Shillong Dialogue 1 Declaration and Report - 2014

India’s North Eastern States along with Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh form one of the most intricately woven diversity hotspots of the globe at the levels of race, religion, art, language, social customs and bio-diversity. The region is the bridge between the Indic and the Far Eastern Cultures. This is the region where many Asian Cultures meet. Sharing as many as five international boundaries, it is India’s gateway to East Asia and theirs to India. It is really an Asian Confluence that needs to be celebrated as a global cultural diversity hotspot. India has long enunciated her Look East Policy. In recent times, this policy has gained further prominence, holding the key to India’s regional development as it can help end the landlocked isolation of her North Eastern States and open up the region to the larger East Asian theatre. The level and quality of socio-economic cooperation between India and Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh are key factors for the overall development of the entire region. Recent times have seen a renewed vigor in engagement among these countries in mainly two spaces: one, led by Governments and two, initiated by Big Business- es. Governments can put in political structures. Big Businesses with government together can take a step forward by putting in economic structures. There is however a Third Space beyond such efforts which can be nurtured: that of a Civil Society driven network of communities across the region who are votaries for win-win solutions across borders that ensure overall balanced economic growth, and ensure security and stability. The Third Space is not passive but intelligent and nurturing: daring stakeholders, people across disciplines, who think creatively for out-of-the-box solutions.