1. India is one of the main architects of non-alignment. Jawahar Lal Nehru played an important role in initiating the move. We have seen that non-alignment was first initiated as a principle of the foreign policy of India. Nehru was right when he said that only those independent countries could afford to be 'aligned' with military blocs, which wanted to lose their independence.

2. Since the Non-Aligned Movement began at the time of the cold war between hostile military blocs, its major aim at that time was to keep the Non-Aligned countries free from both the power blocs led respectively by the United States and the Soviet Union.

3. For India, non-alignment is not an end in itself. Rather it is a means for establishing international peace and order. When we say that India follows a policy of non-alignment it means that India has non-military alliance with countries of either bloc. India has an independent approach to foreign policy and attempts to maintain friendly relations with all countries.

4. The way India reacted to various international issues made the implication of nonalignment very clear. Non-alignment does not merely mean keeping away from military alliances. It means taking positive steps towards liquidation of imperialism and racism and reduction of armaments. It also means striving for a better and prosperous new international order.

5. Mrs. Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India in 1966. In her regime as Prime Minister of India, our country became less idealistic and doctrinaire than what it was in the Nehru era. Mrs. Indira Gandhi moulded nonalignment as an economic and political movement rather than an ideological one. She facilitated the arrangement of the Non-aligned Conference in 1983 held in New Delhi. Under her leadership India attacked the system of colonialism and racial segregation. Time and again, India has made it clear that the dangers of neo-colonialism can be combated by following the basic tenets of non-alignment.

6. During 1977-1979, India was able to maintain friendly relations both with the U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. Disarmament as the main policy of the Janata Government. It also opposed all forms of colonialism, radicalism and violence. It desired that Israel should vacate all Arab territories under her occupation.

7. Due to political situations in India caused by the fall of Morarji Desai Government in July 1979, India failed to play any significant role in Havana.