How India turned its cuisine into a weapon of peace, power, and planet-saving potential
Take mangoes, for instance. Not just any mangoes, India's world-renowned Alphonsos. In 2007, they starred in what came to be known as the 'nuclear mango deal,' where the U.S. lifted a longstanding ban on Indian mango imports in tandem with broader nuclear negotiations. Mangoes became more than dessert; they symbolised a soft-power breakthrough. But in 2025, that sweet story soured. The U.S. rejected 25 tonnes of Indian mangoes over minor paperwork issues. The fruit was destroyed, costing exporters $500,000 and bruising bilateral ties. Diplomacy by mango had suddenly turned to mush.Undeterred, India doubled down—not on mangoes, but millets. Declaring 2025 the International Year of Millets at the United Nations, India transformed these hardy grains from village staples into climate champions. At the G20, Prime Minister Modi served millet-centric menus to world leaders, blending sustainability with strategy. Millets were rebranded not just as health foods but as geopolitical statements. In a world worried about water scarcity and food security, India positioned itself as both solution and supplier.This culinary campaign reached new heights at World Food India 2025 in New Delhi. More than a food expo, it was India's gastronomic G20. CEOs, diplomats, chefs, and investors converged not just to taste but to trade. Alongside it, India Food 2025 showcased the country's food tech innovations—think blockchain-tracked basmati, AI-tested paneer, and IoT-enabled ghee production. Because in global food markets, it's not just about flavour. It's about safety, traceability, and digital trust.Still, India's gastrodiplomacy isn't just about commerce it's also about culture. Dosa is now a breakfast regular in Nairobi. Masala chai is Instagram's new comfort drink. Embassy dinners are less about policy papers and more about paneer platters. India's cuisine has become a tool of soft power, building goodwill in places where negotiations fall flat.But the path isn't without potholes. India's vast food ecosystem struggles with standardisation. Bureaucratic delays and inconsistent farming practices can still sabotage a great dish—or a great deal. And globally, the food diplomacy game is crowded: Italy has pasta, Mexico has avocados, Thailand has curry. India must keep innovating, digitising, and diversifying its plate to stay competitive.Yet, in a world where hard diplomacy often ends in deadlock, India's culinary strategy is cooking up trust, culture, and cooperation. It's proving that you don't always need a summit or a sanction to make a statement. Sometimes, you just need a good thali.advertisementSo, the next time someone asks how India plans to sway the global order, you'll know the answer: with bajra, biryani, and a side of strategic spice.- Ends
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Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Sanctions, exemptions and assurances: A cautionary note on India's trade deal strategy
Casinos and betting companies around the world might as well start offering odds on US tariff rates across goods for different countries and for how long the rates will stick. If one were lulled into complacency about understanding the current state of affairs, the Trump administration is sure to throw a few wildcards into the mix to keep everyone on their toes – and this includes analysts as well as trade negotiators. A few other countries, including Europe, have agreed on a trade deal with the US, and analysing its structure and form can give a strong indication of how the Indian deal might play out. Finally, a free trade agreement with the UK that was recently signed and one with Australia that was signed a few months ago give India a minor edge in the proceedings. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently threatened India, along with China, Brazil and others with 100 per cent secondary sanctions if they continue doing business with Russia, including buying Russian oil. Simultaneously, US Senator Lindsey Graham is pushing for the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, a bipartisan legislative proposal. The bill, backed by Trump and 170 other lawmakers, threatens an unprecedented 500 per cent tariff on all goods exported to the US by countries that buy Russian oil, gas, petrochemicals or uranium. This is part of an overall strategy to choke the Kremlin's war bank and economic lifelines. Trump has warned that if Russia does not stop its military offensive within 50 days, nations trading with Russia will receive trade penalties. India imports 90 per cent of its crude oil needs, of which 35-40 per cent comes from Russia. Recall that in 2020, the share of Russia in India's crude oil imports was less than 1 per cent. The response by the Indian administration has been mixed. India's foreign secretary hit back at NATO's double standards for both buying Russian gas and for buying refined oil from India, which uses Russian crude as inputs. He has also indicated that India might not readily fall in line, as securing India's energy needs is the top priority for this government. Elsewhere, there's a tacit acknowledgement of the cost-benefit analysis. India's Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has implicitly acknowledged that India is prepared to 'deal with these sanctions' when they are passed. What helps is that India now has diversified its import sources to 40 countries, as opposed to 27 in the past, which means that India can reduce its imports from Russia, should the sanctions be passed. While diversifying imports to other