It is probably impossible to understand the foreign policy of any country unless you have an appreciation of its national culture. With India that is a complex thing, since the India we know is one that was shaped by the colonial experience. Indeed, the salience of English in its intellectual discourse, especially that related to foreign and security policy, is a manifestation of this.
Yet, the frequent references to Kautilya (another name for Chanakya) whose ideas are seen as quintessentially Indian, indicate that there is a deeper yearning among Indians to reach deep into their culture to understand themselves. Of course, as Pande points out, a culture as rich as ours has multiple influences, not in the least those emerging from Buddhism and Jainism.
The Racism Towards Anglo-Indians In English Literature 
The Custard Apple’s Seed 
