•You’re someone whose interest in India is original. It’s not inherited.

I think that’s a compliment. When I attended the wedding of my friend in Madurai, he introduced me to his aunt. Everyday, she would bring a bottle of boiled water to ensure we stay healthy. I realised there are many things we share in common. The jargon, even the body language. The aunt said we should stick to vegetarian food, because this way you’re less likely to have an upset stomach. I learnt all this from her. Years later when I visited IMA, I went to the physics lab and found the equipment was identical to what I used in school in Singapore. We had the same central supply office, the same logistics.

•You studied at Cambridge and Harvard. You’ll be too qualified to be a cabinet minister in India.

Don’t say that, please. You have very eminently qualified ministers. I mean, like P. Chidambaram. Eminently qualified.

•You are also part of a group at Harvard.

We meet regularly at conferences. I have very high respect for him.

•Is your fascination for India responsible for your interest in the Nalanda Project? You’re the father of the project.

Not at all.

•I mean, this quest for an Asian identity which you talk about?

When I was the Minister for Trade and Industry, Shri L.K. Advani was in Singapore on an official visit as Deputy PM. And I said, ‘Why don’t you promote Buddhist tourism in India? There are hundreds of millions of Buddhists in East Asia who want to visit these places of pilgrimage. He agreed with me and asked me to speak to Jagmohan, who was the tourism minister. Jagmohan, when he visited Singapore, said he could help. It was in our interest too. A year later, the Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya was designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO. He invited me to participate in the celebrations. We brought a flight full of Buddhist tourists from Singapore including twenty-five monks. We told them we’ll visit Nalanda etc and it fascinated me how in the age of globalisation we’re one world. And how in this century we’re coming together again. When I spoke to my Indian friends, they were also thinking along parallel tracks. I remember, when (former) President Abdul Kalam visited Singapore, I called on him for 15 minutes. The entire conversation was on Nalanda. It’s not just me, its many people who are interested in it. It’s an idea whose time has come.

... contd.