The BRICS summit comes at a particularly important moment for India as the global order undergoes rapid change. What began as a grouping of emerging economies has evolved into a significant platform representing a large share of the world’s population and economic activity. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi preparing to host the summit, India has an opportunity to demonstrate its diplomatic weight and underline its ability to bring diverse nations together at a time of geopolitical uncertainty. î
For India, the importance of BRICS goes well beyond the summit table. It offers New Delhi a platform to push for greater representation of developing countries in global institutions, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, expand the use of national currencies in international transactions and seek greater collaboration in areas such as technology, energy and development finance. At the same time, India’s engagement with BRICS allows it to maintain strategic space in a world increasingly marked by rivalry between major powers.
The summit is therefore an opportunity for India to practise what has increasingly become the essence of its foreign policy â engaging with competing power centres without becoming captive to any one bloc. India’s challenge will be to turn broad declarations into practical outcomes that benefit its economy and strengthen its voice in global decision-making. If New Delhi can help BRICS move from rhetoric to concrete cooperation while protecting India’s strategic autonomy, the 2026 summit could prove an important milestone in shaping India’s role in the emerging multipolar world.