NEPAL AND INDIA : A SPECIAL BOND

India and Nepal, the two countries that are so close that their boundaries seem to be non-existent. Heart-rending news of the disastrous tremors in Nepal has made the hearts of the people around the whole world fill with grief. However, the mourning all over India seems to reflect a special attachment of its inhabitants to the Himalayan nation.



So what makes Nepalese and Indian ties go beyond all diplomacy and sheer strategic importance:



SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP TREATY : We owe the special relationship we share with Nepal to the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed between both the countries which dates back to 1950. It clearly states that “neither government shall tolerate any threat to the security of the other by a foreign aggressor” and obligates both sides “to inform each other of any serious friction or misunderstanding with any neighboring state likely to cause any breach in the friendly relations between the two governments.



In short, full support to each other.

Seems to be a good foundation for Jai-Veeru kinda friendship huh?



OPEN BORDER : Nepal, if not the only, is one of the few (very few) countries which doesn’t requires you to carry your passport and apply for visa, to visit it. The same principle applies for the citizens of Nepal.



TREATMENT OF CITIZENS : To a certain extent, citizens of Nepal are granted same economic and educational opportunities like Indian citizens in India. Similarly in Nepal, Indian citizens are given preferential treatment as compared to other nationalities.



CULTURAL CONNECTION: India and Nepal share a lot in common when it comes to culture be it music, languages spoken in both the countries, religion; the similarities seem to be profound.

For instance: Nepalese movies have fan base in India especially the northern and north-eastern parts. Similarly Indian movies are also greatly enjoyed by the Nepalese population.

People in both countries share many common languages like Hindi, Awadhi, Maithili, Bhojpuri etc.



TRADE AND INVESTMENT : India is Nepal’s major trading partner to such an extent that it depends immensely on India for most of its essential commodities whereas Nepal remains an important site for large- scale developments in technology, capital and expertise for India.



DEFENCE CO-OPERATION: India has undertaken many steps towards modernization of Nepal Army by providing efficient equipments and training. Nepal also contributes towards the Gorkha Regiment of Indian Army as it is partly raised by the recruitments from the hill districts of Nepal.



The warmth and harmony shared between India and Nepal is so commendable that it should be mentioned as an example for how we should behave with our neighbors in the value education books of primary schools.



That way, shouldn’t it be our responsibility to strengthen this friendship even further instead of only relying on the Indian Army for doing that for us through rescue missions, by providing support to our Nepalese counterparts in their hard times who though are citizens of Nepal but seem to be a part of our country.



So let’s Pray for Nepal and also try to contribute through our actions (only changing your status and dps won’t do this time) to help this neighbor of ours, overcome this dark phase.



Cover Image Source : Ekantipur

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