Paper short abstract:

The Cold War ties between India and the Soviet Union produced specific cultural stereotypes about India in Central Asia. The paper explores the gradual dissolution of these stereotypes which has produced a fragmented and shifting image of India in the region.

Paper long abstract:

India and the Soviet Union enjoyed a very close relationship all through the Cold War era in which Central Asia played a vital symbolic role on the basis of its close historical links with India. However, India was unable to utilise its historical ties and Cold War era special relationship for building a new image as a prominent political and strategic player, investor and as a key cultural actor as China and Turkey were able to project their economic and cultural power in the region.

All through the 1990s, India's perception of Central Asia was shaped through the Soviet-era lenses which resulted in the Central Asian states also viewing India through the received Soviet era frame as an exotic and mystical land. Some major shifts in the past decade in India's policy towards the region - particularly the emphasis on expanding economic, technical and commercial ties and offering scholarships and educational opportunities to Central Asians - have mitigated the perception of India as an exotic place and diluted some of the stereotypes. However, the gradual dissolution of stereotypes has also produced a fragmented and shifting image of India which also mirrors the lack of adequate knowledge and the ambiguity with which Indian policymakers perceive Central Asia.