The 88-year-old South Indian Education Society is one of the oldest educational societies in Mumbai and a major centre of higher learning in India's financial capital with emphasis on professional institutions. Although the society does not have a footprint in strategic studies, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chose that forum last weekend to make certain remarks regarding the government's foreign policy orientation. These remarks have since been highlighted on the MEA website, hinting at their resonance in world capitals.
The EAM's remarks can be succinctly captured on the following lines: although India has established itself as an independent power on the global stage, it continues to encounter "constraints and limitations" in the exercise of its autonomy; a discourse at the national level is needed to overcome them. Basically, this concerns India's identity and vision. And at the very core of it lies the government's determination not to "allow ourselves to be defined by others".
Clearly, greater assertion of our sense of independence inevitably involves taking a stance different from the dominant thinking of the day on occasions and is predicated on the ability to analyse problems and find solutions for ourselves. The crux of the matter is, Jaishankar underscored, "Independence should also never be confused for neutrality. We will do what is right in our national interest and for global good, without being intimidated to conform. In the final analysis, Bharat can never permit others to have a veto on our choices."
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