Remember that chart buster song of the 1980s from the film Naam, Chitthi aayi hai aayi hai, chitthi aayi hai (literally the letter has come) sung by Pankaj Udhas?
Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has received a chitthi, an invitation actually, personally delivered by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Kathmandu. The invitation, diplomatic sources say, is for talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Sept 16, in the monastic town of Bodhgaya and includes a side-trip to Nalanda.
Why Bodhgaya and why not Delhi? Oli has waited almost 14 months for this invitation. Some diplomats speculate that Bodhgaya may be linked to Modi’s visit to Lumbini later this year. Lumbini is renowned as the birthplace of Siddharth Gautama, who later became the Buddha.
Oli will fly directly to Bodhgaya from Kathmandu in an aircraft operated by the Nepal Army Air Service and for this the necessary clearances are being obtained. He will be accompanied by a high level delegation.
Oli’s trip is expected to build on recent diplomatic engagements, including his meeting with Modi at the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. The India visit underlines Kathmandu’s intent to maintain strategic balance between China and India while deepening historical ties with the latter.
The agenda for the visit is being readied and Misri would have discussed some of those issues with his Nepali counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai. Misri had called on President Ramchandra Paudel, Oli and Foreign Minister Arzu Rani Deuba during his two-day visit which ended on Monday.
Misri conveyed greetings from India’s leadership and reviewed the growing momentum in bilateral cooperation across various sectors.
He had also called on Nepal’s Army Chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel and ceremonially handed over Light Strike Vehicles, military animals and advanced medical supplies, reinforcing India’s longstanding defence partnership with Nepal.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over progress in areas such as physical and digital connectivity, energy cooperation, and security collaboration.
Cricket is also on the agenda. India is facilitating the training of Nepal’s national cricket team at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. This initiative, starting from August 20 to September 4, aims to prepare Nepal’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Oman.
Clearly, the aim is to generate enough ‘feel good’ elements when Modi and Oli sit down for talks. There’s quite some negative history here: Oli is blamed for stoking the fires over the disputed Kalapani area, and also showing his disregard for tradition by making Beijing his first international port of call instead of Delhi. Can holy Bodhgaya inspire a change of heart in the Communist K P Sharma Oli?
