Moving beyond the traditional confines of the Delhi Durbar and the bureaucratic fortress of the ‘South Block’, India’s foreign policy has definitively reached a new dimension today. For several decades, whenever foreign heads of state visited India, their itinerary was remarkably predictable and confined to a very narrow geographic and cultural circle. This standard diplomatic route usually began at the airport, moved to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, continued to Hyderabad House for official dialogues, and concluded with a customary photo opportunity at the Taj Mahal.
However, since the geopolitical shift in 2014, this stagnant situation has been completely turned upside down.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian government has strategically diverted its high-stakes diplomatic meetings. These engagements have been moved out of the air-conditioned, sterile rooms of New Delhi and decentralized into India’s vibrant cultural and commercial centers.
Today, every major city in India has evolved into an important piece on the global political chessboard. This is evidenced by events such as the roadshow with the Japanese Prime Minister in Ahmedabad, the beach stroll with the Chinese President in Mamallapuram, the spiritual Ganga Aarti worship in Varanasi, and the signing of critical defense agreements with the French President in Mumbai.
This deliberate structural shift in statecraft is termed ‘Para-Diplomacy’ or ‘City Diplomacy’. What exactly is the political, economic, and cultural strategy operating behind this framework? Let us examine it in detail.
Decentralization of Power: India Beyond Delhi
For a very long time, the mere mention of India brought only the political power of Delhi and the historical monument of Agra to the minds of foreign observers. But India is by no means a single monoculture. It is a vast, diverse subcontinent. Every individual state within this union possesses a highly unique economic profile and a distinct cultural identity.
Prime Minister Modi’s decentralized approach to hosting international leaders is a fundamental part of the “Cooperative Federalism” philosophy. By physically taking foreign leaders out to various states, the government ensures that the specific investment opportunities of those respective regions are taken directly to world leaders. Therefore, this city-hopping approach is not merely tourism; it is a calculated and highly effective economic strategy.
Ahmedabad: The Center of Personal Chemistry
Guests: Friedrich Merz (Germany – 2026), Shinzo Abe (Japan – 2017), Xi Jinping (China – 2014), Donald Trump (USA – 2020)
Gujarat’s commercial hub, Ahmedabad, has today transformed into the second capital of India’s diplomacy. The recent visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Ahmedabad serves as an excellent contemporary example of this shift. When the Chancellor was seen spinning Gandhi’s charkha at the Sabarmati Ashram, it was not just a historical symbol. It was a deliberate attempt to convey to the world that Gujarat is an excellent, ready-made platform for investments from Germany’s ‘Mittelstand’ (medium-sized enterprises).
Furthermore, since Gujarat is Prime Minister Modi’s home state, the relationships forged with leaders visiting here easily transcend stiff political formalities. They naturally blossom into genuine personal friendships.
Shinzo Abe (2017): Taking the Japanese Prime Minister to Ahmedabad and conducting a massive roadshow in an open vehicle prominently showcased the closeness and trust between the two leaders. As a direct result of this deep bilateral trust, India’s first high-speed bullet train project (connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad) became possible.
Xi Jinping (2014): The iconic scene of Prime Minister Modi sitting and talking on a traditional swing with the Chinese President on the banks of the Sabarmati River was a pivotal moment. It represented an attempt to normalize and stabilize relations between the two great powers of Asia.
This is precisely where the concept of “Personal Diplomacy” works best. Stripped of the rigid protocols of Delhi, this relaxed environment inherently helps global leaders to converse more naturally and openly.
Chennai (Mamallapuram): Dravidian Architecture and the Chinese Connection
Guest: Xi Jinping (China – 2019)
The location carefully chosen by Prime Minister Modi for the second Informal Summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019 was Mamallapuram, situated near Chennai. This specific selection held immense historical significance.
Historical Message: The ancient Pallava kings, who ruled during the 7th century AD, maintained extensive maritime trade and deep diplomatic ties with China. Furthermore, the revered monk Bodhidharma traveled to China originating from Kanchipuram. By actively recalling this deep historical bond, Modi subtly yet firmly conveyed to Beijing that India is an ancient civilization entirely on par with China.
Dhoti Diplomacy: The visual optics of Prime Minister Modi welcoming the Chinese President while wearing the traditional Tamil attire of a dhoti and shirt boldly proclaimed India’s rich cultural diversity on the world stage.
Maritime Dominance: Geographically, Mamallapuram is located directly on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. This location choice was also viewed as a geopolitical strategy to signify and assert India’s paramount importance to China within the broader “Indian Ocean Region”.
Varanasi (Kashi): Spiritual Soft Power
Guests: Shinzo Abe (Japan – 2015), Emmanuel Macron (France – 2018), Pravind Jugnauth (Mauritius)
Varanasi stands out as one of the world’s oldest living cities, and it notably serves as the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Modi. The strategic purpose of taking foreign leaders to this sacred geography is to prominently showcase India’s “Spiritual Leadership” to the globe.
