India’s pluralism in the 21st century
The country with the best story wins
I love TED Talks. They almost universally deliver intelligent and insightful ideas from charismatic and entertaining people. This is a particularly good one. Indian author, politician and Twitter personality Shashi Tharoor talks about India’s “soft power” — in other words, India’s ability to influence and make impressions upon the hearts and minds of people. IT expertise, Bollywood and yoga are just some of the things India is exporting with great success all over the world. But there is something India has, and does, that is better than all of this: India’s robust and abiding pluralism.
According to Shashi Tharoor, when it comes to soft power, “It’s the country with the best story that wins.” And India has the best story — a story that rests on the platform of political and religious pluralism. With 23 official languages, dozens of religions, hundreds of dialects and on and on, India has (largely) achieved consensus on how to survive without consensus. Watch this video. It’s very inspiring, as well as fascinating.
Mariellen Ward is a freelance travel writer whose personal style is informed by a background in journalism, a dedication to yoga and a passion for sharing the beauty of India’s culture and wisdom with the world. She has traveled for about a year altogether in India and publishes an India travel blog, Breathedreamgo.com. Mariellen also writes for magazines and newspapers.
