New Delhi: Foreign diplomats in India are usually the subject of interviews. However, Norwegian Ambassador May-Elin Stener has flipped the script with the launch of a podcast, Sambandh, earlier this month.
The podcast will feature guests who will be interviewed by Stener—a first-of-its-kind public diplomacy effort by a foreign mission in India.
Embassies in New Delhi have otherwise experimented with different media forms to reach a larger audience, be it via reels or musical videos. But the Norwegian effort is different. Ambassador Stener and other embassy team are stepping in to host conversations with a diverse set of individuals to “advance the Norway-India relationship”.
In written comments to ThePrint, the ambassador highlights that the podcast effort will look to “bring together perspectives from ‘Friends of Norway’ here in India, and people in Norway with interests in India”, who work across different sectors. The conversations will not be limited to just diplomacy or politics, Stener made it clear.
“This is a pilot initiative, and we are exploring a communication channel that has seen growing interest and engagement in recent years. Our aim is to foster greater understanding of the bilateral relationship, and create a platform for informed conversations on issues of shared interest from both Indian and Norwegian perspectives,” Stener told ThePrint.
The first episode—a conversation between the ambassador and MP Shashi Tharoor—was released on 5 July. The ambassador, in comments to ThePrint, said that the goal remains to have an episode every “three to four weeks”, with a focus on the “guest and the theme”, rather than having any “fixed publishing schedule”.
Excited to share the first episode of our podcast #Sambandh with you. Thank you, @ShashiTharoor for the conversation! #NorwayIndia #SambandhPodcast 🇳🇴🇮🇳🎙️🎧🙌
Tune in and join us!
Links below:https://t.co/EJvHZiA1hm
———https://t.co/TpN19czpTN
———https://t.co/yJjM8oARn3 pic.twitter.com/woxTx30qST
— Ambassador May-Elin Stener (@NorwayAmbIndia) July 5, 2026
“Through conversations with guests from both India and Norway—including visiting Norwegian delegation members as well as individuals based in India—the podcast aims to offer diverse perspectives on issues and opportunities that shape the bilateral relationship. We aim to publish a new episode every three to four weeks,” said Stener.
The choice of the first guest perhaps was no surprise as Tharoor had previously brought out the connection of the word Sambandh between India and the Nordic countries in an opinion piece for The Indian Express. The word, which in an Indian context highlights kinship or a relationship, finds similar meaning in Norwegian as well as the Icelandic language.
“The word also has an interesting linguistic resonance with Norwegian, where the word ‘samband’ means connection or communication. Ahead of the India–Nordic Summit, Dr Shashi Tharoor highlighted this shared linguistic link in an opinion piece for The Indian Express,” said the Norwegian envoy.
The Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir had described the term as a “purely Icelandic word”, while speaking to the media following the India-Nordic Summit in May 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had travelled to Norway for the summit.
Stener added: “The podcast explores the many dimensions of the Norway-India relationship through conversations on a wide range of themes. Episodes will cover areas, such as green energy, business, geopolitics and other topics, that reflect the breadth of engagement between our two countries.”
Whether it’s mangoes, or sarees, or even playwright Henrik Ibsen—whose plays have found a following in India—Stener underlined her interest in bringing out topics that connect both countries through the podcast.
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Foreign embassies’ public diplomacy push
Embassies in India have taken to non-traditional media spaces to highlight their efforts of connecting the country they represent with the Indian public.
An example is the South Korean embassy’s video doing the dance from RRR’s Naatu Naatu. The then ambassador of South Korea to India, Chang Jae-bok, had participated in the video, which had led to a number of embassies recreating the dance. The German ambassador and his team had recreated it in parts of Old Delhi, which was appreciated by PM Modi. Such efforts are seen as vital to public diplomacy.
The outgoing German envoy Philipp Ackermann also carved a social media space for himself by posting mango tasting videos every year, with some of the more famous ones including being blindfolded and naming the different mangoes by flavour alone.
The Singaporean High Commissioner Simon Wong has consistently shared his various interactions with different Indian cuisines through his travels across the country. From dosas in Tamil Nadu to thalis in Andhra Pradesh, the Singaporean diplomat has shared his thoughts on all of it.
Kaalai Vanakkam friends. It's Sunday and I miss home food. Nothing like a hearty #SouthIndian #dosai to start the day. Come join me nah. 😝HC Wong#TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/D1rXzgyi7J
— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) June 7, 2026
The Embassy of Lithuania in India has released a Sanskrit-to-Lithuanian dictionary as part of its public diplomacy efforts, while Ambassador Diana Mickevičienė was appreciated by Modi during an episode of Mann ki Baat for her knowledge of the Indian language.
The Embassy of Ireland has focused on cultural events in recent years, celebrating the writings and works of Irish writers James Joyce on Bloomsday every year, while Ambassador Kevin Kelly even brought an embassy auto (tuk-tuk). The Irish even opened a pandhal in Kolkata during Durga Puja one year as a part of their efforts to promote the cultural ties between the two countries.
The previous US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, in a Diwali performance, had danced in front of the embassy to popular song Tauba Tauba.
#WATCH | US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti dances to the tune of the popular Hindi song 'Tauba, Tauba' during Diwali celebrations at the embassy in Delhi
(Video source: US Embassy) pic.twitter.com/MLdLd8IDrH
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2024
The incumbent US envoy Sergio Gor has brought with him all the markers of US President Donald Trump’s diplomacy—songs like YMCA by Village People, the flashing lights and the larger-than-life image—to his efforts in India over the last half year.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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That’s why you need good representatives which we are not as good as these western countries are. I can mention some good ones but too many bad ones.