Lying at the crossroads of South and Southeast
Asia, the Northeast region of India is geographically and culturally
remote from the heartland of India and incorporates a cultural
kaleidoscope of more than 200 ethnic and tribal groups, who are
ethnically, linguistically and culturally distinct. This has the
potential to make it a future tourist paradise and an intriguing study
for social scientists as well.
Unlike their counterparts in the rest of India who speak languages
belonging to the Indo-European and Dravidian family of languages a large
number of people from Northeast India speak Sino-Tibetan languages or
Austro-Asiatic languages.
The 22-kilometre Siliguri strategic neck controls access to the area
and represents a developmental hurdle as much as it acts as a
psychological barrier to the integration of the region with the rest of
India. On the other hand, India’s northeast shares a longer border of
1,643 kilometres with Southeast Asia. The geostrategic significance is
something that India and Southeast Asia cannot ignore.
Any observer who has travelled to any part of the Northeast India and
also to far-flung areas of Thailand away from the hustle and the bustle
of Bangkok would realise the striking similarity between the two. The
landscape is the same, people look the same, dress almost the same
(sarongs), eat dried fish, fermented pork, and so on. The two are also
bound by religious, cultural and ethnic ties that go back two millennia.
Why is it, then, that New Delhi and Bangkok have not been able to
translate the resulting advantages and establish the kind of relations
that they should have had? The meeting point is clearly Northeast India,
which is a point of linkage where there are indelible similarities in
cultural and social systems.
In this, Myanmar also has an important bearing since it is
geographically contiguous with parts of Northeast India and forms a land
bridge that connects India with the rest of Southeast Asia.
Scholars have highlighted reaping of the benefits from establishing
associations with the unique Northeast region and the countries of
Southeast Asia either on a bilateral basis, with Thailand and Myanmar or
even in projects such as the Ganga-Mekong project.
To do so practically would require greater and more efficient
connectivity. Once the scope for greater connectivity is ascertained,
India will have to adopt policies in working toward peace and stability
in the Northeast and attend to other factors. These range from
non-existent infrastructure to non-conducive investment opportunities
which impede the integration of Northeast India into the dynamic
economics of Southeast Asia.
India can refer to the Southeast Asian roots of the Tai Ahom and tap
into trans-border links based on cultural affinities, tradition and
ethnicity that have historically governed relations between Northeast
India and Southeast Asian countries, to create a soft power resource
bank. This in turn will encourage smarter interactions leading to an
increase in trade, commerce and tourism in the entire region and across
international boundaries as well.
There is considerable scope to activate India’s cultural diplomacy to
underpin its economic initiatives and strategic moves in the region.
This cultural diplomacy can also be backed up by promoting cooperation
in the fields of education, science and technology, where India has
notable assets and strengths.
Educational links can provide a lasting and powerful stimulus to
regional cooperation and integration. Educational institutes located in
the Northeast must include courses on Southeast Asia and its languages
and engage specialists in Southeast Asian studies, just as space for
understanding of Northeast India should be made in Thailand.
It is high time for both India and Thailand to draw on the advantages
offered by the new international actors that have created special
regional dynamics. India would be required to reinvigorate its Look East
policy with a definite roadmap to include plans to promote soft power
in the region, strengthen existing trade and investment links, and
devise a concrete strategy with actionable goals.
As for Thailand, it would need to understand the Northeast India not
only with an eye for investment but as two sisters who are willing to
come together for a constructive engagement. If the governments are
serious about their declared intentions, then new initiatives must be
taken to rejuvenate the age-old cultural and historical ties between the
two peoples.
That, in turn, would perhaps be a wise step if both India and
Thailand are to establish relations in a way that will lead to the
creation of more secure and safe breathing space, and bring to life
India’s Look-East and Thailand’s Look-West policies.
Dr Munmun Majumdar is an Associate Professor with the
Department of Political Science at North-Eastern Hill University in
Shillong, Meghalaya, India