For decades, the voice of the Indian broadcasting sector was the All India Radio (AIR) station (now Akashvani or Voice from the sky) and public television station Doordarshan, which disseminated news and other information in the vast nation. The two government institutions held sway for decades following India’s independence and were a vital link between the government and the people.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will very soon be on their way to India for their first foreign tour of 2016. It's the first visit to the country for both Kate and William who are said to be eagerly anticipating their 6-day tour. Revealing details of the couple's itinerary, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said the royal visit will mark the start of "a personal relationship with a country that will play a major global role throughout their lives."

In a resounding testimonial to the government's public diplomacy efforts, India has been ranked among the top 10 countries in terms of its digital diplomacy performance, according to a global research and advocacy platform.
 

Aliya Harir was born in 1991 in Karachi, and grew up hating India. As a child, she’d often worry about India attacking Pakistan and ask her father where he’d take her in case an attack happened. But today, she is one of the founding members of the Catalyst, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working for peace. It is a part of the Aaghaz-e-Dosti (start of friendship) initiative, in association with Mission Bhartiyam group of India, to enhance people-to-people relations between India and Pakistan.

India has been ranked in the top 10 nations in terms of its digital diplomacy performance over the last year by Diplomacy Live, a global research, advocacy, consulting and training platform. India and Mexico are the only two countries from the developing world in this list. India's high ranking is despite a relatively modest budget for public diplomacy. 

The glittering World Cultural Festival [...] had the country agog for days. The colorful three-day extravaganza, featuring yoga and meditation sessions, peace prayers and cultural performances by Indian and foreign artists, also boasted a VIP audience in attendance: top Indian politicos including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, corporate honchos and guests from across the world.

In an ongoing decades-long conflict between the two countries, the diplomacy of citizens has the potential to correct the negative image that has embedded in the minds and to change the thinking about each other through face to face interactions. 

All three restaurants have opted to go overseas before expanding beyond their homes bases in India, in an indication of how the Indian restaurant chain is going global, in truly international style, driven by a growing confidence in Indian cuisines, chefs and restaurant brands.