Neighbourhood First Meets Hard Realities

India’s neighbourhood policy often speaks the language of shared civilisation, open borders and historical goodwill.

But a new book co-edited by Dr Cchavi Vasisht, Associate Fellow at the Centre for Geopolitics and Strategic Studies, Chintan Research Foundation, New Delhi, and CRF President Shishir Priyardarshi suggests that the region’s smaller nations do not always interpret India’s role in the same way.

In an interview with The Gist on Perspectives From and Within India and Its Neighbourhood, Dr Vasisht said the project deliberately sought voices from across South Asia and the extended neighbourhood, rather than relying solely on Indian analysts. The result, she said, was a “strategic audit” of how India is perceived by those living closest to it.

The book brings together contributions from diplomats, journalists, scholars and researchers from India as well as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and Dr Vasisht described the process as both “significant” and “difficult”, especially because the region itself was changing rapidly during the writing process. Political upheavals in Bangladesh, Myanmar’s continuing conflict, Nepal’s Gen Z-led political churn and shifts in the Maldives meant the editorial team was constantly dealing with moving targets.

But the most striking revelation, according to Dr Vasisht, was the gap between how India perceives itself and how neighbours often experience Indian influence.

“We consider it as our over there, you know, we consider it as our, you know, brother,” she said, explaining how India often assumes its assistance and civilisational links are naturally welcomed. Yet many neighbours sometimes view the same engagement as “overbearing”.

Nepal emerged as one of the starkest examples of this perception gap. From New Delhi’s perspective, the relationship is built on familial and civilisational ties. But sections of Nepal’s younger political class increasingly seek distance from what they see as India’s overwhelming influence.

“They want their own identity, their own foreign policy,” Dr Vasisht noted, adding that ultra-nationalist tendencies have gained traction among younger political forces in Nepal.

At the same time, she stressed that anti-India sentiment in neighbouring countries is often exaggerated or oversimplified. Political elites may clash with New Delhi over borders or diplomacy, but ordinary people living across open frontiers frequently maintain strong cultural and family ties.

Dr Vasisht argued that foreign policy debates often remain too “elite-centric”, focusing excessively on capital cities and political leaderships while ignoring regional and grassroots perspectives. She pointed to India’s northeast as an example, where local communities viewed restrictions on the India-Myanmar border very differently from policymakers in New Delhi.

One of the book’s major themes is that India’s neighbourhood cannot be approached through a “one size fits all” framework. What works for Bhutan may not work for Nepal, and policies suited for Sri Lanka may fail in the Maldives.

The book also examines themes beyond traditional geopolitics. A chapter on South Asian women stood out precisely because it challenged the idea that regional cooperation through SAARC is entirely dead. Dr Vasisht argued that while summit diplomacy may have stalled, women entrepreneurs and social networks across South Asia continue to collaborate and share experiences.

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Another recurring issue is India’s struggle against the “big brother syndrome”. Dr Vasisht cited a distinction made during the book launch between being a “big brother” and an “elder brother”. The former implies domination and interference, while the latter suggests guidance and support.

While acknowledging that asymmetry between India and its neighbours will always exist due to differences in size, economy and influence, she argued that India’s challenge is to manage this imbalance without appearing coercive.

On connectivity projects and comparisons with China, Dr. Vasisht admitted India’s delays often create frustration. Projects such as the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit initiative have repeatedly missed deadlines.

However, she argued that India’s model differs fundamentally from Beijing’s approach because Indian projects are not designed to create strategic leverage or debt dependence, and cited Sri Lanka’s experience with Chinese-funded infrastructure as a cautionary example.

Despite tensions and recurring diplomatic friction, Dr Vasisht believes India’s current approach reflects a more pragmatic shift. Rather than focusing solely on whichever government is in power, New Delhi is increasingly prioritising long-term developmental partnerships and sustained engagement.

For her, the central lesson of the book is simple: India’s neighbours cannot be understood through rhetoric alone. Their perceptions are shaped by domestic politics, geography, aspirations and anxieties that often differ sharply from New Delhi’s assumptions.

And unless India understands those perspectives honestly, even decades of goodwill can quickly unravel.