Madras (Chennai)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India is one of the very few ancient civilisations in the world that has survived and evolved into a major modern nation-state, giving the country a deep sense of history that most nations do not possess.

Speaking at the launch of IIT Madras Global and the inaugural session of the IIT Madras tech fest Shaastra, Jaishankar said India is among the few ancient civilisations that have survived to become a major modern nation state.

"There are really very few ancient civilisations which have survived to become major modern nation states, and we are one of them. We have a sense of our past, which very few countries have," he said.

He said India's choice of democracy had global consequences. "It was our decision to opt for a democratic political model which made the very idea of democracy a universal political concept. Had we not gone that way, democracy would have remained very regional and narrow. It is our duty, our obligation to express our thoughts and our values, culture and history. But it can be done in a congenial partnership kind of way because I think that partnership with the West is important. I think it is very much a way of how we shape the world...," Jaishankar said.

"It is our duty, our obligation to express our thoughts and our values, culture and history. But it can be done in a congenial partnership kind of way because I think that partnership with the West is important. I think it is very much a way of how we shape the world," the EAM added.

Jaishankar said India today works with fewer relative resources than it had decades ago and must focus on maximum impact.

He explained that India does this by using its competitiveness, its strengths and by leveraging institutions and global partnerships. Citing IIT Madras' overseas initiatives, he said an IIT Madras campus in Tanzania shows how Indian foreign policy uses domestic institutions to make a large global impact.

Jaishankar said, "When we use this word so casually 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', what is actually the messaging of that word of that term? The term is that we have never considered the world as an inimical or a hostile environment from which we have to defensively protect ourselves... If you are in a problem-solving mode, with limited resources, how do you have maximum impact? That is actually the problem which has to be solved. What we try to do in Indian foreign policy today, in Indian diplomacy today, is actually solve that problem, and we try to do that by partly using our competitiveness, using our strengths, leveraging other institutions and possibilities.I would say even to me, an IIT Madras campus in Tanzania is a way by which Indian foreign policy has leveraged the capabilities of an institution here to make a huge impact there."

Jaishankar described India as a "human resource power".

"There are oil powers and resource powers. We are a human resource power and we should play to our strength," he said.

Referring to India's role during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said India was among the most efficient producers of vaccines.

During the event, several international agreements were announced as part of IIT Madras' global expansion.

Three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed with German partners, including Technische Universitat Dresden and Carl Zeiss. IIT Madras will host Carl Zeiss' first hub outside Germany.

In Malaysia, IIT Madras partnered with the Advanced Semiconductor Academy (ASEM) to build semiconductor talent and skilling, and signed agreements with the Aisling Group.

In Singapore, IIT Madras Global entered a market access partnership with GATES APAC to help Indian deep-tech startups connect with ASEAN markets.

In the UAE, IIT Madras signed MoUs with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism to support research, academia and startup innovation aligned with Dubai's D33 agenda. Agreements were also signed with the World Government Summit, MCA Gulf and AGNA Capitals.

In the UK, IIT Madras partnered with Durham University, while in the US, collaborations were announced with CA Startups, CFO Bridge, Stages Consulting and Rutgers University.

With support from the Ministry of External Affairs, IIT Madras has also become the first IIT to establish an overseas campus at Hensiberg.