Chola's 'Look and Act east' policy

The Look and Act east policy of the Cholas 

Most of today’s political conflicts are a rerun of the past events in history. Geography and history are the main determinants of the future. These days not a single day passes by without a human or political story comparing China and India. The geopolitical rivalry between these two nations to exert power across the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea has always been a sensational topic for the media. It is this geopolitics that now defines politics of our region and a lot of these geopolitical hotspots are now deciding the political fate of countries around India. Strait of Malacca is one such geopolitical hotspot that has been of interest for both India and China.  Both India and China have a history with Strait of Malacca. Interestingly, India’s history with it goes back to our very own Cholas. 

The Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. This is an important spot between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean and about one quarter of the world’s trade passes through it. To put it into perspective, 77% of Chinas total oil imports and 55 % of India’s trade, transits through this shipping lane. 

A geopolitical spot of this importance was once under the Cholas and till date the Cholas have the honour of being the only indigenous Indian naval expedition that used the Strait of Malacca as an important base to control the Indian Ocean. The Cholas were famous for their naval expeditions, but the Kadaram(Kedah) campaign was somewhat special and till date Tamil poets sing of their glory. 

There is no definite answer as to why Rajendra Chola decided to go on this expedition, but the most plausible one was to control piracy.

The South Indian Merchant guilds must have also influenced this expedition, as they too had a say on trade related affairs, as they were very popular outside Tamilakam and were responsible for building the successful economy of the Cholas. Irrespective of what the purpose of the mission was, what stands out is the fact that the Cholas were the first to realise the geopolitical significance and importance of trade routes and its safety. Modern India looks east, intends to act east, and link West in its broader Indo-Pacific conceptualisation of India’s region ஆனா Look East and Act Eastக்கு  விதை போட்டது நம்ம சோழர்கள் தான்.. இத சொல்லுறது என்ன  பெருமையா?, நம்ம கடமை :) … 

Let me finish with a quote from our Italian machi, Machiavelli,

"Whoever considers the past and the present will readily observe that all cities and all peoples are and ever have been animated by the same desires and the same passions; so that it is easy, by diligent study of the past, to foresee what is likely to happen in the future in any republic, and to apply those remedies that were used by the ancients, or not finding any that were employed by them, to devise new ones from the similarity of events".

Part 2: Operation Kadaram

History repeats itself.

-Mr. பழுவேட்டரையர் 

2/9/2015