entry to the BRICS in 2011 largely due to the country’s vast mineral reserves crucial to future growth in the larger, more powerful partners (Shmuel, 2012). This suggests that the BRICS are more than a loose economic classification and are actively partnering with one another to promote their own best inter- ests. With this in mind, the current global economic crisis presents opportunities for the BRICS economies, including India, to strengthen their presence on the global economic platform in the 21st century.