External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to Sweden to participate in the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum (EIPMF), encountered a "witty" but considerable question from a reporter where he asked whether Indian street food 'pani-puri' will replace hamburger amid the growing influence of Indian culture in the West.
Replying to the reporter, EAM Jaishankar used the popular Hindi phrase 'aapke muh mein ghee-shakkar', which left the Indian diaspora in laughter.
Jaishankar's witty reply came when a reporter asked, "As per the current trend, shall we see people in the west eating Pani Puri' instead of hamburgers and will H&M T-shirts have New Delhi printed on it instead of New York".
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Globalisation of Indian culture
The minister spoke about the transformations underway in India and the opportunities it created for Indians living abroad. "I actually can see this globalisation of Indian culture happening. And it is happening for a variety of factors. One, of course, is because of the spread of the diaspora. The second is, we ourselves, I think, are much more confidently expressing it. It's important we try to find ways of making it (globalisation of Indian culture) more universal," Jaishankar said.
"And, one very good example of that is actually this initiative, which started in 2015, of celebrating the International Day of Yoga, which was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spoke about it in the United States, he said. "I must say, in all honesty, none of us actually could even imagine it would catch on, the way it does now. There is not a country in the world where that enthusiasm for yoga is not there...," the minister said.
"But there are other areas you know, it could be music, it could be cinema, I mean, the power of culture. And I think that's the strength of India. It's a strength of India which we have not brought into play in the manner in which we could, we should. And I hope people like you can be so enthusiastic I'm sure everybody else will join you," he added.
Jaishankar's visit to Sweden is his first as the external affairs minister. The trip comes at a time when India and Sweden are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.
Sweden currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
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