Chapter 2: India and Her Neighbours (Geography)

A maritime neighbour is a country that does not share a land border with India but is close to it across the sea, so that the two share sea boundaries and sea routes.

• Sri Lanka: across the narrow Palk Strait from Tamil Nadu.
• Maldives: islands in the Indian Ocean, south-west of India (near Lakshadweep).

(Others: Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.)

A country near India across the sea without a land border, e.g. Sri Lanka (across the Palk Strait) and the Maldives.

Buddhism began in India (the Buddha's enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and first sermon at Sarnath) and spread to neighbouring countries through monks, traders and kings like Aśhoka, who sent his son Mahinda and daughter Saṅghamitrā to Sri Lanka. Today:

• Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan and parts of Nepal follow Buddhism; Lumbini in Nepal is the Buddha's birthplace.
• Pilgrims from these countries visit Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar and Rajgir in India, and Indians visit Lumbini.
• Shared festivals like Buddha Purnima (Vesak), similar stupas and monasteries, and the Pāli language and texts connect these countries.
• Sacred relics of the Buddha are sometimes taken from India to neighbouring countries for exhibition, strengthening bonds.

Buddhism spread from India (e.g. Aśhoka's children to Sri Lanka) to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal; shared pilgrim sites (Bodh Gaya, Lumbini), festivals like Buddha Purnima, monasteries and texts keep these links alive.

An open border means that citizens of India and Nepal can cross the border freely, without passports or visas, to live, work, study, trade and travel in each other's country.

Effects on people along the border:

• Easy trade and shopping in markets on both sides; people buy and sell goods daily.
• People work and study across the border; many Nepalis work in India and many Indians visit Nepal.
• Family ties: there are many marriages and close relatives on both sides (roti-beti ka rishta).
• Shared festivals and pilgrimages (Janakpur, Pashupatinath, Lumbini, Varanasi).
• Challenges: smuggling and illegal activities can increase, so security forces must keep watch.

People can cross without passports or visas; this allows easy trade, jobs, education, family ties and pilgrimages across the border, though it also requires watch against smuggling.

Neighbours are linked not only because they share borders, but also by history, culture, religion, language, trade and people-to-people ties, and by helping each other. For example, India and Nepal share not just a border but also Hindu and Buddhist traditions, festivals like Dashain/Dussehra and Tihar/Diwali, similar languages, and family ties across the border. Similarly, Sri Lanka shares Buddhism and Tamil culture with India, and India helped Sri Lanka with food, fuel and loans during its economic crisis in 2022. Such bonds of culture and friendship make countries true neighbours.

Neighbours are bound by shared culture, religion, history, trade, family ties and mutual help, e.g. India–Nepal's shared festivals and family ties, or India's help to Sri Lanka in its 2022 crisis.

• Disaster relief: Operation Maitri after the 2015 Nepal earthquake (rescue teams, food, medicines); help to Sri Lanka and the Maldives after the 2004 tsunami; relief after cyclones in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Health: Vaccine Maitri — free COVID-19 vaccines to Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and others.
• Economic help: food, fuel and loans to Sri Lanka during its 2022 economic crisis; credit lines for development.
• Infrastructure and development: hydroelectric projects in Bhutan (India buys the electricity), roads and buildings in Afghanistan (e.g. the Afghan Parliament building and Salma Dam), hospitals, schools and railways in Nepal and Bangladesh.
• Emergency help: supplying drinking water to the Maldives during its 2014 water crisis (Operation Neer).
• Education: scholarships for students from neighbouring countries to study in India.

Disaster relief (Operation Maitri for Nepal 2015), vaccines (Vaccine Maitri), economic aid to Sri Lanka (2022), hydropower and infrastructure in Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan, water to the Maldives (2014) and scholarships.

When neighbours face the same problems, such as floods, earthquakes, cyclones, pandemics, terrorism, river pollution or climate change, no country can solve them alone. Working together pools resources, knowledge and effort, and builds trust and friendship.

Examples:

• Rivers shared by India, Nepal and Bangladesh (e.g. the Ganga, Kosi, Teesta) need joint management for floods and water sharing; India and Nepal work together on flood control and hydroelectric projects.
• Disasters like the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2004 tsunami brought quick Indian help.
• The COVID-19 pandemic led to Vaccine Maitri and medical cooperation.
• Regional groups like SAARC and BIMSTEC allow cooperation on trade, energy, disasters and security.

Common problems like floods, disasters, pandemics and shared rivers push neighbours to pool resources and build trust, e.g. India–Nepal flood and hydropower projects, quick help after the 2015 earthquake, Vaccine Maitri and SAARC/BIMSTEC.

The borders would follow cultural regions rather than political lines:

• Bengal (West Bengal and Bangladesh) might be one cultural zone, sharing the Bengali language, food and festivals.
• Punjab on both sides of the India–Pakistan border would form one zone.
• The Tamil regions of India and northern Sri Lanka would be linked.
• The Himalayan Buddhist belt (Ladakh, Sikkim, Bhutan, parts of Nepal and Tibet) would form one zone.
• The Terai plains of Nepal and the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh would be joined.
• Many regions would overlap, with soft, blurred edges instead of sharp lines, showing how closely the peoples of South Asia are connected.

Borders would follow cultural zones: one Bengal, one Punjab, Tamil India with northern Sri Lanka, a Himalayan Buddhist belt, the Terai with Bihar and UP, with overlapping, soft edges showing shared culture.

Neighbours to label: Pakistan, Afghanistan (land border in PoK), China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar (land neighbours); Sri Lanka and the Maldives (maritime neighbours).

Cultural flows (arrows): Buddhism from India to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal; food like biryani, momos (Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet) and Bengali sweets moving both ways; languages (Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Nepali) shared across borders; festivals like Diwali/Tihar, Eid, Vesak and the Bengali New Year.

Borders of friendship: draw zones along shared rivers (the Ganga–Padma, Brahmaputra, Indus), old trade routes (the Grand Trunk Road, the Silk Route) and cultural zones (Bengal, Punjab, the Himalayan Buddhist belt).

Flags (sample observations): Bhutan's flag has a dragon; Nepal's is the only non-rectangular flag (two triangles); Sri Lanka's shows a lion with a sword; Bangladesh's has a red disc on green; many use green (Islam or nature), saffron (Hinduism or Buddhism) and the sun or moon.

Label all land and maritime neighbours, draw arrows for Buddhism, food, languages and festivals, sketch friendship zones along rivers, trade routes and cultural regions, and note flag features (Bhutan's dragon, Nepal's triangles, Sri Lanka's lion).