Foreword

Summary

India's Look East Policy is now a decade and half old. Its path, vigour and promise has given us renewed confidence in India's Asian destiny. Without doubt, this is Asia's century and India is proud to be part of an energetic process that has seen impressive growth across the continent. In this historical evolution in the new century, leaders across the continent have contributed, learnt with experience and evolved new approaches.

Amongst those leaders, the name of Lee Kuan Yew must rank near the top. A distinguished statesman and a system designer par excellence, Lee Kuan Yew has always impressed me with his determination, which is suffused with deep insights into the world around him. Having steered Singapore with a focus that is unique, he has today become a living legend for enabling growth through entrepreneurship and clear direction. This book throws light on Lee Kuan Yew's admiration, belief, curiosity and desire for engagement with India over the years. Undoubtedly, his abiding interest in India over the decades, tinged with expectations, finds reflection in some of the achievements that have been posted by India. A mirror image of this multifaceted expectation finds form today as components that have helped craft India's Look East Policy.

That policy, however, is predated by the much more important connection between India and Singapore, which was established more than a thousand years ago. India's ancient links with the region were nurtured on the waves of trade and culture and found both spiritual as well as concrete expression through the architecture of some of the temples in South East Asia, many of which stand to this day. The characteristic Asian treasure of spirituality is one of the strongest contributors to our links. In the current context, this has found expression in the significant support being shown by Singapore for the revival of the Nalanda University. In a way, this is the completion of a virtuous circle enabling us to begin the second chapter of our relationship with greater confidence.

Relations between India and Singapore have always been marked by a significant degree of closeness, not only at the Government level, but in the private sector too.