INDIA is a “friendly, fair, firm and fiery” nation, as the world sees it, says Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar. This new identity of India, obviously, is an acquisition of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his Government that has completed two terms of five years each. As Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Jaishankar is privy to how the world sees India, and articulates that observation in deft words -- giving every Indian a sense of innate pride in being an Indian. Of course, for patriotic Indians, the country has always been a point of uncompromisable pride. But in the last ten years, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has added a special spice to being Indian. Under his leadership, the country is now known as a “friendly, fair, firm and fiery” nation that the world has come to respect. This may not look like a tangible gain for India, all right -- from the Opposition’s political point of view. But for the average and apolitical Indians, being known as a friendly, fair, firm and fiery country is certainly a matter of pride. Dr. Jaishankar is smart to pick up fine nuances of India’s new identity, new story -- and of course new role to play on the global stage.

 

Countless instances to prove right all the glorious epithets are now available in public domain. The manner in which the Prime Minister conducts himself and leads India’s diplomacy in gathering of peers, the manner in which the larger diplomatic ecosystem works on international issues, the manner in which India has been able to marshal its military prowess effectively to make diplomacy more meaningful, the manner in which India uses its economic advantages to help the needy countries around the world and ensures reciprocal respect from them, the manner in which India has been able to enlist the support of the Indian diaspora around the world to build a new India away from India .... ! All these and many more of India’s rising status on world stage have made India different from its previous avatar. Today, India’s is an altogether different story. There were times when an entrepreneur took about 8-9 months to get permission to import necessary computers and their hardware and software -- of course, in a limited quantity. Today, India has an atmosphere in which it can import and export anything and in any numbers. The world has not missed anything of these new dimensions of India. It has seen how India does not hesitate to deploy its armies on the border in real time if a problem arises.

 

Today, India can become a global pharmacy when the world was in dire need of anti-corona virus vaccine. Today, India sends billions of dollars to any needy country and help its economy. And that is possible because India has a leader -- or leadership -- who has the courage and knowledge to stand up and get counted on global scheme of things. And because India has displayed all these qualities of a good nation, it has earned many friends -- thanks to its fair dealings, thanks to its firm dealings, thanks to its fiery approach if need arose. All Dr. Jaishankar has done is only to verbalise the universal experience about India. In stating such a reality in such wonderful words, Dr. Jaishankar, thus, has given the Indians a truly sumptuous food for thought about their own nation. When such a projection of India’s growing prowess is made, the time is not going to be far when India gets permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council as well -- which would be a mark of the rapid advances India has made in different fields. For every Indian, no matter his political or ideological affiliation, this is a great time to feel very proud of India and being an Indian.