India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmaniam Jaishankar on Wednesday said developing nations that gained independence in the past century have contributed to a "rebalancing" of the international system today.
“Initially, this took an economic form. But, soon enough, it developed a political facet as well,” Jaishankar noted.
FM Jaishankar made the remarks during his inaugural speech at the 12th World Hindi Conference at the Denarau Convention Center in Nadi, Fiji.
“The trend in the global order is gradually creating greater multipolarity and if it is to develop faster, it is essential that there is also cultural rebalancing,” India's FM said. “The era when progress was equated with westernization is now behind us.”
As a result, Jaishankar continued, “many languages and traditions that were suppressed during the colonial era are once again finding a voice on the global stage.”
Hindi, which is one of India's national languages, he said, “[During] Events like [the] World Hindi Conference, it is natural that our focus should be on various aspects of the Hindi language, its global use and its dissemination.”