NCERT Class 7 Social Science Chapter 14 India and Her Neighbours

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NCERT Class 7 Social Science Chapter 14 India and Her Neighbours

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India and Her Neighbours

Chapter: 14

Part – 2: Exploring Society India and Beyond

The Big Questions:

1. What defines a ‘neighbour’? Is it just shared land borders?

Ans: Traditionally, a ‘neighbour’ is imagined as a country that shares a direct land boundary, such as India’s borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. However, being a neighbour is not just about shared land borders. Because India is a maritime nation surrounded by water on three sides, countries connected by a shared sea or ocean are also considered neighbours. This includes immediate maritime neighbours like Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as well as a wider maritime neighbourhood that includes Iran, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The ocean acts as a vital link that facilitates centuries of trade, cultural exchange, and historical ties.

2. How do geography and history influence the nature of India’s relationships with her neighbours?

Ans: Geography creates the physical pathways for connection, while history shapes the cultural and political realities of those connections:

Geographical Influence: Shared physical features heavily dictate relationships. For example, the Himalayas nestle Nepal and Bhutan close to India, leading to shared transboundary rivers that are vital for agriculture and joint hydroelectric power generation. Similarly, India’s peninsular shape extending into the Indian Ocean gives it strategic access to maritime neighbours, allowing it to act as a central hub for trade and a quick responder for regional disaster relief.

Historical Influence: Ancient history has created deep, peaceful bonds through the spread of Buddhism to China, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, and the spread of Hindu epics to Thailand and Indonesia. Ancient trade routes like the Uttarapatha and Silk Route forged long-lasting ties with Afghanistan and Iran

. On the other hand, more recent history, specifically the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan, continues to shape a highly complex and tense relationship marked by border conflicts and military tension.

3. In what ways are India and her neighbours interconnected today?

Ans: India and her neighbours remain deeply interconnected across several modern dimensions:

Trade and Economy: There is heavy economic interdependence. India is Nepal’s largest trading partner, shares massive trade operations with China and Malaysia, and invests heavily in Singapore’s infrastructure.

Infrastructure and Development: India actively helps build its neighbours’ infrastructure, such as constructing the Afghan Parliament and highways, developing the Chabahar Port in Iran, and building major hydroelectric power projects in Bhutan.

Shared Security and Disaster Management: Neighbours unite to face mutual threats. Following the 2004 tsunami, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and others established a joint early warning network. India also conducts joint military exercises with Oman and Indonesia to ensure maritime security.

Cultural and People-to-People Ties: Citizens stay connected through open borders (like with Nepal), visa-free pilgrimage routes (like the Kartarpur Corridor to Pakistan), and shared spiritual festivals. Shared languages, like Bangla with Bangladesh and Tamil with Sri Lanka and Singapore, continue to bridge modern populations.

Questions and activities:

1. Explain who a maritime neighbour is with two examples with respect to India.

Ans: A maritime neighbour is a country that is connected to another by a shared sea or ocean, even if there is no direct land border between them. The ocean serves as a crucial link that enables centuries of trade, historical ties, and cultural exchange. For India, two immediate examples of maritime neighbours across the waters are Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

2. How has Buddhism created links with India’s neighbours? Give examples to explain your answer.

Ans: Buddhism, which originated in India, has served as a profound spiritual and cultural link connecting India with numerous neighbouring countries.

China: Buddhism reached China via trade routes around the 1st century CE, creating deep intellectual and spiritual ties as Chinese monks travelled to India to learn, and Indian monks carried teachings to China.

Bhutan: The shared heritage of Buddhism is central to Bhutan’s religious identity, with Bhutanese pilgrims regularly visiting sacred Buddhist sites in India like Bodh Gaya and Nalanda.

Sri Lanka: Buddhism was introduced to the island in the 3rd century BCE by Emperor Ashoka’s children, Mahendra and Sanghamitra, creating a shared spiritual heritage celebrated to this day.

Thailand and Myanmar: As the birthplace of Buddhism, India holds special significance for pilgrims from these countries, and Theravada Buddhism remains deeply rooted in Thai and Burmese society.

3. What does ‘open border’ policy mean? How does the India–Nepal ‘open border’ policy affect the lives of people living along the border?

Ans: An ‘open border’ policy allows people from two sharing countries to travel across the border without the need for a visa or passport. Guided by the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the India–Nepal open border policy allows citizens to move freely for employment, education, trade, healthcare, and religious visits. This heavily impacts the daily lives of border communities by keeping families connected across the border and reinforcing strong social and economic integration, which is visible in their vibrant markets and thriving cross-border trade.

4. The chapter says, “Being neighbours is not just about geography.” Explain this statement with an example.

Ans: This statement means that strong neighbourhood ties are built on shared progress, historical connections, cultural exchange, and working together for regional peace, rather than just sharing a physical land boundary. For example, India and Thailand do not share a land border, but their relationship is deeply rooted in ancient maritime trade, the shared heritage of Buddhism, and cultural influences like the Ramayana, which shapes Thai literature and royal ceremonies. Similarly, Oman is a maritime neighbour connected to India by trade dating back to the Indus civilisation, which has now evolved into modern strategic partnerships and joint military cooperation.

5. What are the different ways in which India has helped smaller countries in her neighbourhood? Explain with examples.

Ans: India has assisted smaller neighbouring countries through infrastructure building, economic cooperation, and rapid disaster relief.

Infrastructure: In Afghanistan, India supported the construction of the Afghan Parliament building and the Zaranj-Delaram highway. In Bhutan, India has helped build major hydroelectric power plants, such as the Tala Hydroelectric Project, which supports Bhutan’s economic growth.

Disaster Relief: India acts as a quick responder in times of crisis, providing immediate help to the Maldives during the 2004 tsunami, the 2014 water crisis in Malé, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cultural Restoration: India assisted Myanmar in restoring the Ananda temple in Bagan after it was damaged by earthquakes.

6. How do shared challenges become opportunities for cooperation? Were there examples in this chapter to illustrate this?

Ans: Shared challenges, such as natural disasters and climate change, force neighbouring nations to pool their resources and work together for mutual survival and protection. A key example in the chapter is the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which caused massive destruction and loss of life in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and other coastal countries. This shared tragedy became an opportunity for cooperation when these countries joined hands to establish a network of satellites, sensors, and communication links to create an early warning system, coordinated by the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre, to save lives in the future. Additionally, India and Bangladesh cooperate to manage and protect the Sundarban National Park, which serves as a crucial natural barrier against cyclones.

7. If borders were drawn only by culture and connections, how would the map look different?

Ans: If borders were drawn by cultural and historical ties, the map would not have rigid national boundaries; instead, it would feature vast, overlapping zones of shared traditions.

There would be a massive Buddhist cultural zone connecting India to China, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

A linguistic and diaspora zone would seamlessly link South India with Malaysia, Singapore, and the Maldives, bonded by languages like Tamil and Malayalam, and shared culinary traditions.

A historical trade and epic zone would connect India’s west to Iran and Oman via the ancient Silk Route and Uttarapatha, while extending eastwards to Indonesia and Thailand through the shared mythology of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

8. On blank maps:

(i) Label India’s neighbours.

(ii) Draw arrows showing cultural flows (e.g., food, festivals, languages) between India and her neighbours.

(iii) Imagine and redraw new “borders of friendship” that connect neighbours through rivers, trade routes, or cultural zones.

(iv) Collect pictures of the flags of the countries listed in this chapter and write your observations.

Ans: Student do yourself.