New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- 'Make in India,' 'vocal for local' and 'atmanirbharta' (self- reliance)-these have been recurring themes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his effort to promote Indian manufacturing. Lately, his emphasis has been on 'swadeshi,' especially as retail advice for Indians to buy Indian goods. Literally, it means 'of our own country,' but has long borne the heritage of our freedom struggle, its spirit symbolized by Mahatma Gandhi's charkha, a wooden wheel for handspun cloth.

Modi's recent reinterpretation of what it implies is helpful-both to thrive in a world girdled by links across borders and in the specific context of US tariffs skewing trade and slowing global growth.

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