As Bhutan gets on the highway of diplomacy with China, is India being side-lined or waylaid, Ravi Nair muses.
—
READING tea leaves in the best of circumstances is hazardous. More so when there are so many varieties on offer.
Indian Darjeeling, one of the best teas, is exquisite in all its varieties, it is also the easiest to classify. Oolong, one of the finer Chinese teas, with its many varieties, is much more difficult. Suja, Bhutanese butter tea, is difficult to read due to the infusion of generous dollops of extraneous butter.
The Sino-Bhutan talks
From a careful reading of the tea leaves from all three countries, it is evident that a border agreement between the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Bhutan is ready to be signed. It is not known if the exact details have been shown to India but it would defy comprehension if Thimpu has not shared the contours with New Delhi.