India, Nov. 28 -- India's patent civilisational depth and vivid culturality have been described as its latent (and underutilized) soft power. From Ayurveda to Artificial Intelligence (AI), from yoga to zero, the timeless wisdom of this ancient land convinces without conquest. Its resonance is predicated on dialogue and not on domination. Terms like "Incredible India," "Brand India," or even "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (literally, the world is one family) have been used intermittently to assert this reality, but the results are not commensurate with the riches that India has to offer.Invoking sovereign pride as a means of a nation's soft power was perhaps first presented in the form of "Cool Britannia" for the United Kingdom.

The term itself ...