Hegemony refers to the dominance, leadership, or overwhelming influence of one group, country, or social class over others. It extends beyond physical force and often shapes culture, laws, and beliefs in ways that allow the dominant power to influence and reshape cultural norms. Hegemony is not limited to military control; rather, it involves cultural influence, whereby the dominant group’s worldview becomes widely accepted as “common sense.” In such systems, people comply not only out of fear but also through consent and acceptance.

The global spread of American culture can largely be attributed to the United States’ emergence as a dominant global superpower following the Second World War. Through economic strength, technological advancement, and media supremacy, the United States exported its cultural norms across the world. American cultural industries, including Hollywood films, music genres such as rock and roll and hip-hop, and modern streaming services, continuously produce content that circulates globally, spreading American values, language, and lifestyle patterns.

Multinational corporations and the capitalist economic system have further promoted consumerism, making global brands such as Apple, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola widely recognized and adopted. American culture is often associated with ideals of individualism, liberty, prosperity, and material success, which many societies find attractive and seek to emulate. Hollywood productions, technological innovation, and global corporate branding have made American lifestyle choices aspirational and closely linked with modernity and high consumption.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the global political order shifted toward a unipolar structure in which the United States exercised considerable influence worldwide. This influence operates through multiple forms of power. Hard power refers to military strength and strategic capabilities. Structural power is exercised through international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Soft power is expressed through culture, technology, media, and globally recognized brands. However, contemporary scholars increasingly argue that the world is gradually moving toward multipolarity, where several major powers including the United States, China, the European Union, India, and others share global influence.

The 2026 United States-Iran conflict represents a contemporary example that reflects aspects of American hegemony in West Asia. The conflict began on February 28, 2026, involving military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets, and hostilities have continued across the region. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting United States military bases and infrastructure in Gulf states, as well as energy-related facilities. These actions have threatened regional shipping routes and demonstrated Iran’s military capability to both international observers and domestic audiences.

The conflict has highlighted the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints through which a significant portion of global oil supply passes. United States military actions have included targeting Iranian energy infrastructure and escorting commercial vessels to maintain the free movement of oil shipments. The United States maintains a large network of military bases across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These installations support monitoring operations, regional security, and the protection of energy supply routes, while also countering the growing influence of rival powers such as China in West Asia.

The economic costs of the ongoing war are extremely high, potentially amounting to billions of dollars each week. The conflict has generated widespread regional instability, disrupted global energy supply, and increased geopolitical tensions. Attacks and military incidents have affected multiple Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates, raising concerns about the possibility of a broader regional war.

Oil and fuel prices have risen sharply due to disruptions and uncertainties surrounding Middle Eastern oil supply. The Strait of Hormuz remains a highly sensitive zone, and any threat to its functioning significantly impacts global energy markets. The resulting increase in oil prices has placed pressure on national economies worldwide and contributed to fears of inflation and economic slowdown.

The conflict has important consequences for India, which relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East. Rising oil prices directly affect the cost of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel. This increase leads to higher transportation costs, increased airline fares, and inflation in essential goods and services. Economic pressure may intensify if the conflict expands to involve additional Middle Eastern countries, further disrupting oil supply. In addition to conventional warfare, the possibility of cyberwarfare and proxy conflicts involving militia groups and cyber networks linked to regional actors adds further uncertainty to the situation.

Overall, the 2026 United States–Iran conflict represents a significant geopolitical challenge that places pressure on American resources and regional stability. The prolonged nature of the conflict raises important questions about the sustainability of long-term military engagement and the evolving structure of global power. While the conflict demonstrates the continued influence of the United States, it also reflects the complexities of maintaining hegemony in an increasingly multipolar world.

Conclusion

The war with Iran has opened another front in an already volatile region; it has revealed a fundamental tension in American foreign policy during the mid-2020s. The United States still possesses the military reach, industrial strength, and wide alliance network of a global superpower. However, this conflict has demonstrated that even a superpower must make careful choices among competing theatres of conflict, strategic priorities, and international commitments. Washington is being reminded that possessing power does not necessarily mean having unlimited freedom to act.

The Thucydides Trap describes the high risk of war when a rising power threatens to displace a dominant ruling power. This concept is  named after the Greek historian Thucydides who noted the dynamics between Athens and Sparta leading to the Peloponnesian War.

Thucydides war was further popularized by political scientist Graham T. Allison, suggesting the fear of the rising power by the established nation, coupled with the challenger’s growing confidence, often leads to conflict, though Allison aims to help manage this dynamic (currently U.S.-China) to avoid war through understanding and diplomacy.

The origin of the Thucydides’ trap started in situation where rising power Athens challenged the status of an established, ruling power  Sparta. The war was called Peloponnesian War, The Peloponnesian War was fought in the Eastern Mediterranean between the Athenian-led Delian League and the Spartan-led Peloponnesian League from 431 to 404 BC for domination over Ancient Greece. Thucydides approached ethics with scepticism, viewing morality as shaped by one’s environment rather than universal truths. Thucydides’ observations during the Peloponnesian War led him to develop political realism, the theory that political behaviour is fundamentally driven by fear of war and self-interest.

