1. Indian Council of World Affair (ICWA)
It was a highly anticipated study visit since my return from my ICCR-scholarship sponsored study
there in the 1980s, a hiatus of close to 30 years. Those was the day of Ambassador car plying Delhi
now replaced by modern Japanese car speaks volume of the modernizing rising India, India that is
now a confident nuclear power, transformed from closed to an open economy, self sufficient in many
areas of the economy and one certainly can feel the pulse of vibrancy, energy, success and smell the
ever presence of money in the business environment. I was especially excited and prepared for the
biggest book shopping haul of my lifetime, brought back 60 books on IR and security study, fully
satisfied.
The premier foreign policy think tank institution of ICWA is an equivalent of Institute of Strategic
and International Study (ISIS) of Malaysia, a finest research house of India, currently headed by DG
Ambassador Mr. Rajiv Kumar Bhatia on showcase and hosted the prominent world’s leaders who
visited here as to how policy are being initiated, brainstormed, hammered, articulated and adopted for
progressive and confident India, by a team of dedicated competent scholars, covering issues as diverse
from traditional security to terrorism, climate change and global trade regime, with large number of
the latest articles covering every corner of the world. The institution is housed in a historic Sapru
House building is set in the early summer of lush green huge expense of garden aesthetically
appealing right in the heart of New Delhi speaks volume of its eminence.
Our 4 hours visit on 24 March 2015 witnessed the intense vibrant debates among world’s top
academicians and researchers from Korea to Israel, Nepal to Malaysia, including our ISIS Chairman
Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, covering area like the importance of science, innovation and technology,
cyber security, water security and initiative on common currency and continental convergence was
most stimulating.
The event of ICWA was impressively organized with pin point accuracy and punctuality. The only
drawback being that the weather was warming up yet we have to dress up in full suit is testament to
our delayed missed golden period in the spring of February 2015.
The city was evidently guarded with sentry posts throughout testifying the alertness to the ever danger
posed by religious militants that defined India stance with its neighbors. The outbreak of swine flu
necessitated everyone to take vaccination to avoid being another statistic of a thousand dead. We were
warned to the ever present of risk of gastroenteritis and so precaution was meticulously observed with
taking boiled freshly prepared food.
Indian Defense Study Analysis (IDSA),was my favorite destination as we debated on the India-China
Relations and the potential silk route into India from the border from Yunnan province which gave me
the first hand insight into the feeling of Indian official stance on China aggression and the Principle of
Panchsheel. India would not want to be in the alliance with the America to balance China but instead
follow their own line to solve the dispute with China to its own interest. My personal analysis is that
since China has solved its border problem with all its neighbors except India is an indication that we
stays positive that one day it will be resolved, and with that both nations will benefit from historic
stumbling block to their relations removed, though easier said than done.
The National Maritime Foundation (NMF) is set in the massive compound and building at the
periphery of Delhi, is a premier maritime research house. The rising India is best observed in the
importance the commanders attached to the Indian Ocean that India must be able to exert its influence
through its formidable Indian Navy. There has been a lot of collaboration with the ASEAN states in
joint naval exercises. They have been invited to help find solutions to Southern Thailand in security
arrangement, and in Myanmar to break the monopoly of China influence in a clear evidence of
interplay on the balance of power. The salient feature I observed here is that the research unit NMF is
given a corner of two annex blocks dedicated for the purpose besides the huge main administrative

2. building. Smaller nations can model along this line of setting aside a small space for the purpose of
research without setting aside too much of a budget for that function and duty of service to the nation.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU),is the apex university producing India’s finest researchers in
IR. The debate there was vigorous between the two sides of the divide where the two institutions
argue on the importance of India-ASEAN Relations in the past, current and similarly the future. It was
through here that I bought the most impressive of my private library collection.
My impression is that ever since PM Narendra Modi took office he has demonstrated a unique
leadership able to rally his people together and took the lead to market India or the Make in India
Incorporated to the rest of the world very well, and with his success in Gujarat is testimony to more
yet to come that I have already witnessed massive sport city, high rise condominium under 24 hours
construction and state of the art highway and airport, many massive industrial zone whereby China
has moved into SEZ on manufacturing, and India moving to China to build on ICT and
pharmaceutical industries is complementary to cut down trade deficit, is good news on rising India
sound strategy.
India being the second largest remittance nation will give it sufficient resources to catalyze its
industrialization whose persistent annual GDP growth of more than 7 % give an unmistaken potential
whose advantage is further augmented by support given by American and Japan.
Conclusion
The excitement aura,energy, anticipation filled my entire journey that is more than successfulthat
words alone is insufficient to describe the experience and memory that permeate every nerve fiber of
me.
My only worry that what may derail its ambition is its cast system that segregate its population
unnecessarily, a huge rich-poor divide that need to be narrowed, its corruption need to be reeled in
and red tape cut so as tap its full potential to attract FDI and the continued sourcing of resources for
infrastructure that has to compete with India’s defense needs. One caveat however is being the second
largest diasporas in the world of non-resident overseas Indian could inject unexpected huge resources.
Democracy is a good virtue, but may squabble on the land reform bill needed to open up huge area for
big industrial park. One other is the social stability whereby sectarian violence and religious
extremism of the past need to be managed carefully and sensitively.
What benefited me directly is that I got firsthand knowledge and emphatic about the strong feeling
evoked from officers on the ground is worth not comparable from class learning and literature
gathered, what more the direct communication already put to use and the perspective it helps directly
on my current thesis. What benefited Malaysia is that we can follow on their tested success model to
shorten our journey to success. The network builds and continued collaboration and interchanges of
information and research will help a long way,saving us time, effort and resources.
Student:
Student Coordinator,
Dr Ling Sien Ngan