The Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation hosted a two-day global Buddhist summit in New Delhi. The summit was attended by significant key figures from the global Buddhist community including Dalai Lama. The event provided India with an opportunity to strengthen its soft power by connecting with the Buddhist population around the world.

What efforts has India made so far?

The PM's emphasis on Buddha's teachings —

Ø  The Prime Minister of India emphasised on the continuing relevance of the Buddha’s teachings in today’s world.

Ø  Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine crisis “India has not given ‘Yuddha’ to the world but ‘Buddha’.”

Ø  The above statement resonates with his earlier statement made in front of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, that ‘this is not the era of war.’

Ø  To give the world a new politics — The Delhi summit’s theme, “Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis”, also highlights India’s attempts to provide an alternative to contested global politics, with morality at its core.

Development, Preservation and Restoration of Buddhist sites —

Ø  The Indian government has been focusing on Buddhist Diplomacy by promoting tourism through the development of the “Buddhist tourist circuit.”

Ø  The Indian government hopes to demonstrate its commitment to preserving and promoting Buddhist culture and heritage, as well as strengthening ties with the global Buddhist community.

India's guiding principle and objectives behind its Buddhist Diplomacy -

Cooperation rather than Coercion —

Ø  This concept is deep rooted in India’s historical and cultural ties to the region.

Ø  The current government’s guiding principles for foreign policy (Panchamrit Principles) include “Sanskriti Evam Sabhyata” which refers to culture and civilisation.

Through these efforts India wants -

To become a responsible global power — India aspires to reinforce its image as a responsible power committed to peaceful coexistence and cooperation.

To shape a discourse on global stage — With its strong historical and cultural ties to Buddhism, India is well-positioned to play a leading role in shaping the discourse around Buddhist issues on the global stage.

To promote regional peace — Buddhist diplomacy has the potential to promote regional cohesion, given that nearly 97% of the global Buddhist population is based in Asia. For instance, during the Cold War, China engaged with its neighbours using Buddhist Diplomacy effectively.

Challenges to India’s Buddhist Diplomacy -

Despite being home to a number of key Buddhist sites, such as Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar, India has struggled to attract Buddhist tourists, who tend to favour sites in Thailand and Cambodia.

China's factor -

Ø  As India and China compete to dominate the Buddhist heritage as a tool for soft power, India holds an advantage due to the faith’s origins in the country.

Ø  However, China is actively seeking to exert control over the appointment of the next Dalai Lama, which would be a blow to India’s efforts to project its soft power through Buddhism.

Ø  Also, China with its influence over Hollywood has completely dominated the narrative around Buddhism.

How can India overcome the challenges and counter China?

Ø  The government should promote Buddhism at the highest levels of government.

Ø  To showcase country’s rich Buddhist history the government should organise cultural events.

Ø  The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) could play a significant role in promoting events within and outside India.

Ø  India should work to strengthen ties with Buddhist countries and leaders.

Ø  India needs to utilise the Bollywood’s reach to promote Buddhist heritage in India.

Ø  India should use the G20 presidency to promote Buddhist Diplomacy on a bigger scale through multiple cultural meeting; especially when the G20 motto “One Earth, One Family, One Future” aligns with Buddhist teachings.

Conclusion -

India recognises the importance of Buddhism as a means of conducting public diplomacy and has utilised it to its advantage. However, India has not used its Buddhist Diplomacy to its fullest potential. Therefore, India must act to ensure that it remains a key player in the global Buddhist community. As Buddha was the biggest preacher of peace, his teachings of peace and cooperation in these tough times can become the guiding light of Indian diplomacy on the world stage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on Tagore Jayanti.

 About Rabindranath Tagore -

Ø  Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), popularly known as “Gurudev", was born in an affluent Family.

Ø  The maestro was fascinated by the worlds of literature, art, music and dance at an early age.

Ø  In 1913, he became the first Indian to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel ‘Geetanjali'.

Ø  He also wrote the National Anthems of India and Bangladesh.