In the world wars happen due to complex, overlying reasons like disputes over resources such as land, oil, power struggles, political control, influence, and identity clashes  due to religion, nationalism, ideology, often fuelled by economic inequality, historical grievances, resource scarcity exacerbated by climate change, or a breakdown in diplomacy, leading groups to use organized violence when peaceful resolution fails. For example, Pakistan’s frequent conflicts with India stem mainly from the unresolved Kashmir dispute since 1947, leading to wars and ongoing border clashes, fuelled by religious/communal tensions and strategic interests, alongside internal instability and support for militant groups impacting regional security, especially with neighbours like Afghanistan, creating a cycle of conflict. The violent 1947 split by British created a deep-seated hostility between India and Pakistan leading to religious divide between  Hindu-Muslim, and a legacy of distrust.

Wars, often arising from economic, territorial, religious, or political reasons, can leave countries war-torn, requiring decades for rebuilding infrastructure and economic reconstruction. Rebuilding nations after war is indeed a daunting task, involving immense challenges across social, economic, political, and infrastructural domains. It requires comprehensive, long-term strategies and often international cooperation to establish lasting peace and stability.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, beginning in 2022, it exemplifies the complexities of modern warfare, including unexpected resistance, strategic and logistic challenges, and significant civilian impact. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation began a military invasion of Ukraine, escalating a conflict that had been simmering since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Global war statistics reveal a diversity of conflicts, from Myanmar’s long-standing civil war to the ongoing drug war in Mexico, each with unique causes and consequences.

Myanmar’s civil war stems from the military’s 2021 coup, overthrowing a democratically elected government and triggering widespread armed resistance by pro-democracy forces and ethnic groups against the ruling junta, building on decades of ethnic conflict and military dominance over civilian rule. The core reasons are the military’s desire to retain power, suppression of democratic movements, and long-standing ethnic grievances, all exacerbated by the military’s violent crackdown on peaceful protests after the coup.

The Mexican drug war is an ongoing lopsided armed conflict between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking syndicates. When the Mexican military intervened in 2006, the government’s main objective was to reduce drug-related violence. This conflict has resulted in widespread violence, including mass killings and brutal tactics employed by the cartels, such as execution-style murders and the use of mass graves. The conflict known as the Mexican Drug War is still very much ongoing as an intense armed struggle between the Mexican government and powerful drug cartels, despite various government initiatives and claims of ending the “war,” with cartels like the Sinaloa Cartel remaining dominant players in the multi-billion-dollar drug trade, driving violence and instability.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a long-running, complex dispute over land and self-determination with historical roots stretching back over a century. It encompasses a series of wars, numerous military operations, and ongoing political conflict, most notably the current Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Palestinians seek to establish their own independent state in at least one part of historic Palestine. Israeli defence of its own borders, control over the West Bank, the Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian internal politics currently make the Palestinians’ goal out of reach. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine.

Civilization Identity will be increasingly important in the future, and the world will be shaped in large measure by the interactions among seven or eight major civilizations. These include Western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American and possibly African civilization.

The Soviet-Afghan war and the First Gulf War as the emergence of civilization wars. Huntington interprets the Afghan War as a civilization war because it was the first successful resistance to a foreign power, which boosted the self-confidence, and power of many fighters in the Islamic world says American political scientist Samuel Huntington.

Cold Wars are increasingly appearing at these civilizational divisions. Wars such as those following the breakup of Yugoslavia, in Chechnya, and between India and Pakistan were cited as evidence of inter-civilizational conflict.

Impact of clash of civilization on business

According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, a staggering 70% of international ventures fail due to cultural differences. This alarming statistic underscores the critical need for mastering cross-cultural communication. Because human societies are complex systems, some common factors that may contribute to their decline are economic, environmental, demographic, social and cultural. These factors may cascade into another and build up to the point that could overwhelm any mechanisms that would otherwise maintain stability.

Culture clash in the workplace refers to the conflict that arises when different employee backgrounds, beliefs, and behaviours collide. This can manifest in various ways, including: miscommunication, diverse communication styles can lead to misunderstandings and frustration. Also, cultural clashes disrupt businesses.

Increased Trade Costs and Reduced Flows

Cultural differences act as a significant, and in the post-Cold War era, potentially increasing barrier to international trade. Countries belonging to different civilizations tend to trade less with each other. This is due to higher transaction costs, a lack of trust, and differing business norms which complicate negotiations and collaboration.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Risks

Businesses investing overseas face “cultural risks” in regions with vastly different languages, religious beliefs, legal origins, and values. These risks can lead to potential operational challenges, social tensions, and the need for significant adaptation to local cultural norms, which can be costly and difficult to manage.

Geopolitical Conflict and Instability

The theory posits that conflicts will primarily occur along “fault lines” between civilizations. This increases the risk of regional instability, proxy conflicts, and “tit-for-tat” sanctions (e.g., in trade and finance) which can disrupt global supply chains, catch businesses in the middle of political disputes, and increase compliance costs.

Challenges in Mergers and International Operations

Within organizations, a clash of corporate cultures, often exacerbated by different national or regional operating styles, can lead to communication breakdowns, demotivation, resistance to change, and a lack of cohesion in teams. This makes successfully integrating acquired companies or managing diverse global operations a major challenge.

