spirit and provided the foundation of modern India’s soft power that is celebrated globally today.  As New York Herald pointed out “He is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing him, we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries to this learned nation.”

source https://www.indiaoutbound.org/building-indias-soft-power-since-1893/

Building India’s Soft Power Since 1893 https://t.co/AFekqiPw96 https://t.co/dY4HLdhSSV

Building India’s Soft Power Since 1893 https://t.co/AFekqiPw96 pic.twitter.com/dY4HLdhSSV

— India Outbound (@india_outbound) July 6, 2018

from Twitter : https://twitter.com/india_outbound

INDIA’S MIXED PERFORMANCE IN THE ASIA POWER INDEX

The economic transformation of Asia is profoundly reshaping the global power distribution and consequently influencing global war and peace relations. In this context, the Lowy Institute’s 2018 Asia Power Index conjures a cogent image of the current and future balance of power in the world. It is an analytical tool that ranks 25 countries and territories according to their respective state powers across 8 measures and 114 indicators.

Source: https://power.lowyinstitute.org

 

India’s aspirations to be a global power has been evident in the Modi Government’s attempts to consolidate India’s role in the Asia-Pacific region politically as well as diplomatically. The 2018 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi saw the coming together of ten ASEAN leaders, as a prolific symbol of India’s “Act East” policy that aims to make the North-East a gateway to India for Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore. However, in order to protect domestic interests vis-à-vis geo-political and security concerns in areas like Kashmir and the South China Sea, India and Bhutan are the only countries to not sign China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. India’s “neighbourhood first” approach to foreign policy hinges upon strategically utilizing geographical advantages, shared cultural heritage and economic complementarities for the promotion of regional peace and economic integration.

The country is ranked 3rd in terms of cultural influence and future trends, 4th in terms of economic resources, military capability and diplomatic influence and 5th on the resilience parameter. India owes its cultural influence to its rich cultural heritage, sizeable diaspora and English language media.  While India’s military resources, spending and partnerships (defense consultations, arms procurement and joint training) have fared well in the assessment, a low score (ranked 10th) in terms of defense networks reflects limited military influence, particularly in terms of a poor military-industrial base, subsequent lack of arms transfers as well as limited deployment or force projection capabilities.

India also scored low in economic relationships (ranked 7th) as barring the overall GDP, India performed poorly on most economic indicators like international leverage (6th), connectivity (7th), and technology (14th) due to lack of rupee reserves and transactions, poor productivity and low R&D spending. High dependence on energy and imports of raw materials led to India being ranked 6th in geo-economic security and 11th in economic diplomacy due to paucity of free trade agreements.

Poor scores in institutional stability, or government effectiveness, public health and civil unrest has further hampered India’s performance in the Power Index. Since Asia is fast becoming a polarized hotspot for intensifying security pressures in the military, economic and diplomatic spaces, India must objectively assess its hard and soft power, and effectively integrate both, especially by addressing the crucial strategic gaps that have emerged between India and the Top 2 countries.

 

The economic and military gap between US, China and India:

 

 

The US relies heavily on its military supremacy to sustain its devolving position in Asia. Meanwhile, China is strengthening its economic relationships and strategic agenda (Belt and Road initiative). The current American stance on free trade will force the US to lose its competitive edge over China. It is predicted that by 2030, China will be the most powerful country in the Asia-Pacific region, with a GDP twice of that of the US. However, China’s stature is shaky considering its dependence on energy imports and vulnerability to military and strategic counterbalances from its neighboring countries, given its active territorial and boundary disputes in play with India, Japan, Vietnam and other regions in the South China Sea.

 

India must strategically position itself to contest Chinese economic influence and American military capabilities by using their weaknesses as opportunities for becoming a benign global power. The fact that India lags in terms of its defense networks is especially a matter of concern given the political volatility of the Asia-Pacific region. India’s performance in the Index provides a roadmap of sorts to consolidate its position in the global balance of power by improving its scores and rankings across the multiple indicators, thereby realizing its prophesied potential as a formidable Asian giant.

source https://www.indiaoutbound.org/indias-mixed-performance-in-the-asia-power-index/

INDIA’S MIXED PERFORMANCE IN THE ASIA POWER INDEX https://t.co/4qisZagDx2 https://t.co/ceNZox2SIu

INDIA’S MIXED PERFORMANCE IN THE ASIA POWER INDEX https://t.co/4qisZagDx2 pic.twitter.com/ceNZox2SIu

— India Outbound (@india_outbound) July 5, 2018

from Twitter : https://twitter.com/india_outbound