Today, India has an historic opportunity to claim its rightful place. But will India be able to assert itself on the global stage? Will the pride of this resurgent India emerge to counter factors that affect our image? Building Brand India is an imperative we cannot afford to ignore.

As if there were any doubt about India’s mounting anxieties concerning its status vis-à-vis China, the July 12th issue of India Today, India’s largest-circulation newsmagazine, includes an article on Indian versus Chinese soft power that depicts a substantial Indian deficit.

As if there were any doubt about India’s mounting anxieties concerning its status vis-à-vis China, the July 12th issue of India Today, India’s largest-circulation newsmagazine, includes an article on Indian versus Chinese soft power that depicts a substantial Indian deficit.

The MoU seeks to encourage exchange of visits by the cultural, art and literature delegations. To promote cultural relations on heritage, including archaeology, museums and conservation of the ancient monuments.

For years, Bollywood’s producers and directors have favored the pristine backdrop of Switzerland for their films... In the process, they have created an enormous curiosity about things Swiss in generations of middle-class Indians, who are now earning enough to travel here in search of their dreams.

It’s not that often that Bollywood films – better known for formulaic plots and cheesy musical numbers – stir up much international attention for their politics. But the recent announcement here of a film about Adolf Hitler’s last days, his love life, and his supposed connection to India, has raised eyebrows around the world – not to mention the ire of India’s tiny Jewish community.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs recently surveyed respondents in the United States, China, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Japan and India in terms of its influence in the world now and in the next 10 years. Not surprisingly, India was ranked last, says John Lee, a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies.

They call her India’s Miss Manners, and she is at the heart of a multimillion-dollar industry to make Indian companies more competitive globally by improving their workers’ social skills. Pria Warrick has become the guru of graces for a new generation of call-center techies, chief executives, animation artists, MBAs and Bollywood film stars, all of whom are helping drive India’s rise as a world economic power but sometimes without a certain polish.