Sanskritisation: The way forward

The third and final day of Arth, a Cultural Festival, opened with a session on 'Conquest without Coercion: India's Civilizational Outreach'. Panellists discussed the declining reach of the Indian culture and ways to take it beyond the geographical and political extent of India.

With panellists coming from different backgrounds, the discussion focused on how Indian culture should expand its reach globally through 'Sanskritisation', diplomacy and by leveraging its uniqueness.

The session was moderated by Anurag Saxena, an Indian activist, author and commentator. Saexna is the founder of India Pride Project, a volunteer-led effort to bring back India's stolen heritage. On the panel of discussion were Hari Kiran Vadlamani, venture investor and social entrepreneur based out of Singapore and the founder of The Indic Academy; Prasenjit Basu, author of 'Asia Reborn' and 'India as a new Global Leader'; Sudhir Devare, the first Indian ambassador to Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia; and Dr Shimon Lev, Israeli artist, curator and researcher.

Vadlamani, through a presentation, 'Strategies for Leveraging India's Soft Power', explained how India's 'soft power' can be harnessed at a global level. Cultural components unique to India -- such as craft, tourism, yoga, Ayurveda, ecology, and religion and spirituality -- need to be used to the country's benefit. Vadlamani, through think tanks, research, and conferences wants to build a model to understand the consumption of Indian culture across the top 50 cities of the world and intends to invest on companies that deliver cultural products, services or experiences. He also talks about City of Unity, a cluster in southern Goa, where artisans and economies of scale can exist and work together.

Basu, on the other hand, expressed his views on the popularity of Indian culture abroad, especially in Southeast Asia and the Far East. "Since the birth of Christ," Basu says, "India accounted for a major part of the world economy. In countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, Sanskrit epics, names and words have been adopted. For example, the royal family of Thailand carries the name 'Ram'. However, the use of Sanskrit names in India is declining."

With the help of his experience in diplomacy, Devare explains how Indian culture can structurally place its foot in other countries. As one culture interacts with another, there is absorption and assimilation of cultures. "India has created assets for itself through its culture. But the biggest impact of Indian culture has been on Southeast Asia and the Far East," he said.

Whereas, Lev suggested that in Israel, India is viewed as was 'Orientalist' since Greek times. Sanskrit studies and yoga have become popular in Israel too, he said, with yoga, according to him, being India's biggest export. However, he rued the fact that research and views on the subjects come from foreign scholars and not Indians themselves.

The panel agreed that Sanskritisation is essential towards cementing Indian culture's identity globally.

DIPLOMACY TO RESCUE

• With the help of his experience in diplomacy, Sudhir Devare explains how Indian culture can structurally place its foot in other countries. As one culture interacts with another, there is absorption and assimilation of cultures. “India has created assets for itself through its culture. But the biggest impact of Indian culture has been on Southeast Asia and the Far East,” he said