PUNE: External affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that “Bharat” needed its own narrative to redefine international relations beyond the parameters of Western thought.“Economics may have shifted and the politics may be shifting, but if the culture doesn’t move alongside these shifts, then those shifts will always remain incomplete.

Unless we are able to put our lens in place, they will never look at us in a way which best serves our interest,” Jaishankar said at the International Relations Conference, titled “India’s Strategic Culture: Addressing Global and Regional Challenges”, at the Symbiosis International (Deemed University) in Pune.“G20 spoke about the economic rebalancing of the world.Over the years, there has been a political rebalancing.

But it is not just about who is talking, but also what they are talking about, whose terms they are using, what are the narrative, metaphors and concepts,” he said with the example of “Thucydides Trap” being used by China to communicate with the US.“We still fall back on a terminology, which is so Western, to communicate basic views and concerns.

And this is the power of narrative,” he said.

Jaishankar emphasised the need to look at history with fresh eyes and an open mind.

“If we put politics aside and re-examine our near past with an objective and dispassionate view we will see that our record is much more complex and our thinking much more nuanced,” he said.“Today, Bharat needs its own narrative.

If we are to be one of the voices of the Global South, if rebalancing is to get more traction, if we are to see a significantly different world in the next 50 years, it is important we address not just the economics and the politics and the technology of the world, but also look at the cultural history, traditions, political science and international relations,” he added.Watch“Situation becoming more secure..” EAM Jaishankar after India resumes E-Visa services for Canadians amid rift