The last ten days had been a busy weekend in the world of diplomacy – the art and science of maintaining peaceful relationships between nations, groups, or individuals. The G7 Summit took place in Hiroshima. They had a last-minute guest – Ukraine’s president, and the special invitee – PM Modi. Their Summit in Australia was cancelled because US President Biden had to return home. He still is navigating a debt ceiling crisis. Italy’s Prime Minister had to cut short her trip to her country has been hit by floods. She returned, but not before telling the Canadian Prime Minister to stop mansplaining. 

One world leader who has been making strides – India’s prime minister Narendra Modi – was on a three Nation tour, and halfway through it, he was in Papua New Guinea. This Pacific island is now making international headlines. 

It was a weekend in Hiroshima and Papua New Guinea for PM Narendra Modi. The whole world was blown away by the reception this great leader received wherever he went. The Japanese are very gracious hosts. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi is gorgeous, and what a tribute to India. And what Prime Minister Marape said about the importance of India in the region was fantastic. 

It is now evident that no world meeting is complete without PM Modi.

Modi’s visit took place on a special note. James Marape, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, bent and touched the feet of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival. In Indian culture, this is a way to show respect to elders and seek their blessings. This is not something we see heads of state do publicly; this was a memorable gesture.

While showering praises on the Indian Prime Minister, he said, “We are victims of global power play. You, Prime Minister Modi, are the leader of the global South, and we will rally behind your that is India’s leadership at Global forums. These nations sitting before you, Mr Prime Minister, have high fuel and power tariff costs in their own countries, and we suffer due to big Nations at play in terms of geopolitics and the power struggles out there. We are victims of global Power Play. We want you to advocate for us as you sit in those meetings and continue to fight for the rights of small Nations and emerging economies.” 

It was a passionate prime minister Marape speaking of his region, the 14 island nations in the Pacific. Their leaders were all present in meetings with the Indian Prime Minister. They were participating in the forum for India Pacific Island cooperation. The first meeting happened in 2014, the second in 2015, and then nothing for almost eight years. 

That’s something new – a state head giving traditional respect to the Indian PM Modi is something nobody ever imagined could happen. It is pretty remarkable that a state leader would offer traditional respect to Indian Prime Minister Modi – something many people never thought would occur.

Papua New Guinea is the third largest island in the world and one of the richest in the diversity of flora and mineral wealth. One would hardly refer to it as ‘tiny.’

A state leader’s display of traditional respect towards Indian PM Modi is a surprising occurrence many never expected to witness. He didn’t just touch PM Modi’s feet and take blessings; he felt over one billion Indian feet and got their blessings. 

The US bullied the Pacific Island nations into keeping a distance from India in trade, security and commerce. The colonial forces pressured them, fearing the vassals would be lost to them. The Island nations rather have the benign India to help them than the malignant world powers who have been stage-managing them all the while! They instead have ‘sub ka saath, sub ka vikas’ policies of India for their developments.

PM Modi addressed a mega diaspora event in a 20,000-capacity hall in Sydney, Australia, two days ago. The event was houseful. Throughout the Prime Minister’s speech, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Modi Modi” with enthusiasm. Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, referred to PM Modi as “The Boss” and drew comparisons between his immense popularity and that of rockstar Bruce Springsteen, who is also known by the same nickname among his devoted fans.

The world is changing, and the world order has changed. The Pacific wants India’s attention and support, as Papua New Guinea PM put it. They are victims of the global power play of the cold war between America and China. Both want to control the Pacific Islands, both want greater access to these waters, both are expanding their military presence and pushing for more influence, and the Pacific nations are too small to push back. They are forced to choose between the U.S. and China; hence, they hope India can rescue them as the anchor of stability. This is reflected in the efforts of Prime Minister Modi through his speeches and through the highest civilian Awards of Papua New Guinea and Fiji he has been conferred with for championing Pacific island unity and spearheading the cause of the global South.

Rejoice in such news from the Pacific Islands. Agreements with the US on the military presence and China on economic investment have been signed earlier out of compulsion. However, PM Modi’s presence indicates an internal willingness to cooperate without coercion. This is a good direction, a belt of islands everyone cares about nowadays. Everyone is courting Pacific islanders now, and finally, everyone has seen their importance.

India’s star shone brightly all weekend long. And as for Kashmir, that beautiful and mystical place in India, great news for the G20!

People now reckon India. India is now highly regarded by people. India’s contributions are finally gaining the recognition they deserve. It’s important to remember that quiet individuals often make the most significant impact on the world, while the loud ones receive undue credit for their actions. It’s a universal truth that infinite love and patience will always triumph over impatience, envy, and anger in the long run.

Today the world is not talking about Kashmir. People from around the world are talking in Kashmir – cheerfully and fearlessly. The dialogues occurring within Kashmir are receiving more attention than Kashmir itself.

It is worth highlighting that a peaceful ambience characterises the current state of Kashmir. Interestingly, discussions around the ongoing dialogues have caught people’s attention worldwide, diverting the focus from the region.

The G20 tourism conference in Kashmir has changed the image of the beautiful state of India. Investors and movie makers from Hollywood and other countries will come in large numbers. Prime Minister Modi Ji’s decision of 2019 has paid off.

The world of diplomacy is a complex and intricate system that governs the interactions between different nations and international organizations. It involves the practice of conducting negotiations, establishing agreements, and managing conflicts on a global scale. Diplomacy is crucial in maintaining peace, promoting cooperation, and resolving disputes between countries.

That PM Modi triumphed speaks volumes about his charisma despite several challenges in the world of diplomacy like geopolitical tensions, geopolitical rivalries and power struggles between nations, conflicting interests, historical disputes, ideological differences and India’s limited resources.

Vasudeva kutumbakam (World is one family) is not just some fancy ancient Sanskrit mantra. It is a truth that every “true” Indian knows, and many live that. We will wait for the world to come to this, but glad to see the PM living that truth, that heart to share vaccines and other supplies during the pandemic. Many would have played to the popular acts because India was beaten poorly. However, the Indian PM showed that core Indian values or Indianness we learn from ancient Indian Vedic heritage or just things in our culture. We are proud to have a PM like him and hope many more like him and better than him will grace us in the future; the world seriously needs us more than ever; to change a system, you have to become the system; India has the key to the absolute truth of life and beyond, last time we were naive, and we were smothered to the ground, but they dint we are phoenix, this time we are not any naive, and we still have the key and the will and this time …….. love, peace and eternity.