countries can turn out to be slightly more expensive, a 500 per cent (or even 100 per cent) tariff rate would kill India's competitiveness with the only major trading partner with which India has a trade surplus. India will have to assess the probability of Trump keeping his word on the secondary tariffs. The oil spot markets called his bluff, as the price for Brent crude barely moved from $69 per barrel. If the secondary sanctions stick and Russian oil (which accounts for 10 per cent of the total global oil supply) is shut out of the global markets, the price could shoot up to $120 per barrel. This would derail Trump's domestic low-energy prices agenda. Moreover, if secondary tariffs on Chinese (mainly) and Indian goods stick, it would result in a significant increase in prices of imported goods and cause runaway inflation in the US. Will the acronym TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) be validated again? Along with the threat of secondary tariffs, Trump has also separately imposed tariffs on auto and auto parts. He is also threatening tariffs on pharmaceutical imports and a 10 per cent additional tariff on all products from BRICS countries for attempting to 'destroy' the US Dollar. 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Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
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A month after the Pahalgam terror attack sent shockwaves across India, Indian security forces launched 'Operation Mahadev' on May 22 to hunt down the masterminds and killers behind the Baisaran Valley massacre that claimed 26 civilian lives. The mission was launched with the specific objective of tracking and eliminating the terrorists responsible for the April 22 attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Public Policy Design Thinking Project Management MBA Data Analytics Digital Marketing Degree Technology PGDM Data Science Data Science Product Management Operations Management Others Finance Cybersecurity others Leadership MCA CXO healthcare Artificial Intelligence Management Healthcare Skills you'll gain: Economics for Public Policy Making Quantitative Techniques Public & Project Finance Law, Health & Urban Development Policy Duration: 12 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate Programme in Public Policy Management Starts on Mar 3, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 12 Months IIM Calcutta Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management Starts on undefined Get Details After weeks of coordinated intelligence and tactical operations, the mission culminated on July 28 with the killing of all three terrorists in a major breakthrough. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dhoni's Exclusive Home Interior Choice? HomeLane Get Quote 'In a joint Operation Mahadev, the Indian Army , CRPF and J&K Police have neutralised three terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack,' Shah said, confirming the success of the mission. Shah described the Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 civilians were killed, as an act of "barbarism" and extended his condolences to the victims' families. Live Events 'Firstly, the cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians in Pahalgam, who were killed with barbarism — I condemn that attack. To the surviving family members of the victims, I extend my heartfelt condolences,' he said. India avenges Pahalgam horror: Security forces kill all 3 terrorists behind attack, confirms Amit Shah How India identified the terrorists Shah said that security forces went to great lengths to establish that the three terrorists killed on July 28 were the same individuals who carried out the Pahalgam attack. Their identities were confirmed as Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran. 'Security forces went to great extent to establish that identity of terrorists was same as those responsible for Pahalgam attack,' Shah said. Notably, the government possessed even more granular evidence. 'All three terrorists were Pakistani and we have their voter ID numbers as well. The chocolates recovered from them were also made in Pak,' he told the House. Arrests and identification Soon after the April 22 attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other security agencies began making arrests of those believed to have assisted the terrorists. Individuals who sheltered or fed the attackers were either arrested or detained. These individuals later played a key role in confirming the terrorists' identities. 'NIA had already arrested those who gave them shelter. Those who fed them were detained. When the terrorists' dead bodies reached Srinagar, they were identified as the three people who carried out the terror attack in Pahalgam,' Shah said. 'The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies,' he added. Forensic confirmation Indian agencies also relied heavily on forensic evidence to establish the link between the dead terrorists and the Pahalgam attack. The cartridges recovered from the April 22 attack site had already undergone analysis. On July 28, after the terrorists were killed, their rifles were recovered and sent for ballistic comparison. 'The FSL report of the cartridges from the terror attack was already ready... Yesterday, the rifles of the three terrorists were seized and matched with the FSL reports,' Shah said. Further confirmatory tests were conducted at a lab in Chandigarh, and the ballistic match was confirmed. 'Further tests were carried out in Chandigarh yesterday, after that it was confirmed that these three were those who carried out the terror attack,' he said.