Reinforced Economic Regionalism

The theory suggests that successful economic regionalism often succeeds only when it is rooted in a common civilization. This trend toward stronger intra-regional trade blocs (e.g., in Europe, East Asia, North America) could lead to the marginalization of businesses from outside those blocs, making cross-regional expansion more difficult.

Weaponization of Trade and Finance

The intensification of civilizational competition can lead to the “weaponization” of economic tools, such as trade tariffs, sanctions, and restrictions on technology transfers, in “nationally sensitive” domains for example,  semiconductors, clean energy. This environment of economic warfare forces businesses to navigate a complex, fragmented international system.

I am happy to announce that my book titled “International Business” has been published in Last week of May 2025 by Himalaya Publishing House its ISBN Number is 978-93-6557-175-2. 

This book “International Business” is comprehensive and practical, covering core concepts with real-world examples, caselets, case studies, and organizational consequences. It is up to date with current events and research. The book covers major aspects of international business, including globalization, international trade, foreign direct investment, international finance, international marketing, MNCs and their subsidiaries, CAGE model, Diamond model and international strategies. The book incorporates the latest events, statistics, and research findings in the field. The material is lucid for the students; it talks about how to apply concepts in real-world business situations. The language is clear and brief, avoiding unnecessary jargons. The author has created a clear and logical structure, making it easy for students to follow the flow of information. 

Globally, the Indian market is termed as ‘emerging’ market. The Indian academia is also evolving to compete with the briskly changing global market due to the VUCA. This book is an attempt in the backdrop of such evolving academia. Based on the feedback received from students and faculty on my earlier publications, I felt that there was a distinctive need for a reference book that connects the conceptual field of consumer behaviour with more emphasis on the Indian context, not only in terms of basic concepts but also in terms of examples and caselets.

The following objectives have been covered in the book:

• Attract foreign demand.
• Utilize technology.
• Use of economic resources in form of mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures etc.
• International diversification.
• Exporting goods and services.
• Giving license to produce goods in the host country.
• Global customer base.
• Facilitates the transfer of technology, knowledge, and resources between countries, contributing to economic development.

The book covers the latest syllabi in total eight chapters.

1. Introduction to International Trade

2. Evaluating Country Attractiveness

3. Understanding Cultural Difference and its impact of Business

4. International Finance Decision

5. Forex Markets

6. WTO Regional Trade

7. Managing MNCs and subsidiaries

8. Impact of I-R Model on Subsidiary Management

Under its Smart Cities Mission, Indian Government wants to create cities that are technologically equipped and have energy-efficient buildings. An energy efficient building offers suitable environment for offices and housing with minimal energy consumption and wastage of energy, thus minimizing energy. It offers best-in-class facilities, and efficient transportation system. The first such model city, is getting ready in Gujrat. Its work is in progress, it is called Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Co. Ltd or the GIFT City. This smart city is being developed as a central business district in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar. The Rs 78,000-crore project would provide residential, corporate, retail, and other facilities.  At the core this project is technology driven to ensure transport connectivity, resource management, water distribution, and even waste disposal management. It will also house India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

GIFT City aims to be a ‘smart city’ for India’s growing finance and technology sectors. It hopes that a promise of ‘intelligent design’ and the most modern infrastructure including gas, electricity, and transport will attract businesses from other parts of India as well as overseas.

The idea of GIFT City was planned back in 2008 and became operational in 2015. The simplified regulations bundled with various tax and other advantages offer an inviting ecosystem making it a promising destination for both local and global investors. With a specific attention on financial services, it also becomes a promising landscape for both domestic and international financial giants. It provides distinguished benefits to the financial, IT/ ITeS (Information technology enabled services) companies making it a pivotal foundation at par with the various global financial and IT hubs. GIFT City is a vision of the Government of India and Gujarat aiming to serve as a centre for global banking, trade, and business.

An IFSC is a specific location within the mainland of the country treated as a foreign location with an intent to enable global business offering a worldwide regulatory regime. IFSC at GIFT City gives an opportunity to global and domestic businesses to set up a company, limited liability partnership and subsidiaries in the GIFT City under various business verticals. These include banking, insurance, stock exchange, alternate investment funds, aircraft leasing and other businesses as well such as ship craft leasing, etc. The Gift City will be giving Unified Regulator & Single Window Clearance.

IFSC in India are governed by a unified regulator named IFSC Authority (IFSCA) which encompasses regulatory powers of four financial services regulators in India namely Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority of India (PFRDAI) enabling it to provide single window clearance for all necessary approvals under one umbrella in an easy manner.

GIFT City is declared as Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The SEZ is created to encourage exports and foreign investment especially for multinational corporations. SEZ offers benefits to the businesses operating in this zone, including duty-free imports and exports, easy regulatory processes, tax benefits. GIFT City is the first IFSC in India and to make it more attractive and enticing the Government of India also declared it as a SEZ.

GIFT IFSC has been designated as a foreign jurisdiction of a non-resident zone under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) Regulations enabling friendliness for carrying out foreign exchange transactions in liberal manner. The entities setup in the GIFT IFSC can transact in, retain, repatriate the foreign currencies without limitations which are otherwise applicable to the mainland India.

Easy movement of foreign capital

The offshore status of the GIFT IFSC bundled with various relaxations and less restrictive financial regulations makes it an attractive destination for foreign investors allowing unrestricted movement of fund invested in the form of repatriation of profits, dividends, and investments back to the home country of the foreign investors.

