INDIA’S CULTURAL SOFT POWER STRATEGY IN BANGLADESH: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIKSIT BHARAT@2047

Abstract

India's cultural diplomacy efforts in Bangladesh positively correlate with enhanced bilateral relations, increased people-to-people exchanges, and improved national branding, thereby contributing to India’s vision of becoming a hegemon in South Asia, and Bangladesh's strategic importance can become a major factor in Viksit Bharat @2047. The culture plays an important role in India's soft power strategies in Bangladesh for altering the broader regional power dynamic in South Asia and its implications for Viksit Bharat@2047. The digital cultural diplomacy has shaped the perceptions, attitudes, and alliances between India and Bangladesh. It further explores the significance of cultural exchange programs (art and culture; films and television), and societal interactions through diasporic communities between the two countries in strengthening soft power relations and fostering mutual understanding. Education and research are also an important part of cultural diplomacy and can contribute to India’s vision of a developed nation. Moreover, the study has adopted a mixed-method approach and qualitative methods to analyse cultural diplomacy between India and Bangladesh. Ethnographic research is used for systematic observation of the cultural practices of different groups in Bangladesh and India through participant observation. The case study approach has been used to analyse the cultural implications of rituals and festivals in these events and how this cultural diplomacy shaped India-Bangladesh relations. Annual reports of the “ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and Embassies of India and Bangladesh” are used as authentic qualitative sources. Thus, the main aim of the study is to highlight the different roles of nonstate actors in contributing to the soft power dynamics in the region.