Indranil Chakravarty, “The Power of Intercultural Dialogue: Octavio Paz between Mexico and India”

Based on his recent book, The Tree Within : Octavio Paz’s Years in India (Penguin, 2025), Indranil Chakravarty discusses how the Mexican Nobel Laureate poet and diplomat, Octavio Paz, became a cultural bridge between two parts of the Global South that are separated by geography, language, culture and history. / As Mexico’s ambassador to India in the 1960s, Paz immersed himself in the country’s contemplative traditions, travelled widely, forged deep friendships with some of India’s finest minds, and produced several of his most inspired poetry and essays. By his own admission, he experienced a