Foreign policy via Ramayana

A lucid and relatable book on India’s powerplay in the global arena

- SHYAMAL MAJUMDAR

THERE HAVE BEEN several books on the intricacies of T India's foreign policy - some of them by the author's famous predecessors in the Indian Foreign Service but Why Bharat Matters stands out for many reasons.

First, it has been written by a serving external affairs minister who is still practising what he has or is preaching. That gives the book a certain freshness as it's not merely just a historical perspective, or what-could-have-been-kind-of-a memoir. Some of the examples mentioned in the book are, in fact, still playing out.

The second reason why the book should be a big draw is the author himself. S Jaishankar, the brilliant and exceptionally articulate minister of external affairs, is not known for pulling punches. In Why Bharat Matters, he has not deviated from his style, though some of the points he has raised in the book are debatable.

Third, the no-frills kind of writing in the 219-page book gives a unique perspective of India's rise as an independent pole on the global stage, charting its course and manoeuvring its way through the global power equations. What lends credibility to the narrative is that it has been written by a man who has walked the talk in his distinguished career for close to five decades.

The last and perhaps the most important reason why one feels tempted to recommend the book is that the target audience isn't just the foreign policy practitioners or academicians, but the world beyond that. In recent memory, no other book on foreign policy has cared to do that. That's important as in a globalised world, foreign policy matters to average citizens too. That explains why the book uses metaphors, analogies and narratives to which any Indian can easily relate.