Abstract

India is fast emerging as a global power. Since the early-1990s, the country has made rapid economic progress, achieving high levels of economic growth, industrial development and a reduction in poverty levels. The middle-class has expanded, leading to a consumerist boom in the country. Industrial output has increased and agricultural production has remained steady. Although the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) did slow things down, India has fared far better when compared to other states. The Indian military is now the fourth largest in the world with a highly mechanised and mobile army, a strategic-strike capable air force and a blue water navy that is rapidly gaining in strength. Internationally, India’s prestige and standing is at an all-time high and experts predict that India, along with China, will be the new entrants to the ‘superpower club’ in the twenty-first century. Politically, the various institutions of Indian democracy continue to function robustly, as attested to by the professional manner in which national elections were conducted in India in 2014 and a smooth transfer of power effected. The presence of a global diaspora and the spread of ‘soft power’ through movies, art, culture, dance, theatre, music and academia further augment India’s global reach and standing.