Soft power games: Beijing vs Delhi

When the Economist recently concluded a debate on whether China was the right country for hosting the Olympics, it threw up some interesting pointers for Delhi too. The Capital which will be hosting the Commonwealth Games 2010, may want to consider how differently the world thinks today.
Juxtaposed against the might of China's infrastructure developments were questions about its human rights record and whether the quality of its air was suitable for participating sports persons.On the upside, China was being hailed as a place that had become more relaxed and alluring on account of its greater openness, reflecting more soft power. Considerations of its military might and N-tipped arsenal, however, were completely absent.
For some years now, the world has been wearing different lenses and much now depends on what is called soft power: the ability to attract and influence people ideologically without coercion. It encompasses everything from human development and cultural expression to food, drink and street life.
IT WORKS BETTER | Suhel Seth, specialist in marketing and advertising, is not surprised by this change in world opinion. Without discounting the importance of hard infrastructure for host cities, he agrees that soft power is here to stay "because it works better" and it's time Delhi starts planning for it before the Games are around the corner. While hard infrastructure such as the BRT corridor, a Games village, monorails, Metro and stadia are important for Delhi, these are no longer the only prized emblems of a country's pride.
Delhi has a lot going for it. Dilip Cherian, image consultant, believes it's the only Indian city that could rise to meet the challenges and requirements of hosting the Games. "Delhi scores over others," he says, "because of its multi-ethnicity" and "the Punjabi influence also gives it the natural exuberance one needs for the occasion."
Yet, while Cherian believes the city is "awesomely placed", he's not sure the resources for soft power are being tapped or even prepared adequately by the government. On an optimistic note, he says such preparation for a culturally-rich country like India takes only a few months. "For the Chinese who have been a closed society for so long, however, it's an extra effort to build soft power infrastructure like museums, cultural centres, etc," he says.
Seth has a different take. "We should begin by getting rid of our warped sense of soft power. Too often, we go after the low-hanging fruit, and these days, I'm sorry to say, the only thing we have on offer is Bollywood. We have diluted our soft power. Soft power is not just about glamour and glit," he says agitatedly. He rues that we've forgotten icons like Ravi Shankar, Habib Tanvir and Ratan Thaiyam and replaced them with the Bachchans and SRKs.
MUSEUM woes | "We also lack a strategy for marketing," he adds. The National Museum, the premier institution showcasing the country's cultural and historical wealth, is one such example. Located in the heart of the city, the Museum, informs a senior museum official, has no plans for a special display during the Games. "A few ideas were floated during meetings, but there is nothing on paper. There are a number of displays we can put together for the Games, but we have received no special directions from the Union ministry of culture. Neglect plagues the Museum. We had to recently close a few galleries because of seepage through ceilings due to unseasonal showers that Delhi experienced last month," says a senior director. Museum construction, we are told, is carried out by the CPWD.
In China, by contrast, culture is very much part of the Olympic preparation. In a widely-circulated statement, Deng Yijiang, deputy director, National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing said: "The NCPA should serve the Beijing Olympics culturally. The Centre reflects the increasing power of China since opening up 30 years ago. We avail this opportunity to support the Beijing Olympics, while letting more people know about the Centre and the soft power of China." In a specially-organised five-month Olympic season from April to September 2008, the NCPA will put together 153 programmes along with more than 200 educational activities. It's ironic that the NCPA was conceptualised in 1958, but construction work was completed as late as February 2007.
F&B CONCERN | Food and beverages is another central element of soft power. Travel guides on Delhi mention without fail, Old Delhi's fare of skewered kebabs, aromatic biryani and succulent meat in gravies. Yet, poor hygiene and rampant chaos there means a first-time traveller may never experience these delights.
Even in Delhi Haat, the problems persist. A favourite haunt of foreign tourists, the food court here no doubt presents an ideal culinary platform, but is mired in problems of hygiene as flies hover over the food. "Flies are a menace anywhere where food is served in the open," justifies a Delhi Tourism official. However, a stall manager there who travelled to Singapore says, "There too food is served on the streets, but there are no flies. They have excellent systems of refrigeration and storage."
According to a report from Beijing by the Associated Press that appeared in January 2008, food safety has emerged as a sensitive issue before the Olympics, "carrying the potential to ruin China's $40 billion preparations to use the Games to show off a modern nation removed from its agrarian roots." The concern spurred organisers and the government to open the Olympic Food Safety Command Centre to "deal with food emergencies."
In the ultimate analysis, soft power is not just about promoting tourism for Delhi during the Games. Even when the dust settles on the tracks and government-staged galas end, this strategy must continue.
As Dilip Cherian puts it, "A clever city is one that plans what to do with the infrastructure once it's in place; this is all really about legacy management."
paulomi.mehta@timesgroup.com