Ganga Aarti: Sitting on the revered banks of the river Ganges alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and collectively watching the evening Aarti rituals created a remarkably deep cultural bond.
Buddhist Connection: Because Japan is inherently a Buddhist nation, the profound spiritual connection with Kashi and nearby Sarnath emotionally linked both countries on a civilizational level.
Cultural Foundation: While many Western nations primarily project their economic or military strength, India confidently projects its cultural antiquity as a pillar of its foreign policy. A diplomatic visit to Varanasi effectively conveys to global leaders that forging a relationship with India is not just an entry into a massive consumer market but is fundamentally a civilizational connection.
Mumbai: The Economic and Defence Hub
Guest: Emmanuel Macron (France – 2026)
If New Delhi operates as the political capital, Mumbai undoubtedly reigns as India’s economic capital. French President Emmanuel Macron recently landing in Mumbai sends a very clear and pragmatic message to the world: “We are ready to do business”.
Defense Agreements: When highly complex, billion-dollar defense pacts such as those involving Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene-class submarines are being negotiated and discussed, Mumbai is the most appropriate arena. This is because it is the home turf of India’s preeminent corporate leaders, including the heads of Tata, Reliance, and Mahindra.
Investment Gateway: Moreover, Mumbai serves as the primary gateway for European capital investments and ‘FinTech’ (Financial Technology) partnerships. President Macron’s visit officially confirms that both France and the wider European Union increasingly view India as a highly capable, alternative manufacturing hub.
Bengaluru: The Future of Technology
Guests: Friedrich Merz (2026), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel – 2018), Angela Merkel (Germany – 2015)
Bengaluru is globally recognized as India’s Silicon Valley. The underlying purpose of world leaders visiting this southern metropolis is completely different from other cities, it is strictly focused on “Future Tech”.
Research and Development: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently conducted focused visits to the ‘Bosch’ company facilities and the IISc (Indian Institute of Science) in Bengaluru. Through this engagement, he effectively proved to the global market that India is no longer just a country that writes software codes in a “Back office” capacity. Rather, it has evolved into a formidable superpower in high-tech research (R&D) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Israel Relationship: Similarly, when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Bengaluru, the event served as a powerful convergence of two globally recognized “Startup Nations”. During this visit, a wide array of future-focused topics ranging from advanced agricultural technology to critical cyber security frameworks were extensively discussed.
Delhi: The Strategic Fortress
Guest: Vladimir Putin (Russia – 2025)
Even after actively decentralizing diplomatic power to so many regional cities, New Delhi still resolutely remains India’s primary “Strategic Fortress”. Specifically, bilateral relations with global powers like Russia remain highly sensitive and require a traditional setting.
Consequently, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India, these engagements mostly happen strictly within Delhi. Delhi’s secure “Hyderabad House” remains the most suited venue for highly crucial yet confidential negotiations, such as those regarding S-400 missile defense systems, sensitive nuclear energy agreements, and complex United Nations reforms. Simultaneously, Delhi has now also risen as an essential global center capable of hosting massive multilateral conferences, effectively demonstrated by the G-20 Summit and the AI Summit.
The New Era of Diplomacy: What are the Benefits?
Prime Minister Modi’s innovative “City Diplomacy” has brought several tangible benefits to India:
Inter-state Competition: Now, major states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Karnataka are actively engaging in healthy, robust competition amongst themselves to aggressively attract foreign investments. In this new paradigm, State Chief Ministers have also rightfully gained a proactive role in shaping foreign policy outcomes.
Brand India: The outdated international image of India merely as a “country of the poor” has been thoroughly shattered. In its place, a powerful new image of a “diverse economic superpower” has been systematically built.
Tourism Growth: Whenever world leaders visit a specific regional location, that place immediately grabs the intense attention of global media networks. Unsurprisingly, the tourism sectors of Mamallapuram and Varanasi have grown tremendously following the highly publicized visits of Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe.
To Sum-up
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully transformed Indian foreign policy from being merely a sterile “topic of discussion for the elites” into a vibrant “celebration of the people”. A German leader flying a kite in the skies of Ahmedabad, a Japanese leader actively performing a traditional pooja in Varanasi, and a French president casually sipping tea in Mumbai are by no means ordinary events.
These are, in fact, incredibly powerful diplomatic messages conveying to the entire world that India is fully ready to join hands with the modern global economy while fiercely preserving its deep cultural roots.
In the coming times, it is clear that India’s foreign policy trajectory will not be decided solely within the corridors of Delhi’s ‘South Block’. It will also be actively decided on the coastal beaches of Chennai, within the cutting-edge tech parks of Bengaluru, and upon the sacred ghats of Varanasi. This beautifully decentralized and deeply rooted approach is the true face of the New India.
Ganesh Kumar is a geo-political analyst.
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