Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor on Friday commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his personal diplomatic outreach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a two-day visit to India. Tharoor emphasized the importance of symbolic gestures in foreign policy, while cautioning that they must be backed by substance.
Tharoor's Take on Diplomacy: Symbolism and Substance
In his remarks, Shashi Tharoor noted that both symbolism and substance hold critical value in international diplomacy. He pointed to Prime Minister Modi's decision to personally receive President Putin at the airport on Thursday, a move that broke standard protocol, as a powerful symbolic act. Tharoor stated that such gestures form a crucial part of a nation's foreign policy outreach and signal intent to global partners.
"In diplomacy, both symbolism and substance are important. The symbolism is a very important part of our foreign policy outreach," Tharoor said. He listed several actions by the PM, including hosting Putin for a private dinner and gifting him a Russian-translated copy of the Bhagavad Gita, as significant. However, the former diplomat was quick to add a caveat: "Symbolism is not a substitute for substance." He expressed confidence that the gestures were an important signal of continuity in the crucial India-Russia relationship.
A Warm Welcome for the Russian President
The context of Tharoor's praise was the high-profile arrival of President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi on Thursday. Upon landing at the Palam Airport, PM Modi welcomed Putin with a warm hug, setting a personal tone for the visit. The two leaders then shared a car ride to the Prime Minister's official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.
It was during this meeting that PM Modi presented President Putin with the sacred text of the Bhagavad Gita, translated into Russian. The gifting of the Gita, a text deeply revered in Indian philosophy, is seen as a gesture of deep respect and cultural connection.
Ceremonial Honours at Rashtrapati Bhavan
The diplomatic engagements continued on Friday with a formal ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu received the Russian leader, who was accorded a tri-services guard of honour. President Putin inspected the guard of honour, marking a display of traditional state protocol and mutual respect between the two nations.
This visit, Putin's first since 2021, underscores the enduring strategic partnership between India and Russia amidst a rapidly shifting global geopolitical landscape. While analysts will watch for substantive outcomes from the talks, the symbolic courtesies extended by the Indian leadership, as highlighted by Shashi Tharoor, have already made a distinct impression.
