Taking the readers on an insightful journey through 75 pivotal moments that have shaped India’s foreign policy since 1947, Power and Purpose: Rediscovering Indian Foreign Policy in Amrit Kaal serves not only as a valuable resource for academic research but also as an accessible guide for the general public. It offers objective and succinct analyses of key events in India’s foreign policy landscape.

The analyses are provided through a periodization of four waves—it starts with the era of state building and the Nehruvian outlook, followed by a period of regional consolidation and antagonisms; the third wave navigates through a phase when India was just opening up to the world, paving the way for transformative progress that has led it to its fourth and current wave, setting India on the path to global leadership. This journey from the past to the present fulfils two other purposes. First, it aims to provide the reader with objective insights into what created and shaped contemporary Indian foreign policy. This fuels its second purpose, wherein it aims to provide a window into contemporary foreign policy for future analysts to broadly understand how Indian foreign policy was perceived 75 years post its Independence, as it entered the next phase of Amrit Kaal.

This will be possible by analyzing the biases behind the curation of events this book has collated through its presentism, as many events may lose their significance in the years to come, while others may grow in their relevance. These variances will essentially represent the delta between contemporary Indian foreign policy and its subsequent formulations at infinite points of time in the future. Whether you are a student, a researcher, or simply curious about India’s role on the global stage, this book invites you to explore the complexities of Indian foreign policy and reflect on the lasting impact of historical decisions on our collective future.