New Delhi: At a landmark gathering at the Constitution Club of India, the Kalinga Kusum Foundation (KKF), in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) and Rajneethi, released a seminal survey report titled “Navigating India’s Role: Perspectives on Economy, Security, and Geopolitics.”
The event brought together diplomats, policymakers, scholars, journalists, and industry leaders to examine how India’s strategic community views the country’s rapidly evolving place in the world. Germany’s Ambassador to India, H.E. Dr. Philipp Ackermann, attended the event as a distinguished guest, underscoring the deepening importance of India–Germany and India–EU relations, particularly following the conclusion of the historic India–EU Free Trade Agreement earlier this year. The programme opened with welcome remarks by Prof. Kamala Kanta Dash (KKF), followed by a detailed presentation of the survey by Rajneethi.
This was followed by keynote remarks by Sujeet Kumar, MP (Rajya Sabha), and a high-level panel discussion featuring experts from media, academia, and diplomacy. The survey, conducted among 1,396 respondents from politics, business, academia, media, and civil society, is one of the most detailed snapshots of how India’s informed and influential citizens interpret the world today. Its findings paint a picture of an India that is simultaneously confident, developmentdriven, and strategically autonomous: Nearly 70% believe India will become a world power within two decades. Economic growth, jobs, technology, and trade emerge as the top foreign policy priorities. Strategic autonomy remains a deeply rooted preference. Europe leads India’s trust index, ahead of the U.S., Russia, and China. Germany is viewed highly for technological leadership, regulatory stability, and climate-conscious industrial policy. These insights were repeatedly referenced throughout the event, especially as India’s youth, Gen Z voters, and the expanding urban middle class demonstrate a clear preference for value-driven, stable, rules-based partnerships — a trend particularly visible in their admiration for Europe’s democratic norms and Germany’s engineering excellence.
Delivering the keynote address, Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar contextualised the survey against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign-policy vision. Quoting the Prime Minister, he said: “India’s rise is not for itself alone. When India grows, the world grows.” Sujeet Kumar described the report as a mirror of India’s evolving strategic consciousness, particularly among young professionals, business leaders, and educated urban citizens — groups that increasingly shape India’s global outlook. He noted that the India– EU FTA, often hailed as the “Mother of All Deals,” has positioned Europe as one of India’s most important strategic partners in the years ahead. He emphasised that 75% of respondents supported the FTA, not merely for its commercial benefits but also for its role in building long-term geopolitical balance.
