Buddhism to Bollywood, Yoga to Zero: India's gifts to the world

The year was 1954. Raj Kapoor had just landed in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. The Iron Curtain was firmly in place, visas were difficult to get, and protocols were even tighter. The Bollywood actor arrived in Moscow without proper documents. Yet, instead of facing a grilling at immigration, he was greeted with a smile. The officers simply let him go.

Stepping out of the airport, unsure of what to expect, Kapoor waited for a taxi. That’s when it happened — a crowd began to gather. People started pointing and calling out his name. The atmosphere turned electric. The mob surged forward, surrounding him. When the taxi finally arrived, his fans were packed around it. Some accounts even claim that the crowd lifted the car onto their shoulders.

‘Awara’ fever in the Soviet Union

Such was the craze for Awara, a film released in India in 1951. The story of a poor young man caught between fate and choice resonated deeply with Soviet audiences. Its themes struck an emotional chord, and the numbers tell the story — the film sold an estimated 64 million tickets in the USSR, making it the third-most-watched foreign film in Soviet history.

The song Awara Hoon was reportedly played at state banquets, and even former Russian president Boris Yeltsin was heard humming it. Following this, several Bollywood actors — including Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand — found fame in Russia. But none captured the Soviet imagination like Raj Kapoor. In Russia, he was not just a movie star; he was an emotion.

Bollywood as India’s soft power

This anecdote reveals the influence Bollywood can have. It is one of the largest film industries in the world, dominating the Indian box office and making India the third-largest movie market globally. Bollywood is perhaps the most obvious example of India’s soft power — but cinema was only the opening act. Over the decades, India has given the world many gifts. They may not always make headlines, but they have quietly reshaped the global imagination.

First global message: Buddhism

Around 2,500 years ago, a man named Siddharth Gautam sat beneath a tree in deep contemplation. There, under its shade, he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. This marked the birth of India’s first global message — Buddhism, a path of moderation, inner peace and non-violence.

King Ashok carried this message beyond India’s borders. After witnessing the horrors of war, he converted to Buddhism — and with him, India’s foreign policy transformed as well. Emissaries were dispatched across Asia to spread the teachings. They carried scrolls, sutras and stories, building Buddhist art, sculpture and temples wherever they went. Buddhism became the world’s first global religion, and its roots were in India. Today, it is the world’s fourth-largest religion, but every path leads back to that single Bodhi tree in Bihar.

Tree of practice: Yoga

If Buddhism was the tree of thought, Yoga was the tree of practice. Known in Sanskrit as Yog, the tradition is thousands of years old. Lord Shiva is regarded as the first yogi — the Adi Yogi. Historical evidence shows that yoga existed in the pre-Vedic period, even in the Indus Valley civilisation, and it gained prominence during the Vedic era. It finds mention in ancient Indian texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads.

Contrary to modern perceptions, yoga was never about flexibility alone. It was designed as a system to unify the body and the mind, to harmonise oneself with the universe.

By the 20th century, spiritual ambassadors began introducing yoga to the West. Initially dismissed as contortionist nonsense, it is now practised daily by around 300 million people worldwide. It is taught in schools, embraced by athletes, followed by celebrities and CEOs and spread through countless online tutorials. In 2014, the United Nations declared June 21 as International Yoga Day. Today, yoga is a multi-billion-dollar global industry — but its heart remains in India.

Indian English and Hinglish: Language reinvented

India was colonised in English, but today it owns the language. Over 300 million Indians speak English, making India the second-largest English-speaking nation after the United States. But what is spoken here isn’t British or American English — it’s Indian English. Words are repurposed, phrases are reimagined, and meanings are Indianised. If you’ve heard terms like “prepone,” “close the light,” or “out of station,” you’ve heard Indian English. The language is richer for expressions such as “cousin brother,” “timepass,” and “pass out.”

Then there is Hinglish — a seamless blend of Hindi and English. Sentences begin in one language and end in another, with no strict grammar rules. Hinglish is the language of youth, the streets and the internet. It’s spoken by brands, politicians and filmmakers alike. This is not broken English; it is a cultural collision, and it is here to stay.

From zero to Mars: India’s scientific legacy

While cinema, religion, and language are tangible cultural exports, India’s intellectual contributions are just as significant. One of the most transformative was the invention of zero, along with the decimal system. Ancient Indian texts also describe advanced medical techniques, including plastic surgery. The Sushrut Samhita details procedures like rhinoplasty and skin grafting.

In modern times, India has continued to make strides in science and technology. Consider the Mars Orbiter Mission — Mangalyaan. It succeeded on its first attempt, at a cost lower than that of Hollywood films like Gravity. India reached Mars for less than the price of Sandra Bullock’s spacewalk scene. In Silicon Valley, over a third of engineers are of Indian origin, and top global tech companies are led by Indians. India is not just participating in the tech revolution; it is helping lead it.

Spices, sweets and songs: Cultural exports

India’s influence extends into kitchens around the world. Chicken tikka masala, now often called Britain’s national dish, has Indian roots. Even trendy drinks like turmeric lattes — sold for six dollars in American cafés — are simply India’s humble haldi doodh (turmeric milk) in a new avatar.

Indian music and dance forms are now performed at international festivals. Indian celebrations have gone global; Diwali, for example, is a public holiday in New York. The world has absorbed these traditions into its own identity.

Unity in diversity

Perhaps India’s greatest gift is not a tangible one at all. It is the idea that differences are not dangerous, that chaos is not disorder. Few countries can claim India’s diversity: 22 official languages, 1,600 dialects, and eight major religions coexisting for centuries. Diversity in India is not a challenge — it is part of the national DNA.

There is no single version of “Indian culture” because there are thousands. And yet, it works. India practised inclusion long before the West coined terms like “diversity” and “equity.”

Inclusion as a way of life

India wrote the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion into its Constitution in 1950. It created reservations for marginalised communities and implemented policies tailored to language, region and history. Today, up to 50 per cent of seats in public universities and government jobs are reserved. Article 15 bans discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, while Article 16 guarantees equal opportunity in public employment.

In 1993, India established the National Commission for Backward Classes. In 2021, it passed the OBC Bill with near-unanimous support. India mandates quotas for women in village councils, with over 1.4 million women now holding elected positions at the grassroots. Inclusion here is not a passing trend; it is the way forward.

A civilisational storyteller

For centuries, India has been many things to many people — a mystic land, a spice route, a colonial subject, a software superpower. At its core, however, it is a civilisational storyteller. It has given the world numbers, knowledge, stories and systems. Yet it rarely brands these gifts. Buddhism is now considered Asian, yoga is global, zero belongs to the world and diversity has become a buzzword.

Real influence doesn’t need a stamp. It moves quietly and travels far. Some call it soft power. India calls it what it truly is — an enduring influence.