Afro-Asian unity

Nehru did not see India as a passive, newly independent country. Given its size, strategic location, and its potential for power, he believed India had a natural role to play in world affairs — especially in Asia. This belief drove a sustained effort to build ties with other newly independent nations in Asia and Africa.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Nehru was an ardent advocate of Asian unity. Under his leadership, India took concrete steps to bring Asian nations together even before it became independent.

• Asian Relations Conference (March 1947): India convened this conference five months before it attained independence. It was the first major attempt to bring together Asian leaders and thinkers to discuss common problems and aspirations.
• Support for Indonesian Freedom: India made earnest efforts for the early realisation of Indonesia's freedom from Dutch colonial rule. It convened an international conference in 1949 to support Indonesia's freedom struggle.
• Opposition to Colonialism and Racism: India was a staunch supporter of the decolonisation process across Asia and Africa. It firmly opposed racism, especially the apartheid regime in South Africa.

The high point of this engagement was the Afro-Asian Conference held in the Indonesian city of Bandung in 1955, commonly known as the Bandung Conference. This conference marked the zenith of India's engagement with newly independent Asian and African nations. …