This friendship rests on two planks: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cultivation of close ties with world leaders and reciprocity for India’s global generosity that has accumulated over time. World leaders have emphasized they are giving back to India after receiving so much from it when their countries were in trouble as the pandemic was hammering them. Another reason for the display of international friendship is that the world sees India as a crucial lynchpin for security and stability, which few countries can afford to let weaken. If India is being propped up by the world, it owes to a recognition of its capabilities. India is not a burden but an opportunity and a hope for the world that considers it temporarily down but not out.

Source: Mint May 10, 2021 19:30 UTC