Yoga defines India's soft power: Jaishankar

Brut India

"Millets, Ayurveda, yoga and traditional medicine." Watch how External Affairs minister S Jaishankar highlighted India’s constant push to become a soft power.

Transcript

00:00I mean, say, the K-pop and all those wonderful bands

00:05that they came out with, all the TV serials

00:08that they have done, I think it's been phenomenal.

00:14I think there are things which all of us can learn from it.

00:18The beauty of soft power is it is soft

00:20because it is not driven by the government.

00:23It reflects the creative urges of society.

00:26It reflects the creative urges of society.

00:30My name is Rosita Pohl, I'm 16 years old.

00:33As a fourth-generation Indian Thai,

00:35I have witnessed a lot of Korean soft power here in Thailand.

00:40I would like to see India exert her soft power more.

00:43It's interesting, it depends on where you go in the world.

00:50I found, for example, there'd be parts of the world,

00:53the Gulf, North Africa, Central Asia,

00:57where probably Indian soft power is the strongest.

01:02Culturally, people identify more readily.

01:06But it depends which aspect.

01:09One part, when people speak of culture, of soft power,

01:13and I think that's what you had in mind, too.

01:15I mean, say, the K-pop and all those wonderful bands

01:20that they came out with,

01:22all the TV serials that they have done.

01:27I think it's been phenomenal.

01:29I think there are things which all of us can learn from it.

01:33But it has to happen, it's a very societal-driven activity.

01:39The beauty of soft power is it is soft

01:41because it is not driven by the government.

01:43It reflects the creative urges of society.

01:48Certainly the government can kind of give an enabling mode.

01:52And one very successful example of this

01:54is actually International Day of Yoga.

01:57Think about it.

01:58I mean, until 2014,

02:00it was not that people didn't do yoga abroad.

02:04But once, actually,

02:08Modiji got this inspiration

02:10that we must make it an international celebration,

02:13then he asked us, saying,

02:15go to the UN and get the UN to pass a resolution,

02:19which was passed unanimously.

02:21Then you have seen, actually,

02:23I mean, it's, to my mind, actually,

02:26if I see in the 365 days of a year,

02:30which single day has the largest cultural celebration

02:36in the world?

02:37I think today, actually,

02:38the International Day of Yoga actually hits it.

02:41So it should be an inspiration for us to do other things.

02:47You know, it can be, I mean,

02:49we are today very energetically promoting Ayurveda

02:53and forms of traditional medicine.

02:55WHO has just set up the first global center

02:58of traditional medicine in India, in Jamnagar.

03:01And because, again, COVID has made people much more aware

03:06and open to traditional medicine and wellness.

03:12Or it could be a very different example, you know,

03:14something which we are now going to be pushing.

03:17I'll share with you.

03:19This will now be the international year of the millet, okay?

03:24Now, you know, some of you may remember

03:28eating millets in your youth.

03:30Now, everybody switched to rice and wheat.

03:32But actually, if you look,

03:34what did our parents and grandparents eat?

03:37Almost all of them ate millets.

03:39And millets are very healthy.

03:41They are far more nutritious.

03:43And they require much less water.

03:46And today, when you look at food shortages,

03:49actually, millets can make a huge difference.

03:51So promoting millets itself,

03:53it's also a form of soft power.

03:55You change people's eating styles.

03:59So, and suddenly, it's better than promoting potato chips.

04:02It's like, you know,

04:03it's like, you know, it's like,

04:04it's like, you know, it's like,

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04:07it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:08it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:09it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:10it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:11it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:12it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:13it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:14it's like, it's like, it's like,

04:15it's like, it's like, it's like,

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