Indo-Bhutan Bilateral Relations and Narendra Modi

India's relations with its neighbouring states have never been free from strains and tensions. Be it the case with immediate neighbour Nepal, with Bangladesh, or for that matter with Pakistan, despite all the steps and initiatives taken by India, it has never been successful to maintain a smooth relation without any presence of irritants, with any of these countries. But there is an exception to this story as India's relationship with its other immediate neighbour i.e. Bhutan falls in a different category. In other words it can be said that that Bhutan is a success story for India. The relationship between India and Bhutan presents a beautiful picture decorated with love, pleasure and affection. This relationship is unique as it has helped Bhutan to grow, to come out of its self-imposed isolation and to march forward on the path of progress and development. Indo-Bhutan relationship has withstood the test of time and both the countries have helped each other in times of need. Both the countries are very well aware of each other's need and aspirations and are sensitive towards each other as well. Right from the independence i.e. since 1947 till today, Indian government and leaders have tried their best to sustain this age-old friendship between India and Bhutan. Even after Bhutan becoming a democracy, the basic contours of relationship has not changed. And the decision of the newly elected Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi to choose Bhutan as his maiden foreign destination has again demonstrated the significance of this small Himalayan State for India. So, this particular paper would analyze how the Indo-Bhutan relationship has evolved, in brief, how Mr. Modi's visit to Bhutan has influenced the Indo-Bhutan ties, how he visualizes Indo-Bhutan relations and what are the future prospects of Indo-Bhutan bilateral Relations?