ABSTRACT
The Indian literati’s perceptions of modern Europe have been the outcome of India’s colonial experience, the cultural encounter with the West and ‘a selective admiration’ of Europe.1 e idea of the ‘Other’ has di erent meanings and has to be contextualised both geographically and historically.2 Anglo-American imagery has dominated the media in India since independence. Contemporary Europe has, in fact, been studied and analysed only by elite elements of the Indian society. For most Indians, Europe remains an exotic destination for tourism.3 ey have considerable di culties in comprehending the essential character of the European Union (EU). Most Indians generally confront the 3Ds — distant, di cult, di erent — in trying to comprehend the complex political and economic animal the EU is.4 Despite the growth of civil society interaction and dialogue, the information de cit about the EU in India and vice versa still persists mostly because of mutual indi erence and neglect.5 ere is ‘a permanent lack of mutual knowledge’ with Europe being still ‘marginal in the Indian collective memory’.6 e lack of primary sources on Indian perceptions of the EU results in most existing information being ‘impressionistic, haphazard, ill-informed and lacking scienti c empirical evidence’ on how Indian citizens and media perceive the EU.7
