Bollywood vs the terracotta army

Abstract

The exercise of 'hard power' -- military muscle and economic might -- in the 21st century increasingly carries the threat of global disapproval, while the use of 'soft power' lends itself more easily to the Information Age and is becoming a more important asset. China and India appear to be learning this lesson in different ways. Soft power is not about conquering others, but about being yourself; projecting your cultural values on to the global consciousness, either deliberately through the conscious cultivation of foreign publics, or unwittingly through perceptions that emerge from the global mass media. The roots of India's soft power run deep. India's is a civilization that over millennia has offered refuge and religious and cultural freedom to Jews, Parsis, several varieties of Christians, and Muslims. We are a land of rich diversities: I have often observed that we are all minorities in India. Adapted from the source document.