ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses modern India's public diplomacy and its emphasis on the Hindu civilisation rather than a conceptualisation of India per se. As such, the chapter provides a synopsis of the political landscape in India and the use of yoga by India's BJP government in pursuit of their domestic and international goals. It focusses on the extent to which domestic power issues surrounding Hindu nationalism and Indian identity come to the fore within the public diplomacy agenda. More broadly though, the role of yoga provides an ideal framework for the assessment of public diplomacy's limitations as a force for good and the conflict between its use by state and governmental actors. Furthermore, the chapter also argues that the Indian government's use of yoga largely ignores many of the teachings of yoga philosophy that focus on the pursuit of higher conscience and the relinquishing of egotistical concerns.
