- India’s Cultural Influence on Bhutan is highly important to bind both countries together for better cooperation.
- India and Bhutan have been building a digital partnership to strengthen their relationship.
- The relationship between India and Bhutan is linked through various dimensions of socio-political-economic-cultural.
India and Bhutan started their diplomatic relations in 1968 and share unique and great bilateral relations. In 1949, both these two countries signed the “Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1949; although this treaty was renewed again in 2007.
The relationship between India and Bhutan began during the British era, when bilateral trade started between the East India Company and Bhutan, which began through the Peace Treaty in 1774. Later on, after the East India Company left India, this Treaty was replaced by the Treaty of Friendship in 1949 between the Independent India and Bhutan. After China invaded Tibet in 1950, both India and Bhutan supported each other in defending their territories.
The relationship between these two countries moved from trade-centric relations to a political-economic and strategic-centric relationship. After India’s Independence, the first treaty that was signed between India and Bhutan established a friendly relationship between them when both of them agreed not to interfere in each other’s regional matters. Later on, the Indian Government also allowed Bhutan to use its forest, roads, and seaports throughthe transaction of goods. The trade relation between India and Bhutan, which began between 2000 and 2001, currently stands at USD $1777.44 million in 2024-25.
India’s Cultural Influence on Bhutan
India’s foreign policy focused on influencing its neighbours through soft power, as the two countries share a great bond through cultural ties. India’s cultural influence on Bhutan can be traced back to ancient times when an Indian renowned sent, Swami Rinpoche, who was recognised as the second Buddha introduce Buddhism in Bhutan; this influence has shaped the life of the people of Bhutan. Another influence that was seen on Bhutan from India was through Yoga, an ancient spiritual discipline that focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. Today, many Bhutanese people consider yoga as a method to cure diseases. Bhutan has implemented Yoga classes in schools, institutions and hotels, bringing both countries together. During the 1990s, Bhutan was highly influenced by Indian Cinema. The soft power influence on Bhutan is highly important to bind both countries together for better cooperation.
India’s Digital Partnership with Bhutan
India and Bhutan have been building a digital partnership to strengthen their relationship. Bhutan, being a country with limited access to the world, found it hard to lay out its development in the digital sector. India, being an ally of Bhutan, influences Bhutan to adopt various digital services, harnessing, through South Asia Satellite, which would help them to cater to the banking and education sectors. The launch of India’s UPI, a digital transaction application that transacts payments immediately, was adopted by Bhutan to make financial transactions easy and accessible for people and to promote cashless transactions.
Collaborations between Bhutan and India
Various collaborations have been initiated by India to strengthen the relationship with Bhutan. India’s Border and defence infrastructure collaboration led to enhanced connectivity of Bhutan through DANTAK, by which the Border Road Organisation constructed more than 1600 km of roads, key highways linking Thimpu-Phuentsholing. Both India and Bhutan have agreed to have cross-rail connectivity to connect two cities of Bhutan with Assam and West Bengal, a 69 km Kokrajhar- Gelephu rail as a Special Railway Project, which is strategically very crucial for both countries. Another co-operation was the establishment of IMTRAT (Indian Military Training Team), which has trained more than 10,000 Bhutanese military personnel to deal with conventional tactics, high altitude mountains, etc.
Conclusion
The relationship between India and Bhutan is linked through various dimensions of socio-political-economic-cultural. Both of them respect the dignity and non-interference policy. Bhutan has supported India on various issues and on the international platform United Nations, and India too has supported Bhutan as a neighbour and a friend, which creates a valuable bond between these two nations.
References:
- https://www.impriindia.com/insights/policy-update/india-bhutan-defence/#google_vignette
- https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Brief_on_India_Bhutan_Relations_March_2024.pdf
- https://www.isec.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WP-560-Uttam-Lama-Final.pdf
- https://usiofindia.org/pdf/USI%20Journal%20-%20Oct-Dec%202023-138-148.pdf
- https://www.southasiamonitor.org/societydiaspora/yoga-gaining-popularity-among-bhutanese
- https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india-bhutan-relations-entering-digital-age-55639
Antara Deka is a student of Political Science at North Eastern Hill University and History at Indira Gandhi National Open University. Her interests include political awareness and civic engagement, and she has been actively involved in initiatives promoting informed participation among youth. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Mani Bhushan 
Aayush Pal