Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now India's "biggest brand ambassador", asserting that the country's global identity, once largely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, has shifted in recent years.
In an interview with PTI Videos, Shekhawat said India's image abroad had undergone a significant transformation over the past decade
"Till 10-15 years ago, if you went to any country in the world and if you asked a person, based on his appearance, whether he was an Indian, he would hesitate in calling himself an Indian. He would introduce himself as an Asian.
"Then, if you asked him, where in Asia he was from, he would say that I am an Indian," the minister said.
Shekhawat said that for decades India's identity abroad remained closely linked to Mahatma Gandhi.
Moreover, if a visitor would tell anyone abroad that he or she was an Indian, the answer would be, "India! Oh, Mr Gandhi", he said, adding that the country's image and identity remained "stuck with Gandhiji".
"But today, and I say it with confidence, you can go to any country in the world... from the smallest Caribbean island to America, and from South Asia to West Asia, you can go anywhere, and if you tell someone that 'I am from India', you will see a bright smile on his face, and an exclamation, 'India! Oh, Mr Modi'," Shekhawat said.
Asked whether culture and tourism or Bollywood was India's bigger brand ambassador globally, the minister replied: "Nowadays, the biggest brand ambassador we have is our prime minister."
"Otherwise also, this is not a political reply. I am saying this as a layman. Like we just said, till 10-15 years ago, Gandhiji was the brand ambassador of India for decades. And now Modiji is the brand ambassador of India," he added.
