New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Now that it is finally happening, the reaction from India has been relatively muted. Even Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, the state whose core is the Brahmaputra valley, has been uncharacteristically measured in his response.

There are at least three clearly discernible reasons for this. One is that, in recent years, the Brahmaputra has come to be better understood by officialdom in India. It is therefore understood that most of the water in the river comes from sources on the Indian side of the border.

Two popular misconceptions however remain.

Exploration was followed by imperialism and colonialism, and it was in the time of colonialism, as companies such as the East India Company poured resourc...