Aravalli Summit 2025: Scholars urge India to chart bold course in turbulent global order

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) As the world grapples with escalating geopolitical disorder and shifting power dynamics, India's academic and diplomatic leaders convened at the inaugural Aravalli Summit 2025 to envision the nation's role by 2047.

Hosted by Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) School of International Studies (SIS) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, the two-day event marks the 70th anniversary of SIS, a cornerstone of India's strategic thought since its founding in 1955.

Themed "India and the World Order: Preparing for 2047," the summit drew policymakers, scholars, and diplomats to bridge tradition with modernity and craft a Bharatiya-centric narrative for global engagement.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar set a tone in his keynote address, emphasising that India's ascent must navigate profound global transformations, from supply chain disruptions to the weaponisation of technology and finance.

"India must operate in a multi-polar environment while itself preparing to emerge as a pole," the minister Jaishankar stated, underscoring the shift from balance-of-power diplomacy to "margins of power" in an era of heightened competition.

He highlighted risks like the concentration of global manufacturing in one geography — implicitly China — and rising anti-globalisation sentiments, urging India to prioritise national interest above all in foreign policy.

The Union minister also addressed neighbourhood dynamics, noting efforts to "de-hyphenate" India from rivals like Pakistan by outpacing them in power and capability, while accommodating neighbours only to the extent national interests permit.

The summit's opening remarks echoed these themes, with JNU Chancellor Kanwal Sibal warning of a "managed disorder" in international relations, exacerbated by the very architects of the post-1945 order - the United States.

"This disorder is being fuelled by a country that had the biggest hand in fashioning the global order created in 1945," Sibal said, pointing to the reversal of globalisation's gains, such as interconnected supply chains and technology transfers, amid rising inequalities and eastward power shifts.

He spotlighted China's emergence as the world's second-largest economy and a direct neighbour with unresolved territorial disputes, posing "major implications" for India.

Sibal praised JNU as the "most appropriate platform" for the summit, congratulating organisers for an "elaborate program" on contemporary issues.

Prof Santishree D Pandit, JNU's Vice Chancellor and the first woman alumnus to hold the post, reflected on SIS's legacy of inclusivity, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, crediting stalwarts like Hina Kunzru and Dr APA Abdul Durai for embedding dharmic principles in international studies.

"The Aravalli Summit is where we want to break the boundaries of knowledge and develop Bharatiya-centric narratives of our dharmic civilisation," she declared, bridging "tradition with modernity, realm with region, myth with reality, and theory with praxis."

Pandit lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for "breaking three glasses" - a nod to shattering institutional barriers - and for being "more revolutionary than [the] left" in advancing progressive reforms.

Her remarks celebrated the 70-year milestone, noting SIS's evolution into a hub shaping India's global outlook, with alumni in key diplomatic roles. Shishir Priyadarshi, President of the Chintan Research Foundation—a young think tank focused on evidence-based policy—framed India's journey from contributing less than 3 per cent of global output at independence to over 7 per cent today, positioning it as the world's fourth-largest economy en route to third.

"What is India in research in 2047? An emerging economy that reacts to agendas set in far-away shores, or a developed nation that sets the agenda... anchored in fairness and equity?" he posed, invoking the summit's forward-looking ethos.

Drawing from his 25 years at the World Trade Organization (WTO), Priyadarshi recounted India's transformation from overlooked participant to indispensable voice, crediting leaders like former Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar for evolving foreign policy from "cautious engagement to strategic autonomy."

He outlined Chintan's work across trade, climate, and geopolitics to "cross-propagate ideas" and foster holistic solutions, aligning with the summit's collaborative spirit.

The event, held at JNU's Convention Centre and live-streamed on YouTube, features panels on economic resilience, strategic autonomy, and digital diplomacy, with participation by invitation only.

As SIS commemorates seven decades of fostering India's international expertise—from its origins as a centre for non-aligned thought to a modern engine of policy innovation—the summit underscores a pivotal moment.

With global volatility—from tariff wars to AI rivalries—intensifying, speakers converged on a clarion call: India must seize the "pen" of destiny to author a multipolar future on its terms.

The summit continues on Tuesday, promising deeper dives into these challenges amid a world where, as India’s EAM Jaishankar noted, "the world is witnessing more competition and fewer compacts."

--IANS

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