Liberal policies and business friendly regulatory framework

The regulatory regime of GIFT IFSC is formulated to parallel the best practices accepted globally facilitating flexibility and reduced compliance burden. Amongst the plethora of such benefits a few noteworthy relaxations include exemption to non-residents from obtaining permanent account number (PAN) or filing return of income in India in certain circumstances.

Tax benefits to the IFSC Units setup in GIFT City

The IFSC units’ setup in the GIFT City, India offers various tax benefits like exemptions on corporate tax, tax holiday for ten years, reduced Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) for increasing the profitability and hence growth of the business houses. It also offers numerous indirect tax benefits such as no Goods and Service Tax (GST) on services received by unit in IFSC, no GST on services provided to IFSC units / SEZ units / offshore clients. If the services are provided to the Domestic Tariff Area of mainland India, then the GST is applicable under Reverse Charge Mechanism.

Tax benefits to the Investor investing in IFSC GIFT City

The investor investing in the GIFT IFSC gets numerous fiscal benefits including the benefits such as interest income paid to non-residents on money lent to IFSC units in GIFT city are exempted from tax, transfer of specified securities listed on IFSC exchanges by non-residents are not treated as a transfer and  hence gains arising from such transfers are not treated as capital gains and are taxable in India , exemption from Securities Transaction Tax (STT) , exemption from  Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT), dividend received by investor in IFSC unit is subjected to concessional rate of tax, no GST on transactions carried out in IFSC exchanges.

Various financial benefits and incentives

The Government of Gujarat provides various state incentives in the form of financial incentives support schemes to attract companies and investors to GIFT IFSC. These incentives include grants, subsidies, and reduced operational costs due to OPEX (Operating expenses) support, CAPEX (Capital expenditure) support, employment generation incentives. The government has also announced various state level incentives and subsidies to Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITeS) Companies.

Benefits of GIFT City for startups

To promote the innovation and ideas and entrepreneurship IFSC-GIFT City provides dedicated FinTech support and requisite startup friendly environment with an aim to shape and fulfil the aspirations and ambitions of start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

The Government of India recognizes and reinforces that tapping the global capital and global market are the key drivers for the development of businesses across the borders and plays a pivotal role in the overall economic growth and to strengthen the position of the country in the global economy.

Globally, we see such cities at Aladdin City, Dubai, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia.

Dubai has setup on a stellar commercial project at Aladddin City that will recreate the magic of the renowned Disney’s Aladdin series. Spread across 4,000 acres, the project will boast of suspended golden walkways and three main towers that will be designed like genie lamps. The city, to be built on the Dubai creek, will house hotel and commercial spaces with ample parking space. It is also in the race of being named as world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Songdo International Business District at South Korea is being built on a reclaimed land near South Korea’s Seoul, the estimated cost of this project is $40 billion. This is a 10-year development project, which will be a business district with 80,000 apartments, 50 million sq ft of office space and 10 million sq ft of retail space, along with hospitals, hotels, schools, and cultural amenities. It will house Northeast Trade Tower, the tallest tower in the country, and Incheon Tower, an under-construction 151-floor twin tower. The city is smart in many ways, as it will provide charging stations for electric vehicles and automatic waste collection system. All the buildings in this city will be built on a par with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements.

Yas Island at Abu Dhabi is being built on a man-made island, the city of Yas is being transformed into a business, entertainment, shopping, and leisure destination by Aldar Properties. The project is expected to cost over $40 billion and will occupy over 2,500 hectares, 1,700 hectares of which will be reclaimed land. The world-class entertainment activities will include a Formula One racing track by Etihad, Ferrari World, Marina Circuit, Yas Water world and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, along with many restaurants. The Water world and Marina Circuit will provide a wide range of motor sports. 

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has been slowly expanding into the petrochemical and refinery business district. After building the first Jubail Industrial City project, the Kingdom is expanding the city further by spending $80 billion. The industrial city is known to be one of the largest civil engineering projects and will house many industrial plants and an oil refinery that can produce 350,000 barrels of oil in a day. It will also have a desalination plant of 800,000 cubic meters in volume. The city will also be well-connected with roads, rail tracks and even highways. The project is expected to be completed by 2024. 

The Hudson Yards project, located in the West of Manhattan, is being developed over an operational train yard. The project, which is a joint venture between New York City Department of City Planning and Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will be a 17-million square feet mixed use project boasting of commercial, residential, retail and leisure development. The project will also have its own subway stop. The first commercial tower, which has already locked in global brands, including Coach and L’Oreal as tenants, is 52-storeys high. The entire project is expected to cost over $20 billion.

I attended a lecture by Dr. Uday Nirgudkar at Founder’s Day of Maratha Mandir on 4^th March 2024. Nirgudkar is the Group Editor of Marathi News Channel Lokmat 18 on 4^th April 2024, he came as Chief Guest for our Founder Day celebration. While talking about himself he informed the audience that his topic for PhD was Psephology. Dr. Nirgudkar enlightened the audience in his 90 minutes speech about how 2047 would be. He spoke about the milestones of Indian economy from 1947 and a few futuristic milestones till 2047 completing a century of Independent India. The term psephology stayed in my mind and therefore I am writing this article.

