Soft power dimensions of Nepal-India ties

Power is not a simple concept as we may have thought, there are many types of power and there are many competing theories of power. A famous American political scientist, Joseph Nye, differentiates between two types of power, hard and soft power. Eventually, Nye introduces smart power as the ‘balance of hard and soft power. According to him, ‘soft power’ is the ability to get ‘others to want the outcomes that you want’, and more particularly ‘the ability to achieve goals through attraction rather than coercion’. There are three measures of soft power: Familiarity, reputation and influence. Culture, diplomacy, education, business/innovation and government are the elements that help assess the soft power of countries. This article looks at the soft power of India and Nepal and its role in shaping bilateral relations.

India’s soft power in Nepal

India is the fourth most powerful country in Asia pursuing a regional leadership role in South Asia. The influential role it has nurtured over the decade can be a game-changer for the region. In keeping with a changing world, India has used different bilateral and multilateral strategies to navigate the region toward a well-balanced future of prosperity and peace. In the 1990s, India started embracing a friendly policy toward its neighbors and projecting ‘soft power’ in the neighborhood. India’s soft power has traditionally been characterized by diversity. Historical accounts tell us that a prosperous India has drawn migrants, brokers and raiders like ‘Alexander the Great’. Its soft power has spread over millennia through a culture of secularism, liberalism and inclusiveness.

After Narendra Modi’s emergence as the Prime Minister of India in 2014, India has invested substantial resources in building up its soft power. We can say India has been more innovative in using its soft power since then. Bollywood, education, space diplomacy and diaspora are major sources of India’s soft power in Nepal along with our common heritages like Yog and Ayurved.  Globally also, India has been pushing Yog and Ayurved as a major source of its soft power quite successfully. Nepal can reap benefits from this initiative while enhancing bilateral relations. Giving continuity to a science in practice for ages, Modi is showing the world how to practice Yog. Nepal has also organized a series of Yog initiatives in the country of late.

India and Nepal share an open border, people from both sides can move easily, get married and settle down. The two countries have a large number of people, who are adherents of Hinduism and Buddhism. Thus, diaspora and religion are another most influential aspect of soft power. Moreover, religious tourism is the unsurpassed tool of soft power between Nepal and India.

Thousands of Nepali students go to India every year for higher education, especially in the field of medicine and engineering. Every year, India provides around 3,000 scholarships to Nepali students for various academic degrees like PhD, Master’s and Bachelor’s. India’s contribution to the growth of human resources in Nepal has been a key aspect of bilateral collaboration. Indian educational institutions springing up across Nepal are expected to contribute to bilateral ties by bolstering educational infrastructure of Nepal. 

A significant number of Nepalis visit India every year to avail themselves of better medical facilities. India has provided medical support to Nepal during natural disasters and health emergencies. Thus, health and education can be seen as another major source of India’s soft power in Nepal.

There is a huge interest in Indian music, cinema and television serials in Nepal. Many artists and professionals visit our two countries, enhancing the bond of friendship. 

Apart from this, Gurkha regiments have played a role in bolstering India’s defenses and the movie titled ‘Sam Bahadur’, based on the life of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, is expected to shine a light on the contributions of Gurkha soldiers from Nepal to India’s defense and security.

Nepal’s soft power in India

Nepal has already established itself as a benevolent country on the world stage, which further strengthens its resolve to identify and pursue soft power. Some of the most notable and recurring themes of soft power that Nepal possesses are tourism, Ayurved, the Gurkha Regiments, Himalayas and Buddhism. This abode of peace—the birthplace of Gautam Buddha and Tapobhumi of Rishis and Munis—has been able to generate a lot of goodwill from around the world. 

A source of soft power for Nepal, the Gurkha soldiers become a formidable power for India when they become part of its defense capabilities. However, the newly-introduced Agnipath scheme has rendered Gurkha recruitments from Nepal uncertain.

Conclusion

Soft power projection can be a means to enhance Nepal-India relations. 

For India, increasing scholarship quotas for Nepali students and funding for Nepali educational institutions can be an effective way to project soft power in Nepal.   

Shooting of Bollywood movies in beautiful locations of Nepal can bring us revenues (also in the form of increased tourist arrivals from India), while also benefiting the Bollywood film industry by bringing down production costs.   

Religious-spiritual destinations like Pasupatinath, Muktinath, Janaki Mandir and Lumbini (Nepal) as well as Hardwar, Varanasi and Tirupati (India) draw lakhs of pilgrims from the two countries every year, holding a great economic potential. 

Home to a variety of herbs used in Ayurved for centuries, Nepal can also be an ideal location for hosting Yog conventions and retreats. The recent landing of Chandrayaan-3 into the Moon, which made India the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon, and the first to do so near the lunar south pole, has increased India’s soft power tremendously. India’s plans like the development of a satellite for SAARC member-states are likely to enhance its soft power in the neighborhood and beyond.