New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Apart from becoming the world’s fastest-growing major economy, India is emerging as a new global centre of gravity — capable of providing a bridge between countries in a world that is fragmenting into competing blocs, according to an article in The Times of Israel.
It highlights that India is the central voice of the Global South and a preferred partner for digital infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, energy transition, and security cooperation across Africa, the Gulf and Southeast Asia. It is seen as a country that can speak to Washington and Brussels without losing credibility in Nairobi, Abu Dhabi or Jakarta.
“India’s rise has ‘unfolded quietly’ with a steady civilisational re-emergence carried by 1.4 billion people at home and its diaspora comprising tens of millions abroad. In Silicon Valley boardrooms shaped by Indian origin executives; in Whitehall, where leaders of Indian heritage influence British politics; and across the Gulf, where Indian professionals sustain entire economies. India is present everywhere, not as a guest, but as a shaping force,” the article states.
It further underscores that India’s 35 million-strong diaspora is spread across the world’s most influential economies and political systems. In the United States, Indian origin leaders now sit at the centre of the country’s technology and innovation landscape, shaping the policies and ecosystems that increasingly influence global markets.
In the United Kingdom, a country that once ruled India, now finds its political class deeply intertwined with Indian heritage. In the Gulf, millions of Indians; from construction workers to surgeons, from small business owners to senior executives, form the economic backbone of entire states.
The article also underlines that India’s rise is not only economic or geopolitical but cultural as well. Diwali now illuminates public squares from New York to Melbourne. Holi celebrations have become fixtures in cities that once had no connection to the subcontinent.
Indian cuisine has moved far beyond the “curry house” stereotype; dosa trucks in California, chaat bars in London, and biryani chains in Dubai speak to a culinary tradition that has become part of global urban life. Indian films; from sweeping Bollywood musicals to Tamil and Telugu blockbusters, dominate streaming platforms, reaching audiences who do not speak a word of Hindi or Tamil but understand the emotional grammar of Indian storytelling.
Besides, the article highlights cricket as the clearest sign of how far India’s cultural influence has now spread. “What began as a colonial pastime has become a global commercial engine shaped decisively by India’s scale and imagination. The Indian Premier League is no longer just India’s league; it is a marketplace that attracts some of the world’s most sophisticated investors,” it observes.
–IANS
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