Prime Minister Modi’s call for an Atma Nirbhar Bharat – a self-dependent – India is not a claptrap, it is a call for a comprehensive civilizational self-renewal. It articulates India’s engagement with the world at a time when the contours and narrative of globalization is being sharply debated and examined. When public intellectuals are speaking of an unfortunate return to the fortress existence, when many are speaking of isolationism and a falling back upon oneself, Prime Minister Modi speaks of being self-reliant but not self-centered, and of a future which is about “togetherness and resilience.” He speaks of delineating India’s trajectory in shaping a post COVID19 world order.