India-Myanmar Relations: Changing Contours

摘要

Myanmar shares about 1,600 km of border with India and is India's gateway into Southeast Asia. In spite of its strategic location and long historical relationship, scholarship on Myanmar in India is not very dense. Rajiv Bhatia's very fine book India-Myanmar Relations: Changing Contours is, therefore, a very welcome initiative. Given that the author has worked as India's Ambassador to Myanmar and also as the Director General of a prestigious institution in New Delhi, the Indian Council of World Affairs, the book takes a practitioner-scholar approach. For instance, the author draws from his experience in Myanmar to note: 'another special feature is the Burmese ability to conceal his feelings and views, expressing them as little as possible, especially to the foreigners, until they begin to trust the latter'. The author then examines the impact of authoritarian political structures on various aspects of life such as conversations between individuals, thereby bringing a rigorous scholarly perspective. The book also has interesting anecdotes about the preparation that the author made prior to his assignment in Myanmar, interactions with dignitaries and state visits of leaders.