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By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014...

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014 interview. He stated that "there was a time when we counted waves from the shore; now the time has come to take the helm and plunge into the ocean ourselves."   In a world racing toward conflict, Modi has proven India's foreign policy ranks among the world's finest. Guided by 'Nation First' and prioritising Indian safety and interests, it steadfastly embodies  'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' , the world as one family.   Policy Shines Modi's foreign policy shines with such clarity and patience that even as war flames engulf West Asian nations, Indians studying and working there return home safe. In just 13 days, nearly 100,000 were evacuated from Gulf war zones, mostly by air, some via Armenia by road. PM Modi talked with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian to secure Iran's airspace for the safe evacuation of Indians, a privilege denied to any other nation. Additionally, clearance was granted for Indian ships carrying crude oil and LPG to pass safely through the Hormuz Strait. No other country's vessels are navigating these waters, except for those of Iran's ally, China. The same strategy worked in the Ukraine-Russia war: talks with both presidents ensured safe corridors, repatriating over 23,000 students and businessmen. Iran, Israel, or America, all know India deems terrorism or war unjustifiable at any cost. PM Modi amplified anti-terror campaigns from UN to global platforms, earning open support from many nations.   Global Powerhouse Bolstered by robust foreign policy and economic foresight, India emerges as a global powerhouse, undeterred by tariff hurdles. Modi's adept diplomacy yields notable successes. Contrast this with Nehru's era: wedded to Non-Aligned Movement, he watched NAM member China seize vast Ladakh territory in war. Today, Modi's government signals clearly, India honors friends, spares no foes. Abandoning non-alignment, it embraces multi-alignment: respecting sovereignties while prioritizing human welfare and progress. The world shifts from unipolar or bipolar to multipolar dynamics.   Modi's policy hallmark is that India seal defense deals like the S-400 and others with Russia yet sustains US friendship. America bestows Legion of Merit; Russia, its highest civilian honor, Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. India nurtures ties with Israel, Palestine, Iran via bilateral talks. Saudi Arabia stands shoulder-to-shoulder across fronts; UAE trade exceeds $80 billion. UN's top environment award, UNEP Champions of the Earth, graces India, unlike past when foreign nations campaigned against us on ecological pretexts.   This policy's triumph roots in economic empowerment. India now ranks the world's fourth-largest economy, poised for third in 1-2 years. The 2000s dubbed it 'fragile'; then-PM economist Dr. Manmohan Singh led. Yet  'Modinomics'  prevailed. As COVID crippled supply chains, recession loomed, inflation soared and growth plunged in developed countries,  Modinomics  made India the 'bright star.' Inflation stayed controlled, growth above 6.2 per cent. IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas praised it, advising the world to learn from India.

The Cost of Carrying People: When Compassion Becomes Unsustainable

The real test of leadership isn’t how long you carry people. It’s how well they move when you finally put them down

Some leaders don’t burn out from pressure. They burn out from carrying what no one else will name.


Rohit didn’t collapse. He just… paused. It was 11:42 PM on a Thursday.The monthly review deck blinked blank. Slack was quiet. And yet, he sat there stuck.


Not from indecision. But from invisible weight. The culture he had built of warm, proud, “like a family” now felt more like a staged performance no one wanted to exit.


The company wasn’t broken. But the emotional weight was uneven. And Rohit, founder and emotional shock-absorber, was finally buckling.

 

The invisible promotion

People still called him a “great boss”. He had their trust. Their thanks. Their secrets.


But somewhere along the way, Rohit had stopped being the founder and become the accidental manager of everyone’s emotions.


He was no longer just running the business. He was running reassurance loops.


Checking in when others should’ve checked themselves. Absorbing tension before it surfaced. Holding silence so no one had to voice discomfort.


He called it empathy.


But it was fear: fear of breaking the fragile loyalty that success had outgrown. Until even gratitude started to feel like guilt.


The mirror moment

An old friend, Dev, dropped by one evening. They spoke like old colleagues do … chai, nostalgia, half-truths. Rohit didn’t vent. He recounted.


The drift. The niceness. The exhaustion. The weight.


Dev listened, then asked: “When was the last time someone held you accountable?”


Rohit smirked. “Founders don’t get that luxury.”


Dev nodded. “Maybe. But that doesn’t mean you carry this alone.” He told Rohit about Rahul and Rashmi. Not as consultants. As clarity catalysts.


“They don’t give you answers,” he said. “They ask questions that make you flinch and then walk with you as you unlearn.” Rohit hesitated. Then reached out.

 

Not a fix. A beginning

No PowerPoints. No frameworks. No prescriptions. Just questions. Why can’t you delegate without guilt? When did “family” become a crutch? Why are you cushioning people you’ve quietly outgrown?


It wasn’t therapy. It wasn’t coaching. It was reflection … with edges.


That’s when it hit him:


This wasn’t about being a bad leader. This was about being an untrained one. Built by instinct. Frozen by care.


“You built something beautiful,” Rahul had said.

“But beauty can become a cage when it doesn’t evolve.”

“You don’t need to carry people,” Rashmi added.

“You need to rebalance the weight.”


And just like that, something cracked open.


Saying it out loud

That Friday, Rohit spoke to Meera. “I made you a manager too soon,” he said. “I gave you the title. Not the tools.”


Meera nodded. Tired. Grateful. “I didn’t know how to say no without sounding disloyal.” And in that quiet, they finally named it: the people paradox wasn’t about bad talent. It was about truth… and the cost of avoiding it.


Asha’s new role

Then came the hardest part. Asha. Their first ops lead. Beloved. Loyal. Lost. She hadn’t failed. But the company had outgrown her role. Firing her felt cruel. Protecting her felt dishonest. “What if she could still matter … just differently?” Meera asked.


They sketched a pilot.


Asha would mentor interns. Curate onboarding rituals. Become a culture steward, not an operational bottleneck. No promises. Just a path.

 

Rebalancing the weight

The next team meeting was quiet. Rohit didn’t posture. He shared. “I built this like a family. But sometimes, families trap us in history. I want us to evolve together.”


Meera restructured the 1:1s. Asha began her new pilot. And the team? They exhaled.


Because even high-functioning teams get tired of pretending. This one had finally stopped.

 

Closing the series: The real cost

Did they fix everything? Of course not. Culture doesn’t reboot overnight. Asha’s path is still unfolding. So is Rohit’s. But the silence has cracked.

The drift has a name. The weight is finally being shared. The real test of leadership isn’t how long you carry people. It’s how well they move when you finally put them down.


(Rahul Kulkarni is Co-founder at PPS Consulting. He writes about the human mechanics of growth  where systems evolve, and emotions learn to keep up. Views personal. Write to rahul@ppsconsulting.biz)

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