THE intense diplomatic activity in which India is currently engaged has the method and manner of a whirlwind. Top Indian diplomats are all the time visiting different countries to promote and protect Indian interests like never before. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Mr. Ajit Doval, Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, Commerce Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal, Finance Minister Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, Foreign Secretary Mr. Vikram Misri are often out on some or the other diplomatic mission to this or that country.

 

They address issues that pop up in international arena, they present India’s stand to the world, they interpret statements of different leaders such as United States President Mr. Donald Trump -- and back home, they send a message that they are leading the country’s diplomatic campaigns most capably. Just a few days ago, Mr. Ajit Doval was in Russia. Now Dr. Jaishankar has gone to Russia for a 3-day visit. In between these two, Chinese Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi was in India meeting the Prime Minister, the NSA and the EAM. A few days earlier, Dr. S. Jaishankar was in Beijing meeting not just his counterpart but also President Mr. Xi Jinping. And in a few days, Mr. Narendra Modi will go to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) -- for which Mr. Wang extended China’s invitation to Mr. Modi just a day ago. And the news is already in the air that Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin will visit India. What a diplomatic whirlwind, this ! By every indication, the dormant grouping of Russia-India-China (RIC) may get a booster dose in the next some time, in the process giving the United States jitters it deserves. But the most interesting part of the larger story is that India is also partner with the four-nation Quad (supposedly aimed at cornering China -- which India denies vehemently).

 

This complex web of diplomacy is almost beyond common people’s comprehension. But as India, China and Russia are abuzz with joint diplomatic activities, the US President, too, is surrounded by issues whose genesis he does not seem to understand -- the issues of Russia-Ukraine conflict, the purchase of Russian oil by India which Mr. Trump cannot stop, the quick trip of seven European national leaders to Washington to support Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and insist upon Mr. trump not to exclude them from the Ukraine peace negotiations. The world, thus, has become a very busy place in the past couple of years. In that whirlwind, every move appears urgent and every move comes with certain notoriety of being full of dangers and risks. In this whirlwind, the countenance of the Indian leadership is remarkably calm -- as if unmindful of what others may or may not be doing. President Mr. Trump shouts his guts out threatening India with higher tariffs.

 

He issues warnings to India that it could face disastrous consequences of its own actions. India, of course, completes the formality of response in staid officialese, but overall remains unperturbed. That makes Mr. Trump all the more angry since the calm Indian stance flummoxes him no end. In other words, the entire diplomatic arena is abuzz with activity that tests the nerve and verve of every player. And in that crowded field, the Indian diplomatic representatives give an unhurried impression. True, under the calm Indian exterior, there must be waves of inner turbulence, all right. But the manner in which the Indian diplomatic brigade is conducting itself under the Prime Minister’s leadership is remarkable, to say the least. The Indian approach to events in diplomacy, thus, declares itself as belonging to a seasoned player who knows the ropes all too well.