Nation comes first: S Jaishankar wants Indians to take pride in India

When the pandemic was rampaging through nations, the world was building vaccines. During this period, a proxy battle began on social media. While India was quick to create its vaccine, some naysayers wondered if it would stand against the European and American vaccines. Was it truly safe? When this vaccine hesitancy was growing, Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar took a jab of Covaxin, our homegrown solution to the global pandemic. As a union minister, he had access to any vaccine available globally, but he opted for ‘Make in India’.

In an interview, he explains he did it because that was his way of convincing people that Indian means quality.

“When I tell people I took Covaxin, it has an impact. I took the vaccine that was made in India,” he says. A certain uncompromising faith and love for the nation spills through when he talks about the country.

Nationalism is key

This nationalism was about taking pride in all the advances the country has made since its independence and in the past few years. His family, as he shares, “Always participated in the Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. It was just a part of life and my upbringing.” So, if his parents raised him to be patriotic, it is only natural that he expects the same from every Indian. “I expect people to be nationalists. When people say things that are not good for the country, that angers and annoys me,” says the minister who has helped make unlikely allies and put the cause of the nation before any international pressures.

And how difficult can it be to feel proud of a nation that has truly been aatmanirbhar? India, as the minister points out, “has reached the untouched side of the moon through the Chandrayan mission, given the world a payment system like UPI,” and ushered into a truly digital age by using “5G technology that has been made in India.”  

Nothing beyond national interest

A simple example of that would be the Russia-Ukraine war. When there was global pressure to put sanctions on Russia, India was still exporting oil from the country. The reason for that was simple. While the West could afford to put sanctions, India couldn’t.

“If we did not buy Russian oil, oil prices would have gone up. Low-income consumers would have had to pay higher prices for petrol,” says Jaishankar. Simply put, prioritising the well-being of Indians has been his guiding principle throughout his career.

The minister embodies the message of ‘Make in India’, and wants everyone to take pride in this identity. So, from vaccines to cars to clothes, he wants traditional values and love for the country to be adorned by every Indian. But it isn’t just about making grand speeches, the Indian government makes it a point to introduce schemes to support the Make in India spirit.

“Today starting a business is so much easier, new professions have come that were not there before,” he explains. From students at universities to local MSMEs, they all need finance. He and his colleagues within the government understand that and ensure no one is denied opportunity.

Ready for the future

When people say he is accessible it is because he wants the voice of every Indian to reach him. “Feedback is important, we have to constantly evaluate ourselves,” he says. “In government, it is part of good decision making and I encourage people to challenge me. You can’t just have yes men in your circle.”

India is gearing towards what Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls the ‘Amrit Kaal’. S Jaishankar believes India is at the cusp of releasing this dream. “The last 10 years laid the foundation of this future. The next 25 years of Amrit Kaal are possible because of the strong foundation that was laid,” he shares. But how can Indians walk the walk towards this tomorrow? The secret sauce lies in thinking like a nationalist and choosing the right person. “Identify someone who thinks big and delivers it. Make the dreams actionable on the ground.” But if in doubt, do as the minister advises. “Just ask yourself.”