When it comes to clear and precise oration, Shashi Tharoor’s up there with the best in the biz. In a space gone mad with decibel wars and a consistent need to be right, he comes off as a breath of fresh, eloquent air. Take, for example, this talk he was in a couple of years ago regarding the potential of India’s soft power. Soft power can be defined as the underlying ‘attractiveness’ of a country, the allure of it that isn’t achieved through coercion or government propaganda, but through a natural process, thanks in most part to said country’s rich cultural heritage, such as in the case of India.
Tharoor talks about how, despite the Indian government’s incompetence at promoting its country’s soft power, it still flourishes thanks to its overarching legacy and culture, be it Bollywood, yoga, Ayurveda or some such. Watch him explain the value of this power below in a way only he can.