Trade talks between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a dynamic block of 10 economies with over 650 million people and a $3.8 trillion market, may be strained, with India reportedly facing a $45.2 billion deficit, but the broader relationship is quietly flourishing in unexpected ways. There is something deeper at work.

Take Buddhist diplomacy, for starters. India, as the birthplace of the Buddha, holds spiritual weight that few others can match. In 2024, sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples Sariputra and Moggallana were sent to Thailand, where more than a million devotees gathered at Bangkok’s historic Sanam Luang to pay their respects. I happened to be walking near Sanam Luang during the time—not as a Buddhist pilgrim, but simply an observer.

The scene was nothing short of moving. I am an agnostic. That afternoon, I bought a white lotus, sacred to Buddhists.

The relics were displayed in Thailand for 26 days, visiting four cities—Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, and Krabi, besides Bangkok, before being returned to India. These cultural exchanges speak to a growing relationship built not just on policy, but mutual respect and heritage. It is not a new idea. Way back in 1952, under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, India hosted the International Buddhist Conference in Sanchi, with over 3,000 monks and historians attending—one of the largest gatherings of Buddhist followers at the time.

Since then, India’s Buddhist outreach has expanded through temple........

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