Psephology is a branch of political science that deals with the scientific analysis of elections or polls. Psephologist is a Political Researcher. The profile of psephologists and pollsters are alike. Psephologists are in demand during elections to predict the voter’s psychology.

Recently, the Chief election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar announced the Lok Sabha elections 2024 dates. The elections will occur in 7 phases, starting on 19 April and ending on 1 June. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 results will be declared on 4 June.

Understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behaviour, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war are areas very important for a psephologist’s understanding. He studies how people will vote in elections.

Psephologists are the ones who use their talents to calculate the results of “exit polls” in any democratically held election and take a final call on which party would win. Some of the famous psephologists in India are Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Kishor, Dr. Nirgudkar, G.V.L. Narsimha Rao, Prannoy Roy, Ranjit Chib etc.

There is a big difference between opinion polls and exit polls. The results continue to keep swinging during the opinion polls, with many factors at play. But in the case of exit polls, the voting pattern should be well captured. However, if we look at the exit polls across various elections so far, they may show the trend somewhat closely, but they fail to capture the mood in terms of vote share, seats in various regions, and the overall tally for various parties.

Polling, however, is not an exact science. People get swayed by opinions of others. In India in villages the Sarpanch gives his views about which party might help the villagers for beratement; in fact, it’s the rural India which sincerely votes. Urban apathy towards voting is very dangerous. In all elections in urban areas, we see a low voting percentage. Sluggishness, lack of interest, and lack of awareness are some reasons why the urban youth shirk from voting.

Since only a small sample of the population are interviewed, final figures are always subject to a margin of error. The sampling method cannot produce exact figures like those found in the science laboratory. People of a community cannot be subjected to precise analytical measurements. Exactly what accounts for an opinion held by a person or for his personality cannot be secluded and studied as precisely as the elements which make up an opinion poll. 

Prashant Kishor is one of the renowned psephologists known to have played an instrumental role in strategizing in Narendra Modi’s victory in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls. Kishor is also known for guiding JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar to win 2015 assembly poll. Kishor is often credited with reforming the political scenario in the country. He can come up with ideas for the political parties’ agendas. Strategies for fulfilling the agendas, a very strong desire to succeed, reasoning ability. He thinks out of the box. He has an eye for detailing, clear understanding of voters’ mindset to analyse and synthesis information and data. Psephology can be pursued by those who are good in political science and statistics. There are very few universities that teach the program specifically.

Scope:  Psephology is the term derived from the Greek term “Psephos” which means pebble, which the Greeks used as ballots and “Logy” denotes a field of study or academic discipline. The demand for psephologists has raised among various media groups. They are usually contracted by one media group or the other to write relevant columns and articles pertaining to political science or sociology. They are also hired by Political Parties or can also work as freelancers. Currently with elections being organized in every state regularly, psephologists are in demand. Research agencies and institutions also employ psephologists for researching past or historic electoral data. This is critical to establish facts and determine the ‘swing’ and preferences of a certain population.

India doesn’t have an actual post called ‘psephologist’. However, some major parties have in-house analysts who can be called psephologists. Several accomplished media editors, political analysts, and marketing research scientists work as psephologists. But in future, the psephologists will be immense demand. The problem is hardly any Universities teach Psephology as a subject. State Universities must develop a board of studies for preparing a separate syllabus for Psephology.

The BRICS alliance, initially formed in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has experienced a transformative expansion in 2024. The BRICS grouping collectively occupies considerable economic power in the globe. The expansion of BRICS membership has further boosted its influence. The group represents a significant portion of the world’s population, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), global trade, and energy production. In 2023, Brazil’s President called on the BRICS nations to create a common currency for trade and investment between each other, as a means of reducing their dependability on vulnerable American dollar exchange due to rate fluctuations. 

Officials and economists have pointed out the difficulties involved in such a project, given the economic, political, and geographic discrepancies between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Brazil’s president doesn’t believe nations that don’t use the dollar should be forced to trade in the currency, and he has also backed for a common currency in the Mercosur block of South American countries. The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosur, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Right now, it’s an assumption that BRICS currency will increase payment options and reduce the vulnerabilities, of currency fluctuation.

What other BRICS leaders think? South African officials said a BRICS currency was not there on their agenda. Building a BRICS currency would be a “tough political project”, South African central bank governor announced in July 2023. He said that for getting BRICS currency they will need a banking union, a fiscal union, to some extent they will need macroeconomic merging of the BRICS nations. A lot of disciplined mechanism will be required for the countries that fall out of line with it. Most importantly, they will need a common central bank, in which country could it be located? Trade imbalances cannot be ignored. All BRICS member countries have China as their main trading partner and little trade with each other.

The potential benefits of a BRICS currency include reducing dependence on the US dollar and increasing economic cooperation among member countries. The potential benefits of a BRICS currency include a dominance in international trade and a preference from 58% of countries.

BRICS leaders have said they want to use their national currencies more instead of the dollar, which strengthened sharply last year as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates and Russia invaded Ukraine, making dollar debt and many imports more expensive. Russia’s sanctions-imposed expulsion from global financial systems last year also fuelled speculation that non-western allies would shift away from the dollar.

