.png)
by
Report by Gavish Lohat
Summer Research Intern 2024
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the President of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo, in Rome, Italy on October 31, 2021. (Credits: Press Information Bureau)
Owing to the similarity of the culture between both the regions, Indonesia derives its name from the Latin word ‘Indus’, meaning "India", and the Greek word ‘nesos’, meaning "island".
India and Indonesia form two of the largest democracies in the world owing to their vast population. In 1950, Sukarno was the Guest of Honor during the first Republic Day of India wherein, he gave the call for the people of the two countries to to intensify the cordial relations that had existed for more than 1000 years before being disrupted by colonial powers. ‘Wherever I go on the island, I see God’ were the words from Rabindranath Tagore who visited Indonesia in 1927 and in 1950, Jawaharlal Nehru called Bali the ‘Morning of the World’. A treaty of friendship was signed between India and Indonesia in 1951.
Religious and Cultural Ties:
The Indian mythological epics- the Ramayana and Mahabharata- have had considerable influence on the history and culture of Indonesia. Java, one of the Indonesian islands, is mentioned in the Ramayana as ‘Yawadvipa’. Hinduism and many other facets of Indian culture, such as the Brahmi script and Tamil and Sanskrit languages, were disseminated in Indonesia by ancient Indians. From 200 to the 16th century, Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms reigned in Indonesia, including Srivijaya, Medang, Sunda, and Majapahit. Indonesian students are also known to have attended Nalanda University in India during the Srivijaya dynasty. Despite the adoption of Islam, the Hindu-Buddhist influence remains strong as substantiated by the performance of the Ramayana dance on full-moon nights at Prambanan (9th-century Hindu temple) in Java and the presence of Borobudur (9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple). Indian Mughal architecture had a significant impact on Indonesian Islamic architecture, particularly in Sumatra, as seen in the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Aceh and the Great Mosque in Medan.
.png)
Indian cultural zone Dark Orange The Indian subcontinent Light Orange Other countries culturally linked to India; notably Burma/Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Southern Vietnam (Champa), Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia. Yellow Regions not included in the Indian cultural zone, but with considerable current or historical Indian cultural influence, notably Afghanistan, Tibet, Yunnan, and the Philippines. (Credits: Deeptrivia)
The Indonesian archipelago has been heavily influenced by the civilization of India and forms a part of the ‘Greater India’ or the ‘Indic world’ (Indian cultural sphere). Cultural ties are visible in the popular Dangdut music (a genre of Indonesian folk music, partly derived and fused from Hindustani). In Indonesia, Bollywood films and music are also a hit. The Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Centre was founded in Jakarta in 1989 with the goal of promoting Indian culture throughout Indonesia. It has a library, offers cultural education, and showcases Indian art forms like yoga, Indian music, and dance.
Economic Relations:
Indonesia has emerged as the second largest trading partner of India in the ASEAN region. India imports minerals, rubber, pulp and paper, hydrocarbon reserves, and coal and crude palm oil from Indonesia in second-largest quantities. India supplies Indonesia with commercial automobiles, steel, plastics, bovine meat, agricultural goods, communications equipment, and refined petroleum products. Overall, Indonesia's investment climate is promising and the Indian investors find it desirable. In Indonesia, there are over thirty joint ventures and investments from India. Between 2000 and 2022, India invested USD 1.219 billion in 4750 projects in Indonesia. Large investments have been made by Indian businesses in the consumer goods, mining, steel, automobiles, electricity, textiles, and steel industries.
Strategic Partnership
India and Indonesia have signed a strategic partnership agreement to enhance cooperation in national and maritime security, trade, infrastructure and economic development. It is also important to note that Indonesia is one of the basin countries for the Malacca Strait, which acts as an important choke point facilitating global trade. An agreement for a "Shared Vision of Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific" was signed in May 2018 during a visit to Indonesia by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a result, starting in 2018, the Indian and Indonesian navies began holding bilateral "Samudra Shakti" naval drills in the Java and Andaman seas. Following their "IND-INDO CORPAT" agreement in 2002, these exercises reflect a major improvement in operational engagement between the two navies. India and Indonesia have also been working together to build the Sabang Deep Sea Port. Additionally, a number of Indian navy vessels, including the destroyer INS Rana in 2002, the INS Sumitra in 2018, and the INS VIJIT in 2019, conducted naval drills and trips to Indonesia.
Conclusion and Future Prospects
Having considerable similarities across culture, commerce, and history, India and Indonesia are bound to benefit from coinciding interests in the future. Housing very large populations, both nations have a common goal to find ways of utilizing their human resource as a boon and not a bane. Politically and economically, Indonesia can also have an important role to play in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies (since 2014). As an ASEAN member, Indonesia can be India’s first step in moving closer to its Southeast Asian neighbours, amplifying the interests of both parties as a result.
Strategically, Jakarta is key to the Indian national interest due to its proximity to the trade chock point of Malacca Strait, which can be instrumental in countering China by halting its Belt and Road Initiative. In 2018, India got military access to Sabang Port in Indonesia, located at the entrance of Malacca Strait, adding ultimately to India’s ‘Diamond Necklace’ Strategy to garland China and subdue its ‘String of Pearls’ However, it remains to be seen how India can harness this untapped potential as the String of Pearls has escalated past ideas and into action, unlike the Diamond Necklace. The avenues of this conjugal bond are yet to be fully explored.
.png)
India’s Diamond Necklace Strategy. (Credits: Jagran Josh)
References
CHAUDHURY, DIPANJAN ROY. “Eyeing Southeast Asia, India builds port in Indonesia.” The Economic Times, 20 March 2019, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/eyeing-southeast-asia-india-builds-port-in-indonesia/articleshow/68490478.cms?from=mdr. Accessed 19 July 2024.
“Exploring India Indonesia Trade and Economic Relations.” IBEF, https://www.ibef.org/indian-exports/india-indonesia-trade. Accessed 19 July 2024.
“INDIA-INDONESIA BILATERAL BRIEF.” Embassy of India, Jakarta, https://www.indianembassyjakarta.gov.in/. Accessed 17 July 2024.
Javaid, Arfa. “What is Necklace of Diamonds Strategy?” Jagran Josh, 21 July 2020, https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/necklace-of-diamond-strategy-1592404137-1. Accessed 19 July 2024.
No comments:
Post a Comment