“You are the symbols of India’s soft power. You are the unofficial ambassadors, the cultural ambassadors,” Indian President Pranab Mukherjee told expatriates in Windhoek, Namibia, last week. The Southwest African nation has barely 300 expatriates, a miniscule part of a 30 million diaspora spread globally that is being rallied as never before. Mukherjee chose this motley group of businessmen and professionals to propose “a new relationship” with the entire continent of Africa. 

Every community in India has its own recipes, spices and cooking techniques. Or regions and states have the same general dish - but with their own unique twist. But food is not just limited to feasting. Indians stay focused on food even when fasting. [...] Indians also use food as a beautiful way of honouring the dead and celebrating life.

Millions of people across the world are marking the second International Yoga Day on June 21. The brainchild of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is an enthusiastic yoga practitioner himself, the UN-sponsored day has been endorsed by an unprecedented 175 countries, including Qatar.

Thailand’s delegation signed three major agreements during the visit, including an action plan for cultural exchange and two MoUs; between Nagaland University and Chiang Mai University for further cooperation in education, and between India’s Axis Bank and Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank.

Until today, the Muslim and Hindu cultural exchange has been so strong in the villages of Barmer and Jaisalmer districts, that it becomes almost close to impossible to segregate a Muslim from a Hindu or a Hindu from a Muslim from just their attire or language.

The clinics are part of the Berklee India Exchange, an initiative aimed at establishing a platform for cultural conversation about Indian music through artist residencies, musical collaborations, and performances. [...] Last year, they were held in Mumbai and Delhi. This year, the clinics were also held in Bengaluru.

In a school hall in Dujiangyan — the home of Taoism — hundreds of young people, from all parts of the country, elbowed for mat space, to soak in from an authentic Indian master, the finer points of Yoga, which has become the new spearhead of India’s soft-power push in China.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in May 2014. [...] His political mandate to foster economic growth has become a tool to reach out to the international community and, simultaneously, to reshape India’s image. His interactions with political leaders from other countries have generally increased global interest in India and gained favourable comment in the foreign press.