India readies a new soft power playbook

India plans to promote its cultural heritage through joint UNESCO nominations, beginning with Chhath Mahaparv alongside Mauritius. Other proposals span shared historical sites and traditions, while government initiatives also include artist registries, international exhibitions and cultural events.

The Centre plans a global campaign to showcase India’s cultural traditions and project its soft power through shared heritage with other countries. The strategy includes jointly nominating Chhath Mahaparv with Mauritius for UNESCO recognition, culture secretary Vivek Aggarwal told Mint in an interview.

He said India had identified other potential UNESCO nominations and was working with partner countries to advance them. These include seeking World Heritage status for sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement in South Africa and India.

Other proposals focus on archaeological links between the Indus-Saraswati civilization and sites in Oman and Bahrain, as well as shared heritage linked to the migration of Indians to Mauritius, Suriname, Fiji and Guyana.

The government is also exploring joint UNESCO recognition for other forms of intangible cultural heritage. These include shadow puppetry traditions in India, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries; Buddhist chanting; manuscript traditions linking India with Southeast Asia and China; and textile practices such as batik. Turban-tying traditions across Asian countries are also being considered.

Also, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is undertaking conservation and related work in countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mongolia, he said.

“You must have noticed when the Honourable Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) went to Indonesia, then he went to the site of those temples which are actually… We are helping them. We are helping, and the ASI is working there in many countries,” he said.

Joint nominations would enable participating countries to present shared heritage collectively. Aggarwal said India had not previously participated in the joint nomination process for world heritage sites.

Soft power projection

These initiatives are part of the ministry’s wider efforts under Project Mausam and Project Brihattar Bharat to highlight the country's historical and civilizational connections with other countries.

While Project Brihattar Bharat seeks to highlight cultural and spiritual connections between India and other countries, including the spread of Buddhist thought and Indian temple architecture across Southeast Asia, Project Mausam has India working with other countries to pursue joint nominations of heritage sites for UNESCO world heritage status.

Project Mausam draws on historical maritime trade routes and cultural exchanges across the Indian Ocean, through which Indian civilization interacted with societies in other countries.

Aggarwal cited Angkor (Cambodia) as an example of the influence of Indian temple architecture and said the government was seeking to work with partner countries to establish international recognition of shared cultural links.

Earlier, Deepavali became a part of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2025, during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (held in New Delhi, India).

Chhath Puja is an ancient four-day Hindu festival dedicated to the Sun God; it is celebrated by around 150 million people in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and in large parts of Nepal, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius, Fiji, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Agarwal said that India had submitted its nomination and was pursuing it along with Mauritius as part of a broader effort to secure international recognition for shared cultural traditions.

“Our soft power was never a policy. It is an inheritance, and much of it lives outside our borders. Buddhism reached Mongolia and Japan without an embassy behind it. Chhath was carried to Mauritius by indentured labourers, not diplomats. Gandhi found his method in South Africa before he brought it home to Sabarmati. Culture has often gone where our diplomacy could not," said Amitabh Mattoo, dean, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

"Joint UNESCO nominations accept that we share this heritage and do not own it. That is the right instinct. India gains nothing by claiming batik or the shadow puppet. It gains a great deal by sharing them freely,” he added.

Aggarwal said India’s soft power had grown through the global spread of yoga, Buddhism, Ayurveda, wellness practices, music, dance, films and other cultural forms. International events hosted by India, including the G20 and Brics summits, had also helped project its cultural heritage to visiting delegations.

“Our culture is going global, which is a very good thing. At the same time, we artists need to evolve with the changing times. We should not be biased if we want to make a global impact. We do not need to change our soul; only the outer presentation needs to evolve, while the essence of our culture must remain intact,” said Soma Ghosh, a Padma Shri award-winning Indian classical vocalist and an exponent of the Banaras gharana.

Separately, the government is working on an artist registry across Indian cultural centres worldwide and plans to develop a registry for Brics countries, Aggarwal said. The initiative aims to help artists and performers document their work, establish ownership of their creations, protect intellectual property rights and access wider markets. The proposed registry would cover traditional, folk and classical art forms, while helping private-sector organizations identify and engage artists and performing groups.

Mint's queries emailed to spokespersons for UNESCO and the embassies of Mauritius on Thursday remained unanswered.

Cultural imprint

The broader effort extends beyond heritage nominations to contemporary art, exhibitions and international cultural events. The government is also preparing an international biennale in New Delhi from 4 December, during which cultural installations are planned at historic sites, including Purana Qila, Red Fort, Safdarjung Tomb, Humayun’s Tomb, and Qutub Minar. The event is intended to bring together artists and cultural installations from India and abroad.

The country is also hosting a cultural programme in Paris from September 2027 to December 2028 in collaboration with Musée Guimet, a museum specializing in Asian art, featuring works by Amrita Sher-Gil and other Indian masters, alongside curated events showcasing the country’s cultural heritage.

The government is also taking Indian exhibitions abroad, including an exhibition of Amrita Sher-Gil’s work in the Netherlands, and pursuing cultural exchanges and capacity-building programmes with international partners.

India also participated in the Venice Biennale this year, presenting five contemporary artists through a dedicated pavilion.

About the Authors

Harsh Kumar is a policy reporter at Mint (HT Media Group), where he covers the Ministry of Commerce and Industry along with key departments of the Ministry of Finance, including the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS). With over five years of experience in business and economic journalism, he has developed strong expertise in tracking policy developments and their wider economic impact.<br><br>He has previously worked with Business Standard, Moneycontrol, and Outlook Money, where he reported extensively on banking, financial services, and the broader economy. Over the years, he has built a reputation for delivering accurate, insightful, and impactful stories, supported by a keen eye for detail and a consistent track record of breaking exclusive news.<br><br>An alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, Harsh closely follows regulatory changes and key economic trends shaping India’s financial and industrial landscape. His reporting aims to simplify complex policy issues for a wider audience while maintaining depth and credibility.<br><br>Outside of work, he enjoys tracking policy developments, finding scoops, and travelling, reflecting his curiosity about how economic decisions shape everyday life.

Utpal Bhaskar is Assistant Managing Editor with Mint and part of the founding team that launched the newspaper. Widely cited by authors and think-tanks, he leads policy coverage for Mint and is part of the leadership team. He is a UK government’s Chevening Fellow and a US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus, with interests in political economy and geo-economics. Based in New Delhi, he has extensive experience reporting on and leading news coverage at the intersection of geopolitics, technology, and economic policy, focusing particularly on India-China-Pakistan dynamics, the subcontinent, supply chains, and energy security. He is part of the founding teams of three start-up media platforms and previously worked at afaqs! Reporter,  Business Standard, and News Corp VCCircle. He holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the Centre for Political Studies (CPS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and is also a University Grants Commission (UGC) NET scholar.