As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, upbeat after his successful resurrection of India’s nuclear diplomacy, heads for the East Asia Summit in Singapore today, there is an entirely unexpected focus to his brief visit: India’s soft power.

Although Burma will dominate the headlines and test the capacity of Asian leaders to resolve regional crises, and India will need to push the stalled talks on a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the PM has an opportunity to set the stage for a productive Indian cultural diplomacy in East Asia.

Along with the 15 other Asian leaders participating in the summit, Manmohan Singh will visit a special exhibition in Singapore that showcases the rich history of the spread of Buddhism from Nalanda — probably the world’s first university, in Bihar — to different parts of East and Southeast Asia.

Among the many priceless exhibits, donated by different collections in Asia, is a rare relic of Buddha’s bones sent by India and a copper plate that records the transactions between the Pala rulers in eastern India during the 8th to 12th centuries AD and the Srivijaya Kingdom in Southeast Asia.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the Third East Asia Summit in Singapore this week, there is another equally important event. The city’s oldest think-tank, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) is bringing together, for the first time in recent years, historians and archaeologists from around the world to reflect on the “early Indian influences” in Southeast Asia. There will be a special focus on the maritime trade and cultural links between the Chola rulers of South India and Southeast Asia.

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