Year: 2026 | Month: June | Volume 14 | Issue 1
Gandhian Nonviolent Communication as India’s Relational Soft Power: Implications for Youth Diplomacy in Advancing Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
Kerenhappuch Theruvapalli¹* and J.K. Janith P. Perera²
DOI:10.30954/2454-9525.01.2026.2
Abstract :
Contemporary global politics is marked by intensifying polarisation, increasing democratic fragility, digital hostility, and erosion of trust. While multilateral institutions operate through state-centric frameworks, formal agreements alone cannot sustain peace where communicative environments remain adversarial. This paper argues that Gandhian Nonviolent Communication (GNVC), grounded in the principles of Satya (truth) and Ahimsa (nonviolence), represents a form of relational soft power. An ethical communicative praxis capable of transforming adversarial environments into dialogic ones through disciplined relational practice. Departing from conventional soft power theory, which emphasises attraction and symbolic projection. The paper reconceptualises soft power as the transformation of communicative environments through intentional relational engagement. The analysis situates this framework within the normative horizon of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“One Earth, One Family, One Future”), India’s civilizational vision articulated during its G20 presidency. Drawing on 31 Participatory Action Research (PAR) case studies across 14 countries, along with intervention studies from Yemen, Nigeria, and Uganda, this paper shows how GNVC supports plural coexistence through everyday relational practice. The findings are further interpreted through Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach, repositioning communication as a critical social conversion factor mediating between leadership practices and capability expansion. A Gandhian Communicative Fellows Programme is proposed to embed these principles within youth diplomacy and education systems globally.
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