Leadership Talk  by  Mr. Vinay Sahasrabudhe President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)

The live session of Leadership talk by Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was conducted on 16th April 2020.  Faculty members and students of Manav Rachna University attended the session.

Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe explained that Indian Philosophy is a narrative around Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which is the key feature of soft power. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found in Maha Upanishad which means “the world is one family”. Other factors like epic, mythology, our art forms including classical dance (Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi etc.) and even Bolywood movies are ingredients of soft power. The way Indians behave, deal with global community underscores the strength of soft power. It is a persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of economic or cultural influence.

ICCR has launched a program under which people from all walks of life can come and stay for 8 days with family to understand Indian family system. Indian view of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in human crisis is to extend help to global community, considering world is one family. So, he concluded the session stating that India’s soft power will be extremely relevant in post-COVID era.