India's response to the disaster in Nepal was instant and cut across sectors Having undertaken some big ticket humanitarian and rescue missions in the past decade, the Asian tsunami, Libya crisis, Iraq and most recently Yemen, India has built up a trusted reputation of a white knight. All the media reports including Times are gaga on Modi's instant and effective steps on the crisis, that won the hearts of many in Nepal, including the foreign nationals.
India's mammoth presence on the ground in Nepal within hours after Saturday's earthquake wrought widespread devastation has dwarfed all other foreign aid pouring into the Himalayan country .Now, China, which overtook India as Nepal's largest foreign investor in 2014, is busy trying to catch up with Delhi's humanitarian diplomacy .
China was caught off guard during the tsunami, but during the Libya crisis of 2011, it mobilised warships to evacuate its nationals from a conflict-zone for the first time. A few weeks ago, while India was picking up nationals from over 32 countries along with over 4,000 of its own from Yemen, China quietly sent warships and planes to once again bring back its own people.
In Nepal though, the Indian and Chinese presence have strong geopolitical undertones which prompted the Nepalese government to be more even-handed in its statements and even going to the extent of turning away aid from Taiwan at a time when Nepal can do with all the help it can get.
The Chinese government too is trying to gloss over the obvious comparisons. Answering questions in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said: “China and India are neighbours of Nepal. We would like to work together and coordinate positively with India in our assistance efforts in Nepal to help it overcome the difficulties and rebuild its homeland.“
It's no surprise that India would be in there early . India enjoys a familiarity with the Nepalese system and people that is almost unique, including with its armed forces which are leading the rescue and relief efforts.
It is also to be expected that India would rush in to help for strong political reasons specially if they want to deny space to either China or Maoists. In fact, it would be surprising if India did not do all that it is doing.
The media report also cautioned that while Indian assistance has been welcomed across Nepal, India is also, if past experience is anything to go by , the only country to evoke popular resentment there for a host of reasons. So far, the only neighbouring nation where India has delivered on the ground is Afghanistan. Even in Myanmar, India faltered. The question asked by Times though with an inherent confidence, "Will India be different in Nepal?"