By Saji Varghese
‘Wosobipo’, translated as cuckoo’s call, a movie in the Karbi dialect won the hearts of many in India especially the North east in the year 1990. A scene in the movie calls for attention being the prelude to the topic here. As the elders in the village gathered around the fire as usual in the evening with a huge mug of rice beer discussing the issues concerning the village, at the faint sound of an explosion from the distance they pass the comment, ‘It must be beyond the Naga hills.’ Though constrained by information on what lies beyond the horizon, in the rural set up of the hills then, their understanding on the war like situation, militancy, ethnic conflicts, violence etc. seemed perceptive. However, the present scenario is different .There lies a vast distance of land beyond the eastern borders of our north eastern part of the country which is undergoing transition at a fast pace and the attention of the government is focused on it now, in measures much larger than before. This drastic shift in situation is due to a number of factors which sharpened the democratic process in this part of the globe and the constant efforts of the government to usher in development by containing the armed struggle.
South East Asia is home to varied cultures and traditions. There are historical evidences of India’s cultural and commercial engagements with its eastern neighbours, in the ancient past. The transmission of Indian culture to the distant parts of South East Asia is certainly one of the greatest achievements. Another aspect to such spread of its culture is that there was no coercive exercise, no capture of power through force. No other great civilization has been able to achieve such success without military conquest. Besides these facts of cultural, religious transmission of the Indian ‘mainland’, there are immense levels of similarities in the cultures and way of life of the ‘ indigenous’ North east with South East Asia as far as Cambodia and Vietnam. Homogeneity in traditions and in the ways of life of the ‘hill people’ of the North east is never a point to be proved. Rather it is beyond a measure of any doubt. Folklores and mythical stories of the ethnic cultures of the region point to the ‘affinity’ it shares , which is life in union with nature. There is rather a ‘common cultural space’ which actually extends beyond the borders of our region. It would be of no exaggeration to say that one within such an ‘ethnic culture’, would feel ‘at home’ beyond its eastern border.
The’ Look East Policy’ of India which is gaining popularity can be traced back to the early nineties when the then Indian Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao initiated a new chapter in the Indian foreign policy paradigm. The Look East Policy was officially launched in 1991 during the tenure of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, although the term ‘Look East Policy’ was mentioned for the first time in the annual report of the Ministry of External Affairs in 1996. I.K. Gujral had stated that ‘What Look East really means is that an outward looking India, is gathering all forces of dynamism, domestic and regional and is directly focusing on establishing synergies with a fast consolidating and progressive neighbourhood to its East in the Mother Continent of Asia’. Since its initiation in 1991, twenty five years have gone by, though as envisioned by the policy makers, achievements have not been huge, yet many things have fallen in place.
One of our immediate neighbours, Myanmar is a strategic partner as it is our gateway to Southeast Asia. The interest of India in overseeing the democratic set up being crafted in Myanmar is huge, as it would lead to different levels of bilateral agreement. With the elections that happened in Myanmar the possibilities of insurgent groups coming together to a peaceful settlement to end the prolonged violent aggressions has become rather high. There have already been many arrangements of trade through two border corridors, one Moreh( Manipur) with Tamu (Myanmar) another Champhai (Mizoram) with Hri (Myanmar). Opening up of these corridors have led not only to immense avenues of trade between the bordering villages of both the countries but also along the large areas of western Myanmar. ASEAN markets provide big opportunities for North Eastern Region, particularly in areas such as promotion of horticulture, floriculture, and medicinal herbs.
In the past, India’s engagement with much of Asia, including South East and East Asia, was built on an idealistic concept of Asian brotherhood, based on shared experiences of colonialism and of cultural ties. The rhythm of the region today is determined, however, as much by trade, investment and production as by history and culture. That is what motivates our decade-old ‘Look East’ policy.
Two important projects which would improve connectivity between India and South east Asian countries are Kaladan Multi –modal Transport facility which would link Indian ports with Myanmar. The Kaladan project, when implemented, will connect Kolkata to Sittwe port in Myanmar, and then further to Mizoram by river and road. The Trilateral Highway Project which would link Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Bagan in Myanmar is currently being undertaken at a fast pace. It is so exciting to know that one can drive all the way from India to Singapore without any hassle, once this project is completed.
Further, a rail link from Diphu – Karong –Imphal – Moreh – connecting India with ASEAN; the construction of a 98 kms railway line connecting Jiribam to Imphal has already been taken up at the cost of Rs 31 billion. The project was initiated in April 2003. On completion of these projects there could be possibilities for (i) India – Myanmar– Thailand – Malaysia – Singapore rail link, and (ii) India – Myanmar – Thailand – Hanoi rail link. This would boost large scale movement of commodities in this vast region of the globe. Another aspect of this policy is to build confidence through people to people contact between the North east and the South East Asia.
There are a number of historical, geographical reasons for such a policy which was envisioned by arguably one of the best visionaries of India, who was made to experience and pay for not being a part of the Nehruvian legacy. If liberalisation as a policy made any impact in India’s economy ,it was due to the then Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, the thinker and philosopher who went down as just an ‘unpopular Prime Minister’. However, today it is no longer just ‘Look East’ but Narendra Modi wants it to be an action packed, ‘Act East policy’ for he believes in less of talking and looking but in putting things into action and being practical. A new era is about to begin with immense avenues to overcome the long debated cause for prolonged unrest and backwardness. Guwahati and Shillong jointly hosting the recently concluded South Asian Games, do convey a lot to the world and to the groups which threaten the integrity of our country. Perhaps it is time that we look beyond the borders and broaden our identities from being ethnic to that of a South East Asian or further to a South Asian one.
(The writer is Associate Professor. Lady Keane College)