India on Our Minds

Singapore and India established diplomatic relations in August 1965. However, their ties date as far back as the 10th century. The last half century has seen a blossoming of their relationship. The two countries' warm and substantive friendship is based upon history, economics, defense cooperation and a high degree of mutual trust. The relationship is quite unique because a significant portion of Singapore's population consists of ethnic Indians and an Indian language, Tamil, is one of Singapore's official languages.The book brings together 52 of Singapore's thought leaders. They come from different sectors of the Singapore's society. Each of them has written an essay on India's past or present or future. Each essay is short, easy to read and full of insight and humour. One of the writers is Singapore's Senior Minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a person who is admired both in Singapore and in India. The book includes essays on Nalanda University, Amaravati, India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. On the lighter side, the book contains two charming essays by Ambassador Karen Tan and Eirliani Abdul Rahman on their time in India.The book's foreword is written by Mr Goh Chok Tong, Singapore's second Prime Minister. It was Mr Goh who overcame prejudice and inertia and launched a new beginning in Singapore-India relations.This publication is a candid reflection of India and India-Singapore relations by Singaporeans who carry the hope that India will rise above its challenges to join the ranks of the great nations of the world. It will be of interest to Singaporeans who are interested in India and Indians who are interested in Singapore.Contents: Foreword by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong Preface Thinking About The Past: India's Early Trade with Singapore and Southeast Asia (A Mani) Red Ambassador, Parathas and Other Joys (Eirliani Abdul Rahman) The Global Plot behind the 1915 Singapore Sepoy Mutiny (Umej Bhatia) A Novelist's Understanding of India (Meira Chand) A Journey No Longer at Sea... Singapore's Tamil Narrative (Nalina Gopal and Arun Mahizhnan) Gujarati Shia Muslims of Singapore (Mustafa Izzuddin) In Search of India's Indic Past (K Kesavapany) Joys and Sorrows of Investing in India (Sat Pal Khattar) Buddhist Links between India and Singapore/Southeast Asia (Gauri Parimoo Krishnan) India's Economic Liberalisation: The Elephant and the Lion (M Rajaram) My Indianisation (Ma Swan Hoo) Singapore's Pre-colonial Ties with India (Sureshkumar Muthukumaran) An Extraordinary Affair (Uma Rajan) Nalanda University in India: Reviving Ancient Glory (Hernaikh Singh) Singapore-India Links through Hinduism (Vineeta Sinha) Madame High Commissioner (Karen Tan) Historical Ties between India and Singapore (Tan Tai Yong) Singapore-India Defence Relations: The Singapore Perspective (Jonathan Tow) Remembering the India Connection (Walter Woon) Thinking About The Present: India is an Enigma (Zulkifli Baharudin) India's Business Environment as Seen by the Singapore Private Sector (Gautam Banerjee) India's Challenges (Manu Bhaskaran) Arbitration and Dispute Resolution: Thinking of India (Lawrence Boo) A Country of Contrasts: A Young Singaporean's Perspective of India (Chan Jia Hao) Heavenly Tryst Postponed: Amaravati and Beyond (Francis Chong) Singapore-India Cultural Collaborations (Rosa Daniel) Financial System's Linkages between Singapore and India (Piyush Gupta) Why India's Economy Has Fallen so Far behind China's (Vikram Khanna) Culture Hopping from One Democracy to Another (Asad Latif) The Indo-Pacific — Eye of the Beholder (Lim Thuan Kuan) Vocational and Technical Education (N Varaprasad) Evolution of ASEAN-India Relations (Ong Keng Yong) How Singaporeans Perceive Indians (Gopinath Pillai) India-Singapore CECA (Leena Pinsler) The Diaspora, India's Development and Foreign Policy Goals (Rajesh Rai) One Family, the Challenges Notwithstanding (Zainul Abidin...