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ShareMysore: India should add its 'soft power' to its military and economic might to become a superpower, Union minister Shashi Tharoor said today.
Hollywood, MTV and McDonald have done more for American soft power than any specific government activity, the minister of State for External Affairs said at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference here.
Defining the "soft power" as the ability of a country to attract others with its culture, social values and foreign policies, Tharoor said India can join the rank of global superpowers with the impact of Bollywood, yoga, cuisine, ayurveda and others.
He also termed the Alliance Francaise, British Council and Beijing Olympics as parts of soft power of France, Britain and China respectively.
"In today's world, it's not the size of the army that wins. It's the country that tells better story, India is and must remain a land of better story," he added.
Combination of economic and military strength, among others, "aligned to something else....attraction of India's culture... soft power... ability to attract others", would make the country the 21st century superpower, he said, citing the popularity of Indian TV serials in Afghanistan, Bollywood movies in Senegal, Indian restaurants in Britain and fame of
Indian IT professional overseas as some examples.