Last year’s BRICS summit was a tricky assignment for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who aimed to tackle several thorny issues: balancing India’s ties with Russia and the West, managing BRICS expansion, and addressing border tensions with China. Modi tackled these issues plus some more upcoming bilateral trade problems gracefully.  

India has a strong voice in the BRICS and the UN, India spoke out against policies or actions that may harm the interests of any member. For example, India turned down China’s request to allow Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Mexico to join the BRICS.

Coming back to the issue of BRICS currency: each of the BRICS countries supports the currency initiative for different reasons. Russia and China are at the forefront of the de-dollarisation move for their political interests. Russia is trying to avoid US sanctions by challenging the dollar-dominated financial system, while China is promoting the Renminbi (official currency of the People’s Republic of China) as an alternative. Since more than 17 percent of its reserves are in Renminbi, Russia has a greater preference for transacting in Renminbi. On the other hand, India, South Africa, and Brazil have their own pragmatic reasons for supporting the move. Reduced dollar dominance in international transactions will make it easier for these nations facing a dollar crunch to repay their debts owed to international organisations. A 2019 study by Global Business Review compared the regime-switching behaviour of the real exchange rates of the five BRICS nations before and after the group’s formation. It concluded that the inclusion of a stronger policy interaction in the region, especially in monetary management, shows the chance of a strong currency union amongst BRICS members.

From 1^st Jan 2024, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt have announced to join BRICKS block. The expansion of BRICS will diminish South Africa’s significance even further because the two African states joining, Egypt and Ethiopia, are both more populous than South Africa and are experiencing higher rates of economic growth, though in much smaller economies.

More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining, the question of whether BRICS would admit new members was finally answered during a recent group’s summit. Despite pre-summit reports of division over the potential expansion, leaders from the five-nation bloc announced that Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would join the group starting in 2024. Argentina was invited to join but declined the invitation.

With the addition of these six countries, BRICS now represents 42 percent of the world’s population and 36 percent of global GDP. The primarily economic bloc was originally created as an alternative to the U.S.-led international order, with the goal of offering growing countries in the Global South a to counterbalance the Western institutions.

Conclusion

The potential impact of a new BRICS currency on the US dollar remains uncertain, experts are debating its potential to challenge the dollar’s dominance. However, if a new BRICS currency was to stabilize against the dollar, it could weaken the power of US sanctions, leading to a further decline in the dollar’s value.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a gigantic new temple in the Indian city of Ayodhya on Monday, 22^nd January 2024 by concluding a long campaign in which Hindu nationalists tore down a centuries-old mosque and replaced it with a structure devoted to the Hindu deity Ram who is India’s Guardian Deity.  Indians have immense faith in Ram that He looks after their safety and prosperity. Sanctification ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya is an affirmation of our faith and belief systems.

India was land of prosperity, peace, wealth, richness. One of the oldest civilizations called Indus Valley 5000 years ago. It has the oldest dharma – Sanatan Dharma. Ruins of Indian temples Hampi, Mahabalipuram, Konark speak a lot about Indian Architecture and prosperity. Water buildings in Rajashthan were built with ancient science and technology, centuries ago water harvesting, water storage techniques were invented by Indian architecture, North India faced multiple invasions who first looted temples of their wealth and then destroyed them. After Gupta rulers no Indian king could unite Indian independent regions, kings kept fighting with each other – this was taken advantage by Mogals, Afghanis, Persians, Mughals and then Britishers.  India lost its identity and its Sanatan Dharma.

Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj has chiselled the ‘Ram Lalla’ idol. He is a fifth-generation sculptor. The idol carved by Yogiraj has been sculpted from a three-billion-year-old rock beautifully and aesthetically.

Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya, as a project has gone through a lot of struggles that has gone on for decades will now culminate in faith and conviction. It would be right to say that after Independence in 1947, January 22, 2024, will be marked as another day of liberation, this time of the mind and liberation from fear, injustice, and colonialism. We can’t relegate Ram to a mere religious figure. Ram is beyond the religion – he is in India’s character, culture, and is the root of India’s antiquity. Ram is deeply engraved in India’s conviction.

The belief and faith in Ram surpass beyond the geographical boundaries of India and is found in various places including Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The religious and cultural heritage of these countries celebrates Ram. In Thailand, his mention is in Ramakien, Serat Rama in Indonesia, Yama Zatdaw in Myanmar, Maharadia Lawana in the Philippines, and Hikayat Seri Rama in Malaysia. In India, various communities honour Ram in their own ways. One such community is the Ramnami community found in Chhatisgarh, known for their distinctive way of showing devotion to Lord Ram. They ink every part of their body with the word “Ram”. This is more than just an act of devotion – it is also a tool of rebelliousness against the deep-rooted caste system.

On 22^nd Jan 2024, leading up to the temple’s consecration, public spaces around India were drumming with excitement. Ram is one of the most revered Gods among India’s Hindus, who make up about 80 percent of a total population of 1.4 billion. As the hero of the Ramayana epic, he is a king and a paragon of virtue.

The glory and grandeur of the Ram temple being built in Ayodhya was on display during the Republic Day parade in national capital New Delhi on 75th Republic Day. The tableau titled “Ayodhya Cultural Heritage” graced the grand parade in New Delhi.

