The Blue Elephant : Why India Must Boost its Soft Power Paperback – 31 August 2020

The Blue Elephant is a well researched, well formulated and introspective account that counters the importance of soft power in India, thereby illuminating us on the topic and the various facets there are to it.For someone who had zero inkling what SOFT POWER meant, I found the book abundantly informative and had a lot to takeaway.The term Soft Power, coined by Joseph Nye, in general terms is defined as "a nation's appeal", aka what makes it attractive and appealing to others. Additionally it is also, important to mention that although the said power has existed since time immemorial, it is only in the last few decades or so that SOFT POWER has apparently started evolving.Das' book feels like a comfortable climb as the keen readers are introduced to the definition and derivations and the role SOFT POWER has currently been playing in the dynamics of global politics. The struggles and vulnerabilities of soft power are also talked about including it's complexity.The author then categorizes the arenas in which our country could augment 'power of appeal' and rather immaculately yet compactly packs his arguments in chapters : sports, Indian diaspora, art and culture and human relations etc. Adding to the narrative that India being the largest democracy, has a lot of gain from having a hold over it's soft power, if it wishes to ascend at the global competitive forum.The writing is accessible and easily understandable with well amplified examples including personal experiences of the author, who himself is a reverse migrant from Malaysia and has quite a lot of interesting (if I may say so) incidents to share with us! It is one of those books that opens in you a chain of thoughts and you are indefinitely fascinated by a topic and feel that pang to research and know more about it!I would absolutely absolutely recommend this book if you are looking for something informative and intriguing at the same time! Already looking forward to his next book!

Not a fan of non fiction much but reading something relevant in today's time is really important and this book covers the relevant aspects. A book about how India can benefit from it's soft power.In politics, soft power is the ability to attract and co-opt, rather than coerce (contrast hard power). In other words, soft power involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. India being a diverse country with a huge population, has a lot of capacity and ability to generate benefits by using it's soft powers to have a global reach.In recent times of falling GDP, increasing unemployment and poverty, a country like India needs to focus on eradicating the evils instead of focusing on religion and politics. The author has described each and every area, like Art, Travel ,Sports etc from where India could generate benefits - focusing on it's history, limits, potential and his own experiences.The government needs to utilize it's youth and educate them on the ways of how India can become the next USA if the resources are used right. The mention of recent controversies of CAA and NRC, gives a brief insight into what our country has come down to. There's hate spewing everywhere which needs to be curbed and the main focus should be on uniting the people and using it for the benefit of the nation.I enjoyed reading the book since it was very informative and the topic of ' soft power ' is very new to me. Though it did feel as if I was reading essays on different topics, the author had written it so beautifully that I wanted to grab every piece of information available. The language is easy and understandable. The author has thoroughly researched each and every fact, which is a plus point for me.Definitely Recommended!

The Blue Elephant : Why India Must Boost its Soft Power is a piece of non fiction by Rahul Das. While the preface itself throws some light on the power resources of India, the second chapter especially the soft power, the subsequent chapters bind it well with sports, tourism, arts, diaspora etc to dive deep into it and enhance the process of understanding of the same. The author's personal experience combined with a strong narrative has begin the induction to deliberate upon the positive and future of India in the global sphere and its international and intra relations. The concerns are put forward while portraying the complexities in the upcoming years and at the same time, inter linking it with the events from the past.As a reader who hesitates picking up a non-fiction book, The Blue Elephant talks about everything that subconsciously stays in my mind, hence, making it a very interesting and effective reading. It's absolutely delightful for readers who aren't familiar with International Relations terminology as all the concepts are explained in a comprehensible manner.If you haven't read it yet, it's time to put this book on top in your To-be-read list!