India, Dec. 14 -- As Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visits Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman from December 15, as part of his latest leadership interactions abroad, he cannot but be conscious that he is retracing the path of deep and substantial civilisational interactions that our ancestors have traversed over millennia.

For centuries, Indian traders, scholars, philosophers, religious teachers and ordinary seamen have crossed the waters of the Indian Ocean to the Gulf and engaged with their counterparts from Oman to Mesopotamia. Again, braving the dangerous Red Sea, they have traded with the coastal states while on their way to Rome. These historic ties have remained vibrant and mutually beneficial as Indian enterprise has ensured that the c...