India has seen a huge transformation in the last eight to nine years and the country will be a leading power after it becomes 'atmanirbhar' (self reliant), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Saturday.

In Pune to launch 'Bharat Marg', the Marathi translation of his book 'The India Way', the EAM said the aim was to get people to associate with the nation's foreign policy and not just listen to the "mandarins" (a term generally used for powerful bureaucrats).

He also spoke on China and the challenges the country faces with the ambitious northern neighbour as well as India's ties with Japan and the role in the Indo-Pacific.

"There are eight chapters. I wanted people to be associated with (the country's) foreign policy. I want to involve people from other states as well, not just Delhi. I have written this book in simple language and it is an easy read," he said.

The first chapter is about two nawabs losing Awadh to the British East India Company while playing chess, the second chapter is about globalisation and the challenges it throws up, and the third chapter is about the "dogmas of Delhi that is traditionally defined and constrained," Jaishankar said.

"The fourth is about foreign policy. Some people allege we are sitting in ivory towers and analysing the world. I feel we should not leave foreign policy to the mandarins. We should also listen to the masses. We should consider the feelings of people while formulating our foreign policy," he said.
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Speaking about China, the EAM said it is India's only neighbour which is a global power and may become a superpower in the years to come.
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"It is obvious there are challenges when we have such a neighbour. How to manage China is one chapter in my book. I have also written about how Japan will benefit us. After Partition, the nation faced limits but now our influence is right up to the Pacific Ocean," he said.
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Jaishankar said, in the book, he has also deliberated on the Covid-19 pandemic, the Afghanistan crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war along with how tensions between nations impacts the world.
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Speaking about India's transformation in the past eight to nine years (since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014), the Union minister said schemes like production linked incentives (PLI) were attracting global firms to the country.
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"Manufacturing and technological strides are taking place on a large scale in India. The biggest success story is our manufacturing of iPhones. India will become a leading power after we become atmanirbhar. Make in India is the formula to become a leading power. Over the last eight to nine years, a big transformation is taking place in India," he asserted.
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Jaishankar also touched on the topic of terrorism, saying no nation has suffered from the menace as much as India due to the "neighbour we have", an apparent reference to Pakistan.
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Underlining India's robust stand against terrorism now, he cited the surgical strikes post attacks in Pulwama and Uri and called them "decisive action".