Drawing a parallel between the Pandavas in the Indian epic Mahabharata and brand building as an exercise in statecraft, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Pandavas spent a lifetime building a brand, which enabled them to be perceived as ethical despite deviant strategies to win the epic war.
Jaishankar was speaking at a virtual discussion related to his book 'The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World' organised by the International Centre, Goa.
The India Way was published in September last year and besides the changing global scenario and the rise of China it also discusses the Mahabharata to understand India. The book contains talks that he had delivered over the past few years.
Citing an example, Jaishankar said delivering Covid-19 vaccines to other countries was an act of smartness by India.
"A lot of traditions and accounts of politics, focus a lot on outcomes and basically how to kind of play around with the roles, play short cuts, deceive and there is a premium put on deception. You know you are smart, because you fool the others," Jaishankar said. "Now my point is, that works up to a point. You become a serial deviator from the norms and rules. At some stage people are going to figure it out.
Jaishankar added that many characters in Sage Vyas' epic like Dronacharya, Bhishma, Karna and Duryodhana were killed by the Pandavas using devious means, but because of the Pandavas' overall track-record of being ethical and just, such deviations were overlooked through history.
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"Dronacharya was killed when he had put down his weapons, Bhishma was killed by putting a woman upfront, knowing that he would not shoot back. Karna was killed while digging out a chariot wheel from the ground… Finally, Duryodhan was killed by being hit below the belt," Jaishankar said.
The External Affairs Minister was emphasising his point that India needs to be pragmatic and its approach to foreign affairs should be from a realistic angle. To understand this approach, one does not have to look far – only as far as the Mahabharata.
"At the end of the day, because their record was good, they were seen as the more ethical party. The deviations… well it's ok, sometimes you know people do these things, whereas if you make that a practice, you do not get that latitude. The world will not give you the same degree of understanding. That is why I said, being morally good, ethically good, definitely has its own value, but it also is a smarter way of doing politics," the Foreign Minister said.
Commenting on India's foreign policy initiative of providing Covid-19 vaccines to other countries, Jaishankar said: "I think for a country like ours, to say, 'I am vaccinating our people, but I will help others who may not have access to vaccines'… I think it is good, it is also smart".