Ram and the Ayodhya Ram Mandir are symbols of Ram Rajya, an ideal monarchy of truth on earth. The presence of Ram in the temple signifies the importance of personal individual effort to arrive at religious, moral perfection within one’s lifetime. With our personal effort, we can emulate Ram as this Maryada Purushottam.

Ayodhya is a city situated on the banks of the Sharayu River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh which has been transformed significantly. From the new Maharishi Valmiki Airport to the revamped railway station, Ayodhya has been renovated ahead of the Ram temple inauguration on 22^nd January 2024. Experts predict a massive rise in spiritual tourism, with officials anticipating three to five lakh daily visitors in the coming months. India is focused on the grand “Pran Pratishtha” (sanctification) ceremony of the under-construction Ram temple in Ayodhya. Large posters bearing a symbolic image of the upcoming Ram temple, design of the new airport along with a message that hails Ayodhya as a city of “Maryada, Dharm and Sanskriti” have been put up in the temple town, including at locations near the airport and the station and the bypass road.

The hospitality industry in Ayodhya is fortunate as it will be benefited from religious tourism, with major hotel chains such as IHCL, Marriott, Sarovar and many other hotel brands planning projects in the temple town. The existing hotels are struggling to meet the demand, and there are plans for around 550 “Home Stay” centres for visitors to experience local culture and cuisine for 22^nd Jan 2024. The transformation of Ayodhya gained momentum after the Bhoomi Puja ceremony for the Ram Mandir in August 2020.

Ayodhya’s transformation from an undistinguished mofussil town to bustling city gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the Bhoomi Puja ceremony of Ram Mandir on August 5, 2020, about nine months after the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict in favour of Ram temple on November 9, 2019.

In few months’ times, people will not only visit Ayodhya to pray and respect to Ram Lalla, but they will also come here for ceremonies and rituals. It will be one of the renowned venues for wedding destination for people with spiritual bent of minds. Not only weddings, but people would also like to perform other family functions like the mundan ceremony (tonsure) of children and birthdays in Ayodhya. The Ayodhya Development Authority, which is organizing the project, has received 600 applications for locals willing to start a homestay facility at their residence.

The Home Stay facility will be an ideal opportunity for visitors to enjoy local cuisine and culture of Avadh by staying with locals. The tourism department and the development authority will keep a check on these centres to ensure their proper functioning assures the Ayodhya Development Authority.

India is a land of religious and spiritual tourism. It refers to travel for religious or spiritual purposes, such as undertaking a pilgrimage and visiting sacred sites. Also known as sacred or faith tourism, it is one of the oldest forms of tourism. Religious tourism is a niche within the segment of cultural tourism, comprising four specialist niches pilgrimages, visiting sacred sites, church, mosque and temple tourism, and travel for the purpose of mission or worship.

The temple tour packages in India cater to the religious sites of North Haridwar-Rishikesh-Varanasi. In Central Mahakaal-Kjajuraho-Sarnath in South Chennai- Kanchipuram-Mahabalipuram-Kanyakumari and in West Pushkar-Mount Abu- Somnath- Dwarka in Gujrat. Therefore, whether a South India temple tour or a North Indian temple tour package, you will be spellbound with remarkable architecture. India comprises diverse religions, caste, and creed therefore you will find temples of Hindus and Jains, Buddhists Monasteries, Sikhs’ Gurudwaras, Muslim Mosques, Christian’s Churches. Some are in the form of prehistoric caves, which also enjoy the privileges of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Some of them include Ajanta, Ellora, Modhera Surya Temple, Khajuraho, Sun Temple of Konark, Elephanta, Taj Mahal, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda University etc.

India being part of the world’s oldest civilizations is a land of rich history, countless beliefs, traditions, and legends surrounding the religions. India takes pride in the country’s rich cultural and religious history as it is the birth land of the traditions of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. India is a land where people of different religious beliefs live in harmony and brotherhood. Hinduism is believed to be the world’s oldest religion. Unlike other religions, Hinduism does not have a founder but is instead a fusion of religions. Various ancient manuscripts and scholars describe the religion as a traditional way of living, a religion whose beginning and ending cannot be traced.

Indians seek spiritual support or reinforce their religious beliefs. Often, they undertake a pilgrimage for religious reasons or for the purpose of worship. Most religious tourists are very motivated to travel, so they are willing to spend more money than the average traveller. This inherent motivation also makes religious tourism less susceptible to economic lows. Believers like to travel in groups of like-minded people.

What is Religious Tourism?

When a person travels to a pilgrimage site primarily based on their religious belief, it is known as religious tourism. These travellers perform pilgrimage to worship and enjoy salvation. However, there are Muslim and Jewish travellers who go for pilgrimage because it is obligated by their religion.

Popularity of Religious Tourism

People visit the religious sites for expressing gratitude to the Almiighty, to confess their secrets and sins, to thank the deity, asking for forgiveness. For Spiritual Salvation etc. In many societies, going on a pilgrimage is seen as a mark of devotion. People also travel to religious sites to celebrate religious events, communicate with other believers. For the youngers generations and for foreigners’ new experience of spiritual travel could be the reason why they throng to temples and other religious sites. Better connectivity from major Indian cities is another significant reason people have begun to visit the pilgrim sites.

