Home away from home — My South Asian family in Paris
Three years back when I decided to quit my corporate job and plunge into international affairs, I began my research on Regional Cooperation in South Asia.
Initially, I devoured books, blogs and op-eds, written by eminent academicians in South Asia and the West.
Frankly, the more I read, the more hope I lost. I wondered if there was any light at the end of the tunnel.
Every morning when we flip through news headlines, it definitely does not excite any of us to read about new lives lost along the India-Pakistan border, furious protests over the Indo-Nepal border blockade, lingering disputes between India and Bangladesh over access to Chittagong Port among many other disputes.
Also read: Why every Indian should visit Pakistan
One of the academicians in the West remarked — every few kilometres you go in South Asia, you will find two countries coming to blows over river water sharing or even two Indian states wrangling over the same issue.
Disputes are symbolic to South Asian land!
No wonder a simple hug between the leaders of India and Pakistan flooded the South Asian media for weeks. Some named it "Hug Diplomacy", others said a new wave of diplomacy was ushering between the two neighbours.
See: Germany to India — 'Pakistan and India are more alike than different'
While I was absolutely elated to see such a positive gesture covered in the media, at the same time, I wondered about the sad state our South Asian cooperation, a mere hug between the two leaders made headlines in International media.
Every time people talk about South Asia, the debate continues if and how trade concessions can lead to territorial concessions. And the potential impact of cultural interactions and exchange between ordinary people like you and me, has been undermined in this whole political and economic episode.