Ø  He left his imprint on art and played a role in transforming its practices and ushering into modernism.

Ø  Rabindranath Tagore was primarily known as a writer, poet, playwright, philosopher and aesthetician, music composer and choreographer, founder of a unique educational institution - Vishwabharati and a painter. Tagore's emergence as a painter began in 1928 when he was 67 years old.

Ø  Between 1928 and 1940, Rabindranath painted more than 2000 images. He never gave any title to his paintings. Fed by memories and the subconscious, Rabindranath's art was spontaneous and dramatic. His images did not represent the phenomenal world but an interior reality.

Ø  His drawings and ink paintings are freely executed with brushes, rags, cotton-wool and even his fingers. For Tagore, art was the bridge that connected the individual with the world.

Ø  Tagore had composed Amar Shonar Bangla in 1905 in the wake of the Bengal partition to foster a spirit of unity and patriotism among Bengalis. He also used the Raksha Bandhan festival to bring about a feeling of brotherhood among Bengal’s Hindus and Muslims during the partition of 1905. He was fiercely opposed to the partition.

Ø  He was knighted by the British government in 1915. But he later renounced it protesting against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

Ø  Tagore is responsible for modernising Bengali prose and poetry. His notable works include Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, Gora, Manasi, Balaka, Sonar Tori, He is also remembered for his song “Ekla Chalo Re".

Ø  He was also called the “Bard of Bengal".

Ø  In 1918, he founded the Vishwabharati University at Santiniketan. He was staunchly against the classroom kind of education. He believed it stifled creativity. He conceived of an educational system where the students’ curiosity was kindled and learning became more natural.

A cyclone, which is most likely to swerve away from the Indian coast, is all set to develop over the southeast Bay of Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Once intensified, it is to be identified as ‘Cyclone Mocha’ (pronounced as Mokha), a name suggested by Yemen.

Ø  Indian Meteorological Department has warned that Cyclone Mocha forming over the Bay of Bengal may intensify into a very severe storm.

Ø  According to the IMD, a low-pressure area has already formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea.

Ø  This will be the first cyclonic storm of the year.

Ø  India has dual cyclone seasons – pre-monsoon (April-June) and post-monsoon (OctoberDecember).

Ø  Of these, the most cyclone-prone months are May and November.

Ø  Last May, around the same time, severe cyclone Asani came close to the Andhra Pradesh coast causing significant rainfall and gusting winds.

What is a tropical cyclone and how is it formed?

Ø  Tropical Cyclone is a weather phenomenon.

Ø  A tropical cyclone is formed only over warm ocean waters near the equator.

Ø  Warm, moist air rises up and away from the ocean surface, creating an area of low pressure.

Ø  It causes the air from surrounding areas with higher pressure to move towards the low-pressure area.

Ø  This leads to warming up of air and causes it to rise above.

Ø  As the air rises & cools, the water in the air forms clouds.

Ø  This complete system of clouds and wind spins & grows, along with the ocean’s heat.

Ø  As the wind rotation speed increases, an eye gets formed in the middle. 

Characteristics of a Tropical Cyclone -

Ø  The centre of a cyclone is very calm and clear with very low air pressure.

Ø  The average speed is 120 kmph.

Ø  They have closed isobars which leads to greater velocity. Isobars are imaginary lines on a weather map that connect locations with equal atmospheric pressure.

Ø  They develop over oceans and sea only.

Ø  They move from east to west under the influence of trade winds.

Ø  They are seasonal in nature. 

How are Cyclones classified?

Ø  Cyclones are classified on the basis of wind speed by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) —

Ø  Depression — Wind speeds of between 31–49 km/h

Ø  Deep Depression — Between 50-61 km/h

Ø  Cyclonic Storm — Between 62–88 km/h

Ø  Severe Cyclonic Storm — Between 89-117 Km/h

Ø  Very Severe Cyclonic Storm — Between 118-166 Km/h

Ø  Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm — Between 166-221 Km/h

Ø  Super Cyclonic Storm — Above 222 Km/h 

How are tropical Cyclones named?

