Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Yoga Day – capitalising on India’s soft power

India is becoming internationally more muscular, not by amassing more weapons but by offering a life-enhancing product called yoga.

Dear Reader,

The Panorama newsletter is sent to Moneycontrol Pro subscribers on market days. It offers easy access to stories published on Moneycontrol Pro and gives a little extra by setting out a context or an event or trend that investors should keep track of. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not have picked up a better time for his US visit. High on optics, he will be leading the 9th Yoga Day celebrations at the UN headquarters in New York. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya summed it up well when he said yoga has become India's "soft power".

As the country makes its presence felt in the world as a rising economic power, it is equally important to win hearts by showcasing its strength through its soft power. Subir Roy writes here that India is becoming internationally more muscular, not by amassing more weapons but by offering a life-enhancing product called yoga.

China followed a similar strategy by capturing the imagination of youth the world over, using Karate as a tool. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are household names across the globe symbolizing China’s soft power.

India also needs to use a similar approach in capturing minds and hearts in the developed world.

Besides yoga, Bollywood is playing an important part in enhancing our soft power. Bollywood dance classes are as popular in the UK as are yoga practices. Social media has helped spread Bollywood dance steps with videos floating around showing kids across the globe, including remote parts of Africa, displaying their talent.

Indian cuisine is as popular the world over as Chinese food. With vegan culture picking up globally, India has a lot to offer in this space.

Brand India can be built not only by using its industrial power, but also its soft power. A culturally vibrant India has many skills to share with the world and has just started taking baby steps in that direction.

The Indian diaspora, thanks to our skills in information technology, has spread across the globe and is helping in this effort.

Indian equity markets are also making their presence felt globally, with allocations of almost 10 percent in emerging market indices. The launch of the GIFT City financial centre is a step in the direction of increasing the country’s footprint in the financial world.

We still are a long way from moving the needle in the global market, but a holistic approach is always better in the long run in building the country’s image.

‘Wax on, wax off’, a line from the English movie ‘The Karate Kid’ where the kid gains muscle strength while waxing cars, portrays the indirect benefit that India can exploit by using its soft power and gaining mind share.

Investing insights from our research team

Zomato: Should it be part of your menu?

Jindal Steel and Power: Better placed than peers

CCL Products: Volume grows in double digits, rides on capacity expansion

What else are we reading?

After disrupting payment gateway business, fintechs go after transaction banking pie

The AI genie is out of the bottle. How best to control it

Chart of the Day | How strong is the market, structurally speaking?

The risks for investors in sugar mills have risen

The good, the bad and the ugly of IIFL saga

Market cap of PI Industries swings past UPL on firm customer synthesis business

After disrupting payment gateway business, fintechs go after transaction banking pie

The green transition won’t happen without financing for developing countries (republished from the FT)

Modi's Visit to US: Go big on commercial ties. There’s shared prosperity waiting

Joe Biden et al write: Climate change and poverty are our era’s existential battles

Coal and its transportation need to be under a regulatory framework

Putin’s nuclear scare tactics on Ukraine will fall flat

Beware of employer-assisted housing loans. It is the ultimate golden handcuffs

Technical Picks: NCC, Rategain Technologies, Infosys and Natural gas (These are published every trading day before markets open and can be read on the app).

Vatsala KamatMoneycontrol Pro