The President of Guyana, Dr. Irfan Ali, recently mentioned something that is emblematic of India’s foreign policy and our place in the global narrative. The President spoke eloquently on India’s global vaccine policy, specifically thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi For standing up for love and hope in a time when globalization has failed them. they talked about corona virus The crisis and how India, despite facing a once-in-a-century crisis at home, did not shy away from helping countries that needed it.
A year ago, Dominican President Roosevelt Skerritt said that when he approached for vaccines he had no expectation of a rapid response and how he was surprised by the way we responded in times of crisis. He also said that at a time when countries are given help based on their size or strength, India extended its arms to its tiny island nation with a meager population of 72,000.
India’s foreign policy is awash with such events; Events that have shown India as a caring, sympathetic partner to countries, a reliable partner who always lends a helping hand in times of need. The above two incidents epitomize India’s philosophy of service, a concept we borrow from our civilizational philosophy. India does not look at the size or power of the beneficiary country nor does it expect anything in return from them, as it believes in doing ‘selfless service’, the philosophy of ‘Karma Yoga’ propounded by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita,” Doing duty without expecting the rewards or fruits of our efforts”.
There has always been a strong foundation of service in India for millennia as the social code of this country is enshrined in it. Not even in a single instance can we see any Indian king attacking other states by taking advantage of diseases and calamities in the opponent’s state. To fully understand how this sets us apart from other countries with a weak civilizational ethos, we must look to Pakistan. When the 2014 floods affected Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and offered assistance to his government in any case.
Both Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and our State of Jammu and Kashmir were in the grip of devastating floods, the rescue operation ‘Operation Megh Rahat’ was in full swing in Jammu and Kashmir and the focus of our forces shifted towards civilian rescue operations. The flood had destroyed 50 kilometers of border fencing and sensing an opportunity even in times of such anguish, Pakistan began a new cycle of terrorist infiltration.
In the legend of Ramayana, the only difference between the might of Lord Rama and that of Ravana was Rama’s character and morality. Today Pakistan is facing a dark future due to its weak moral foundation and India is on the way to become a world leader because of its morality and character. Our Neighbour-First policy is consistent, when it comes to India’s nearest neighbour, we have never seen our help as a means to establish grand philanthropy, but as a family member caring for its family members. Seen as reaching out.
When there was an earthquake in Nepal in 2015, India launched ‘Operation Maitri’, and we sent 450 NDRF personnel and 43 tonnes of relief material within 6-7 hours. Today, NDRF operations are in full swing in Turkey, the country takes a hostile stand against Indian interests at international fora but this does not deter us from channeling our resources to the country without expecting anything in return.
The twin ethos of Karma and Dharma have been our pole stars when it comes to serving humanity. The crowning moment for our civilization was undoubtedly the Corona crisis. When profit-greedy capitalism failed the needy, Pfizer forced Latin countries like Brazil and Argentina to put up military bases and federal stockpiles as collateral to get vaccine doses, India did the same in the same region ( Brazil, L) shipped 24 million vaccines to 25 countries. -Salvador, Nicaragua, etc.) without a whisper.
No wonder former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro compared India’s help to Lord Hanuman carrying the Gandhamardan mountain with Sanjivani Booti. During the initial phase of the coronavirus crisis, when the US was in dire need of hydroxychloroquine, India exported 50 million of them, following which former US President Donald Trump acknowledged India’s cooperation in this extraordinary time.
India supplied 23.5 crore vaccines to 98 countries and we served with utmost humility. World leaders such as WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have described India’s efforts as extraordinary, a proof that democracy can provide. We as a country are true believers in not leaving anyone in danger. When Yemen faced civil war, we launched ‘Operation Rahat’ and rescued 4,640 Indian nationals along with 960 foreign nationals from 41 countries.
Similarly, when South Sudan witnessed such conflict, we launched ‘Operation Sankat Mochan’ and rescued over 6,000 Indians and foreigners. In the recent past, during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, we rescued 25,000 Indians and 147 citizens from 18 countries through Operation Ganga.
The Modi government is rooted in Indian civilizational beliefs, the ideas from which a nation should be built, be it the re-imagining of the state in the form of Ram-Rajya or the philosophy of “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhin: Sarve Santu Niramaya” through its vaccine. Realizing Friendship Campaign We are a country that believes that even a Namaskar if done with purity and sincerity in our heart can give instant Punya.
In fact, India will never be able to distance itself from the suffering of the world because it is imperative for us to serve in order to attain virtue. Therefore, the Indian story of service will always be a story of self-discovery and enlightenment, as an end in itself rather than expecting rewards/fruits for it.
(The author is Union Jal Shakti Minister)
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