Project ‘Mausam’ is considered a unique foreign policy initiative of the Indian Government to improve relationship with its neighbours. Does the project have a strategic dimension? Discuss. (UPSC 2015)

Project Mausam is a cultural diplomacy initiative to revive India’s ancient maritime links across the Indian Ocean littoral. Though presented as heritage-based, it also serves wider foreign policy goals by strengthening India’s outreach to coastal neighbours.

• Soft power and trust-building: It uses shared history, religion and trade routes to deepen ties with Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman and other IOR states.
• Strategic maritime vision: By foregrounding India’s historical centrality in the Indian Ocean, it supports SAGAR and India’s role as a net security provider.
• Counter-narrative: It offers an alternative to China’s Maritime Silk Road by asserting India’s civilisational connections and regional influence through culture, not coercion.
• Multilateral platform: UNESCO-linked transnational heritage nominations can improve cooperation and India’s profile in the Indo-Pacific.

Thus, Project Mausam is not merely cultural. It has a clear strategic dimension, helping India combine heritage, diplomacy and maritime security in its neighbourhood policy.