India, Sept. 16 -- From a relationship that began to evolve during Jawaharlal Nehru's tenure, to confrontation under Indira Gandhi, to a nuanced shift under P. V. Narasimha Rao, to a perceptibly favourable one under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to a strategic partnership under Manmohan Singh, and to a personalised one-on-one under Narendra Modi, the India-US relationship has come a long way, evolving in response to shifting geopolitical dynamics and India's economic trajectory.

Recently, after a barrage of incendiary remarks against India by US President Donald Trump and his associates over trade tariffs, there was a sudden shift with an exchange of pleasantries between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which can be interpreted in many ways...