Ø  There are five tropical cyclone regional bodies in the world —

Ø  ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee,

Ø  WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones,

Ø  RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee,

Ø  RA IV Hurricane Committee,

Ø  RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee.

Ø  WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones is responsible for naming of cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

About WMO/ESCAP Panel -

It is an inter-governmental regional body jointly established by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for AsiaPacific (ESCAP) in 1972.

Objective — To promote measures to improve tropical cyclone warning systems in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea region.

It comprises of thirteen countries in the region – Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, SriLanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

They contribute to a set of names which are assigned sequentially whenever a cyclonic storm develops.

The Energy Transition Advisory Committee has recommended a ban on the use of dieselpowered 4-wheel vehicles by 2027 in cities with a population over 1 million. The panel, headed by former petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor and formed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has instead recommended transition to electric and gas-fuelled vehicles.

Ø  According to the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell, diesel currently accounts for about 40% of India’s petroleum products consumption.

Ø  The panel’s recommendations come in the wake of the government’s stated aim to reduce GHG emission, and to produce 40% of its electricity from renewables as part of its 2070 net zero goal.

Ø  Since 2020, most carmakers have taken significant steps towards deleveraging their diesel portfolios.

Ø  Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, stopped making diesel vehicles from April 1, 2020.

Ø  Diesel cars accounted for 48% of passenger vehicle sales in the country in 2013 due to the sharply lower price of diesel as compared to petrol.

Ø  But this changed when the decontrol of fuel prices started in 2014. The price difference has since come down to around Rs 7 per litre (from Rs 25).

Ø  Consequently, diesel cars accounted for less than 20% of overall passenger vehicle sales in 2021-22.

Why are carmakers moving away from diesel?

Ø  There are increased emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx).

Ø  An external trigger - the Volkswagen emissions scandal, which led to an increase in the negative perception against diesel across markets, including India.

Ø  In 2015, Volkswagen admitted to having installed emissions-cheating devices in its vehicles to cheat on emissions tests.

Ø  The rollout of the new BS-VI (directly from BS-IV) emission norms (the reason why Maruti Suzuki announced an exit) from April 1, 2020, involves prohibitively high cost of upgrading diesel engines to meet the new standard.

Ø  While petrol vehicles needed upgrades for this transition, these were limited to catalysts and electronic control upgrades.

What is the proposal?

Ø  A ban on diesel-powered four-wheelers in all Million Plus cities and all towns with high pollution has to be enforced in five years, i.e., by 2027.

Ø  Commercial vehicles may transition to LNG in the short term and no diesel city buses addition be allowed in urban areas.

Ø  City transport should be a mix of Metro trains and electric buses by 2030 to drive transition towards clean fuel urban public transport.

Issue with the Proposal -

People still prefer diesel vehicles —

Ø  The higher fuel economy of diesel engines — This stems from the greater energy content per litre of diesel, and the inherent efficiency of the diesel engine (do not use spark plugs, have higher compression ratios).

Ø  Offer more torque (rotational or turning force) — Also, they are less likely to stall as they are controlled by a mechanical or electronic governor.

Ø  How practical it would be to implement the ban — This is especially true in the case of medium and heavy commercial vehicles (transport trucks, buses).

Ø  Around 87% of diesel fuel sales are in the transport segment, with trucks and buses accounting for about 68%.

Ø  Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana makeup almost 40% of the diesel sold in India.

Ø  Transition challenges — While it seems easier at the moment to convert diesel trucks to compressed natural gas (CNG), there are certain limitations —

Ø  CNG being used for shorter distances, and

Ø  Its lower tonnage carrying capacity.

Ø  Already compliant with current emission norms — Carmakers in the diesel segment and oil marketing companies (reducing the level of sulphur in diesel) claim have invested heavily to transition their diesel fleet from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms.