India and central Asia: 16th to 21st century contacts: An appraisal of historical contacts

India's relations with Central Asia dates back to the times immemorial. This relationship covers all aspects of human relationship – social, political, intellectual commercial etc. Caravans of men and stream of thought constantly shuffled across between India and Central Asia. It gave fillip to intimate cultural contacts between the two regions. The exchange thus played a significant role in developing both these societies. In this paper an overview of the nature of this relationship between the two regions will be discussed to the point of disintegration of Soviet Union in 1991, owing to which, five independent Central Asian republic - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan - got birth. Since these republics are passing through transition and require a lot of infrastructure development and technical expertise in various fields. India is resourceful enough to extend the kinds of support and expertise needed by these republics. On the basis of historical legacy and the requirements of these states the paper will also focus on the role that India can play in the nation building process of these newly formed republics.