India does not seek to dominate the world but serve as a power centre of stability, sustainability and spirituality, said Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Secretary Sanjay Jaju said.
He made the remarks at the NDTV World Summit 2025 in Delhi on Saturday, when he talked about India's soft power and pointed at the country's global contributions in culture, technology and diplomacy.
"Through every medium, cinema, craft, cuisine, India educates the world about harmony and diversity. From the zero of Aryabhatta to Chandrayaan's touchdown, we have married science with soul," he said, drawing a line from India's ancient universities, such as Takshila, Nalanda, and Vikramashila, to modern institutions like the IITs and IIMs.
Jaju also spoke on India's digital public infrastructure. Initiatives such as Aadhaar, UPI, and CoWIN are being studied by more than 50 countries, he said, proving that India's software is "not just code, but conviction."
Artificial Intelligence (AI), he added, is poised to be one of the major economic disruptions of the future. "Our AI mission will ensure machines learn not just logic, but ethics. Innovation with integrity and technology with trust is the essence of India's soft power."
Positioning India as a calm and ethical force in a turbulent world, Jaju said, "In this era of shouting capitals, India remains the calm centre. Our diplomacy blends policy with philosophy, growth with goodness, influence with integrity." He pointed to India's leadership in the International Solar Alliance and global environmental initiatives as examples of this approach.
Jaju also spoke on the role of India's diaspora, numbering nearly 35 million across over 200 countries, as ambassadors of "competence and compassion." Cultural celebrations like Diwali in New York or Melbourne are an example of India's global influence, he noted.
India's spiritual heritage and humanitarian outreach, including vaccine donations to over 100 countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, are examples of turning "faith into fellowship and culture into compassion," Jaju said.
He concluded with a call to Indian creators, innovators, and scientists to project "Brand India" globally, advocating for technology that is inclusive, intuitive and inspired by dharma. "When Bharat speaks, the world listens. Not out of fear but faith, not from compulsion but conviction," he said.
