India, Dec. 25 -- Some years announce themselves loudly, with slogans, campaigns, and carefully worded vision statements. Others slip up on you quietly, almost casually, until one day you pause and realise something has shifted. 2025 was that kind of year for India.
There was no single press release declaring India's arrival as a global soft power giant. No dramatic turning point you could circle on a timeline. Instead, India just kept showing up, confidently, comfortably, and everywhere, until the world stopped asking why India and started accepting of course India. This was the year India didn't try to sell its influence. It simply lived it.
Soft power is supposed to be subtle, but it's rarely allowed to be. Countries often over-curate ...