The new economic corridor will not only bring trade but will also expand Indian culture.

Today many countries of the world are struggling with various types of political, social and economic problems. Whereas India appears to be in a comparatively very strong position not only in the economic but also in the political and social fields, many countries of the world are today looking towards India with hopeful eyes for the solution of their various problems. It is very important for any country to have developed means of transport to establish direct contact between its citizens and the citizens of other countries. This provides an opportunity to understand and adopt the culture of another country along with business. However, today the means of air transport are available in sufficient quantity but it is a very expensive means, hence its use is very difficult for the common citizen. From this point of view, with the recent announcement of India-West Asia-Europe Economic Corridor, the possibility of increasing trade between all the countries falling on this route as well as mutual contact between the common citizens of these countries has also increased.

The said economic corridor has been announced by India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, US, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union during the G20 summit. This is expected to encourage economic development through increased connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Arabian Gulf and Europe, as well as deepening mutual relations between the citizens of these countries. The said corridor will extend from India to Europe via UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. Two different corridors will be included under the said announcement. One, the Eastern Corridor which will connect India to West Asia and the other, the Northern Corridor which will connect West Asia to Europe. This will include a rail line which, when completed, will provide a reliable and affordable cross-border shipping route to complement the existing multi-modal transport route facilitating the movement of goods and services from South East Asia to West Asia via India. -Will provide rail transit network.

In fact, China started the One Belt One Road project (Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the year 2016. In this project, efforts are being made to increase connectivity between Asia, Europe and Africa through land and sea. This project Today almost all the member countries are worried because through this, China has trapped many countries in the debt trap and at the same time it is also pursuing its policy of expansionism through this scheme. Therefore, Italy has pulled out of this project. Exit is being considered which has caused a big blow to China. The work of this project has also been hampered due to the recent attacks on Chinese citizens in China’s special friend Pakistan. It has been started by India with the cooperation of other countries. The economic corridor being built may cause a major blow to the BRI project started by China in collaboration with various countries.

Indian Sanatan culture was spread all over the world in ancient times. America, Latin America, Mexico, Germany which is called Aryavarta of Europe. From Egypt to South Africa, Kampuchea, Laos, China, Japan etc., such remains and evidence are present at various places which show that in ancient times there was an empire of Indian Sanatan culture. This expansion was not only cultural and religious, but the contribution of Indian Sanatan culture was clearly visible in the economy, governance system, art, industry, etc. of these nations. Even today, many detailed evidences are found in Mauritius, Australia, Fiji and other small islands of the Pacific Ocean, Russia, Korea, Mongolia, Indonesia, etc., which gives us a glimpse of Indian culture being a world culture.

During that period, Indians who set out on the world building campaign benefited distant countries through many achievements in business, education, medicine, good governance etc. Our ancestors started their journey with enthusiasm and courage for the welfare of the people at the global level. The only means of travel in those days were sailing and inaccessible land travel. In these circumstances, the simplest solution remained to travel by sea. In order to maintain contact with the world family, in ancient times, India had developed its navigational means more and more. By acquiring information about water routes, great efforts were made to develop the science of sailing. Not only were good ports developed on the Indian coasts but convenient ports were also built in other countries. Thus, even in ancient times, waterways were developed from India to Europe and America via the countries of Western Asia.

The South Indian kingdoms named Kerala, Chola and Pandya traded with Greece, Rome and China. Chandragupta Maurya’s navy was very developed and extensive. Its details are given in Chanakya’s work Arthashastra. The famous traveler Megasthenes has also mentioned India’s advanced water power in his travelogue. Similarly, there was a close relationship between ancient India and ancient America. Traders and religious preachers used to come and go on long sea voyages. Indra, Ganesha, Agni, Shiva, and other gods and goddesses were worshiped there like in India. Historians say that at that time America was, in a way, a cultural colony of India.

The India-West Asia-Europe Economic Corridor also indicates an ancient trade route between India and the Roman Empire. There is evidence that the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor was at its peak in the early centuries of the Common Era. A corridor was also available by the name of Silk Route. In this context, author William Dalrymple’s book ‘The Golden Road’ throws light on this subject in detail. William Dalrymple pointed out that the ancient Red Sea trade route may have been much larger and historically more important than the overland route from China. Now the said new corridor will be of a higher standard than the old corridors mentioned above.

Thus, the new economic corridor is not going to repeat its history and in the future, through it, India will once again emerge as a great economic, cultural and spiritual power in the entire world. However, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has said regarding this corridor that strong connectivity and infrastructure is the basic foundation for humanity and India has always emphasized on this. India is going to lay a strong foundation to become a developed nation. Through PGII (Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment), India can play an important role in bridging the infrastructure gap in the countries of the ‘Global South’. India does not limit connectivity to regional boundaries. India believes that connectivity can also play an important role in strengthening mutual trust. The term ‘Global South’ is used for the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Prime Minister of India has emphasized on respecting the sovereignty and integrity of all these countries. India is clearly of the view that the emphasis should be on promoting financial viability as well as adhering to all environmental guidelines rather than burdening the debt burden.

-Prahlad Sabnani

Retired Deputy General Manager

state Bank of India