“From VIT Vellore to the Global Diplomatic Stage: Bhaswanth Kota Puts India’s Strategic Autonomy, Viksit Bharat 2047 and Global South Leadership at the Heart of the Global Debate”
There is a new generation of Indian voices increasingly entering international conversations with backgrounds that extend beyond traditional diplomacy. At the centre of this emerging generation is Bhaswanth Kota, an entrepreneur and Business Analytics & AI student at VIT Vellore, whose interests connect entrepreneurship, technology, sustainability, education and international affairs. Through participation in the United Nations Immersion Programme and Best Diplomats International Conference, his focus has expanded toward questions surrounding the international order, India’s strategic autonomy, multipolarity, Global South representation, technological transformation and Viksit Bharat 2047.
Kota’s journey into diplomacy did not begin in a diplomatic institution. It began with entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability and an interest in solving complex problems. His academic journey at VIT Vellore has strengthened his interest in the relationship between business, technology, data and strategic decision-making. He increasingly views global challenges as interconnected systems: technology influences economies, economies influence geopolitics, energy influences security, climate influences development, artificial intelligence influences competitiveness, and entrepreneurship can contribute to employment, innovation and national growth.
The India Question: What Should the New Global Order Look Like?
Kota’s central question is whether India will simply adapt to a changing international system or help shape its future rules. He argues that India’s global role should not be measured only through economic size or geopolitical influence. It should also be reflected in the ideas, institutions, partnerships and responsibilities India contributes to the emerging international system.
Strategic Autonomy: India Will Engage. India Will Cooperate. India Will Decide.
Strategic autonomy is one of the central pillars of Kota’s perspective. For him, strategic autonomy does not mean isolation. India can build partnerships across the international system while retaining the freedom to make decisions according to its national interests. His position can be expressed simply: India will engage, India will cooperate, India will compete where necessary, but India will decide. Partnerships, in this view, should expand India’s strategic choices rather than restrict them.
Redefining Multipolarity and the Global South
Kota views multipolarity as more than the emergence of several powerful countries. A meaningful multipolar system should give more countries a genuine role in shaping international rules. Power should therefore be accompanied by responsibility, representation and cooperation. This connects directly with his perspective on the Global South. Developing countries should not merely receive decisions made elsewhere; they should have meaningful opportunities to participate in shaping institutions, policies and partnerships that influence their future.
For Kota, this means not simply speaking for the Global South, but building with the Global South. Such an approach connects India’s international role with development, climate action, technology access, economic opportunity and sustainable growth.
Viksit Bharat 2047: From National Ambition to Global Responsibility
Kota connects India’s international aspirations with the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. A developed India, in this perspective, cannot be defined only by economic output. It must also be reflected in the capabilities of its people, institutional quality, technological advancement, innovation, infrastructure, sustainability and India’s contribution to the wider world.
He also connects this vision with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Development should not simply be declared; it should be measured, evaluated and improved. Data and analytics can help identify gaps, measure outcomes and guide better decisions, creating a bridge between India’s national development ambitions and the wider international development agenda.
Technology: India Must Move From Consumer to Creator
Artificial intelligence and technological transformation form another major part of Kota’s vision. India should move beyond consuming technologies developed elsewhere and strengthen its capabilities as a creator, contributor and responsible shaper of future technologies. This requires stronger capabilities in artificial intelligence, data, research, digital infrastructure, innovation, cybersecurity and technological education. At the same time, technology should serve people by advancing inclusion, productivity and human development.
VIT Vellore and the Next Generation of Indian Education
Kota’s international engagement also highlights the changing role of Indian education. VIT Vellore represents an environment increasingly connected with technology, innovation, research, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary learning and global engagement. Education, in this perspective, should prepare students not merely for examinations or employment, but to understand the systems shaping the world and contribute to them.
The future therefore requires innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, analysts, technology leaders and globally capable citizens. For Kota, taking the VIT perspective into international dialogue represents an opportunity to connect Indian education with wider questions of global governance, economic development and international relations.
Diplomacy Is Not About Speaking the Loudest
Kota’s approach to diplomacy centres on preparation rather than performance. Meaningful international dialogue requires research, evidence, strategic communication, negotiation and the ability to understand perspectives different from one’s own. Diplomacy, in this view, is not about avoiding disagreement; it is about managing disagreement without abandoning dialogue.
His multidisciplinary approach combines business for strategy, analytics for evidence, AI for technological understanding, entrepreneurship for execution, sustainability for long-term thinking and diplomacy for international cooperation. Together, these disciplines form the foundation of a global leadership perspective.
The Message Beyond the Conference
The significance of Kota’s participation extends beyond one international programme. It represents a transition from entrepreneurship to diplomacy, from business strategy to geopolitical thinking, from analysing markets to analysing global systems, and from classroom learning to international dialogue. It also reflects a wider generation preparing to build businesses, develop technologies, work on sustainability, analyse data, engage with governments and participate in international conversations.
At the centre of this perspective is the proposition that India should neither withdraw from the world nor become dependent on any single centre of power. India can engage widely, build partnerships, protect its strategic autonomy and contribute to a more representative international system.
The defining question is therefore no longer simply who has power, but what will be done with it. India’s future role will involve economic capability, technological leadership, sustainable development, institutional strength, strategic autonomy, Global South cooperation and a generation prepared to take responsibility. The global order is changing. The question for India is not merely whether it will have a place in the emerging order, but what kind of order it will help build.
