INDIA & INDONESIA
SoCultures has a grand vision of connecting the countries with cultural stories and collaborations.
This issue, we are focusing on Indonesia. We wish to bring spotlight on Indonesia, its people, and
its social-educational-cultural, trade potentials etc in our Global Digital Magazine Jan-Feb issue
We are covering bilateral ties, educational scholarships, Indonesian arts n culture, The new age
ventures, digital revolutions in Indonesia and also the emerging trade possibilities between the two
countries. The cultural ties between the two countries are strong and cordial.
LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP
"Wherever I go on the island, I see God".
India and Indonesia are neighbours and India shares the maritime border with Indonesia along the
Andaman Sea. The relationship stretches back to the times of the Rammayanaa. In the epic,
Sugriva (army chief of Rama), and "Yawadvipa" (Java) find mentions, Yawadvipa is an island of
Java. Not only Ramayana but Mahabharata also is prominent in the Indonesians culture, history till
date.
The name Indonesia derives from the Latin Indus, meaning "India", and the Greek nesos, meaning
"island". Indians and Indonesians used to travel to each other's countries and trade via Southeast
Asian seas and Indian Ocean. Hindu Balinese culture has influenced Indian culture too. Bali
impressed not only famous Indian scholar Rabindranath Tagore but later almost 25 years later
Pandit Nehru too described Bali as the "Morning of the World.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
The first President of Indonesia, Sukarno in 1950, had urged the people of Indonesia and India to
"Strengthen the cordial relations" that existed since thousands of years. The strategic partnership
between the two countries stayed significant from bilateral trade in areas of oil and gas, renewable
energy, information technology and pharmaceuticals, defense- naval exercises and patrols in Indo-
Pacific to the education, cultural ties.
10 SOCULTURES JAN-FEB 2019