Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) After a hiatus of two years, politician-writer Shashi Tharoor is back to writing a book. And this time, it’s about India’s place in the new balanced world.

Addressing a discourse ‘The New Superpowers’ chaired by Anita Anand of BBC at the Alchemist Hay Festival in Kerala, Tharoor said the book would look at India’s place in the world, not just in terms of foreign policy, but how India would function in the future.

“I have been writing the book in bits and pieces in the last one-and-a-half years. All my deadlines have slipped. It should be complete by my wife’s birthday in summer next year,” said the MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

“I believe that the 21st century is going to be a world without superpowers. It is going to be a balanced multi-polar world and there will be be many significant players…” Tharoor said.

A superpower is a politically maturing power (country) with a global reach… And India is working to improve its geo-politics, he said.

But unless every Indian can take for granted the opportunities in life and the fact that challenges like poverty, poor infrastructure and limited access to healthcare have been eliminated, “India should not claim superpower status”, Tharoor said.

Drawing parallels between India and China, Tharoor said “India was not China, it cannot do what China did” in terms of economy and development.

“But unlike China, India has not broken necks” in its pursuit of speedy progress. He said there was potential for greater cultural diplomacy between India and China.

Tharoor, who has authored 12 books, published his last book “Shadows Across The Playing Field” in 2009.

The three-day Alchemist Hay Festival, which began in Thiruvananthapuram Nov 17, has drawn 76 authors to address 45 sessions, the statement said.