UNCERTAINTY and anxiety are the two major emotions that the world is displaying in the present times even as set norms are facing unseen challenges. Military conflicts are taking new shapes threatening to engulf wider regions, terrorism is peaking with new vengeance to disturb peace and prosperity, and Donald Trump is practicing shocking ambivalence to rock the international economy with his now-on-now-off tariff threats. It’s a topsy-turvy world, evoking panic and fear each passing day. Amid these storms India is standing firm, with a remarkable poise and persistence. It has created a panache of its own with calibrated responses and long-term goals as the country has opened doors for the world to come in. It now needs to add a new chapter in the present playbook to deal with its enemies and their sponsors. How India has dealt with the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States President Donald Trump can be a good study for emerging economies.

 

The US remains India’s biggest trade partner but the dangers of trade deficit were bound to come back to haunt the Indian economy given the desperate economic situation in America. The tariffs did come as a blow for India but its response was not a knee-jerk reaction like China, Japan, Canada and many European nations. New Delhi exercised restraint in face of the Trump Tantrums and found newer ways to take positions opened by the tariff war. The diversification of exports and boost to new sectors, which were below the radar, is a smart strategy employed by India to dodge the bullet. What stands out in this entire exercise is the steady building of indigenous capabilities by using the technology on offer through strategic bilateral ties with powers like the United States, Russia and France. India is now emerging as a strong player in defence production and the government has set new benchmarks for the domestic weapons industry.

 

This is the other side of the coin as the world is engaged in pitched battles with sworn enemies while India is building its industry to stay as a strong power if and when the conflicts escalate into a full-fledged fight between groups of nations. It can be gauged from the defence production and India’s place as a weapons exporter to smaller and emerging economies, especially in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific. Further signals from the chain of developments after the tariff threat show the promise of the future for India. The Vice-President of US, J D Vance, is in India with his family. It is a sign of the proposed trade deal between India and US going in the right direction. Vance has openly expressed his desire for access to the promising Indian markets. At the same time Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is engaging with industry captains in the United States.

 

These are underpinnings of a bright future worked out on a smart strategy. India has clearly factored in the potential threats coming from the maverick US President. It is ready to cede a little ground in deals where it holds weak cards. But New Delhi is ready for a hard bargain on issues where it holds the aces, especially on leveraging geostrategic position in the region and its ability to counter Chinese imperialism. These are indicators of India marching on a steady path despite the upheavals caused by factors not in its control. In the disturbances caused by wars, terrorism and ego-fights, India’s biggest achievement is making the world realise its position and its own interests. Be it purchase of the Russian oil or the neutral positions on Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars, New Delhi has remained steadfast in its stance without joining new-found alignments or purposefully-revived groupings.

 

That India is still sought by a vast comity of nations as a strategic partner in almost every sector underlines the strength of its conviction in having a rules-based world order. It also reflects the growing approval of India’s Sanatan culture whose basic philosophy proclaims the world as one family. Sanatan is being accepted around the world by many faiths as a way of life transcending the barriers of religion. It is visible in the recent visits of foreign delegates who made it a point to visit temples and places of Hindu faith with a good understanding of what those structures stand for and keen interest in exploring the various facets of Hinduism and Sanatan culture. The Kumbh mela witnessed a beeline of foreign leaders, including heads of nations, taking a holy dip at the Sangam. It was a dip of faith in humanity, not confined to any one religion but prodded by the Sanatan thinking of emerging as a better human being for the betterment of fellow humans.

 

A mirror image of this thinking is seen in India’s policies even as New Delhi forges deep bonds with Christian majorities, Muslim nations, Jews and many other faiths who acknowledge the Sanatan thinking of taking benefits to the last man standing. India’s poise in the changing global order has come from the Sanatan thinking and its growing acknowledgement by communities across the globe. New Delhi will continue to shape its responses on the foundation of this thinking, despite the rabid reactions from “misguided seculars” within the country and elements seeking destabilisation of India. The Sanatan thinking now calls for a grinding response to those incorrigible minds using terror as a tool to peddle their dirty ideology. Time has come for India to reply to such monsters in a language they understand. It is time for a massive, calibrated and debilitating answer to the enemies of Sanatan culture. The world will definitely understand. For, Sanatan finds its core in the larger good of humanity and terrorism is a curse for humankind.