The Indian history is rich in spiritual learnings, cultural references and values that add solemnness to our actions. Today, many aspects of our lives have influenced the West. They are visiting India in search of peace and tranquillity. We Indians are blessed with the spiritual abundance.

One of the famous English Novelist George Orwell’s quotes “Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” This quote is so apt in case of Indian History.

History is the study of the past which is formed on collective memory. Family history is the story of who we are, where we come from, it helps us compare our present and future possibly to understand where we are headed. Nothing is more mind boggling than learning and discovering more about our ancestors, celebrating family traditions, embracing our culture, and understanding our roots.

Our national history makes us more resilient because it is essential for all of us in understanding ourselves and the world around us. There is a history of every field and topic; from medicine, music, art, education, architecture, fashion, food, religion and many more facets of life. To know and understand history is absolutely necessary, even though the results of historical study are not as visible as they are expected to be.  

Sri Adrishya Kadasiddeshwar Swami of Kaneri Mutt while speaking in Vishwa Hindu Parishad has said that history textbooks across the country did not contain the actual account of Indian history and he has urged the Union and State governments to change history books to reflect on Indian values and record the right kind of history.

Many historians say it’s a myth that India’s freedom struggle was non-violent. India’s founding story deliberates upon an unrealistic national philosophy simply for political ideology. This unrealistic story has wavered our national spirit.

Historians have manipulated the very facts; hard facts are brushed under the carpet. Wrong people are made our national heroes while real heroes are not given their due credit in our history text books. India represents a core Asian tradition as well as one of the oldest strands in the fabric of world civilization. Indian religions, philosophies, art, literature, and social systems have played a fundamental role in defining the human heritage, and they merit a proper discussion in a world history survey. Why was our rich heritage brushed aside? 

I watched Arnab Goswami’s discussion with Sanjeev Sanyal on Republic Television on 8^th Jan 2023. Sanyal is an Indian economist and a famous historian. He is a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, and has helped prepare six editions of the Economic Survey of India starting in 2017.  Arnab and Sanjeev Sanyal were discussing gist of Sanyal’s recent book “Revolutionaries” published by Harper Collins.                   

He writes in his book that the history of India’s struggle for freedom is usually told from the perspective of the non-violence movement. How can we just brush off the facts of armed resistance to colonial occupation? Could it ever be possible without bloodshed? Sanyal  names Vinayak Savarkar, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose, Bagha Jatin, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Subhas Chandra Bose who were most prominent and contributed significantly to the freedom struggle. are still widely remembered. Their story is almost always presented as acts of individual heroism and not as part of a wider movement that had any overarching strategy or significant impact on the overall struggle for Independence. Many great freedom fighters have fought, lost lives leaving little trace of their heroic deeds. We the people have forgotten many heroes and their struggles, especially among the peasant and tribal populations. 

Sanyal says that the revolutionaries were part of a large network that sustained armed resistance against the British Empire for half a century. Besides India, they created a wide network in Britain, France, Thailand, Germany, Persia, Russia, Italy, Ireland, the United States, Japan and Singapore. At various junctures, they received official support and recognition from the governments of some of these countries. Even the internal dynamics of the Indian National Congress of the time cannot be understood without the revolutionaries, who enjoyed widespread support within the organization. India’s freedom struggle was not a small-scale movement of naive individual heroism but one that involved a large number of extraordinary young men and women who were connected in multiple ways to each other and to the evolving events of their times. It was a glorious and extensive event panning over almost seven decades.

As an appreciator of history, I always feel dejected the way the Congress downplayed Sardar Patel’s struggle in implementing strategies and his stanch attempts to integrate the princely states into the Indian federation.  In true sense injustice was done to the ‘Iron Man of India.’ And I always feel India’s destiny would have changed if Sardar Patel would be our first Prime Minister because he rose from the grassroot level and he knew the nation. He was not anglicized. 

I profoundly agree with George Orwell’s quote. And, it is so obvious that the Britishers twisted history of India as a tool for demoralizing the natives. Since almost all our leaders in pre independence era were educated under the British system. The prejudiced history had tremendous impact on the psyche of our leaders such as Jawaharlala Nehru. I suppose
while learning slanted history he developed an inferior view of the country.

The British twisted the history of India by misinterpreting the outline; in a letter dated December 16, 1868 the famous Indologist Max Muller wrote to the Duke of Argyll, the then Secretary of State of India, ‘India has been conquered once, but India must be conquered again and that second conquest should be a conquest by education’. Please try to understand how Britishers planned our downfall and to a great extent they succeeded. Prof. Max Muller was not just a philosopher; he was also an examiner for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination. Teaching the Indian students falsified history played a great part in this ‘second conquest’. 

Conclusion

Recognising unsung heroes is an essential step towards restoring the historical narrative of India. The story of non-violence does not go well it is denialism. Ironically India’s romancing of non-violence as an effective political instrument has crimped national security policy since independence. The country felled to nonviolence during the Sino-India war in 1962. Luckily the burden of its idealistic national philosophy has changed since past decade.

Our past cannot be undone. History is not only about lauding past events or heroes. It is also about understanding why something that troubles us today has happened in a particular period and has been haunting since that period. Why we Indians allowed Mughals and British rule us for centuries? The answer is we were dominated because Hindu rulers were never united.