Forge strong relations

Apropos your report, “Farming to films, Israel signs nine pacts with India” (January 16), the current visit of the Israeli Prime Minister (pictured) to India augurs well for the relations between the two countries. Israel is the world leader in technologies — agriculture, water management, cyber security, health care, security et all — which our country needs as well. Making our agriculture more productive, optimising our scarce water, securing our cyber space, revamping health care systems, securing our north-western and north-eastern borders — are all our immediate priorities and cooperation with Israel can help us upgrade these areas swiftly than struggling all by ourselves. This tiny nation, built by the intellect and hard work of Jewish people and finally given a small place in the desert under a UN charter, is a fine tribute to the sheer ingenuity of this admirable race. With determination and sustained efforts — over just 60 years — they have built perhaps the finest air force in the world, along with a powerful state-of-the-art economy that is home to some great technological breakthroughs in science, engineering and medicine. Their water conservation techniques and scientific innovations are the envy of the most advanced countries. Let’s not end the visit with just a rhetoric. Here is a chance for our Prime Minister to seal collaborations and joint ventures with this valiant and intellectual country. Let their “easy camaraderie, mutual respect and affection” translate into some ground realities. Israel’s learning “to achieve more with less” and Netanyahu’s efforts at “improving the ease of doing business index and battling bureaucracy” can also provide us lot of learning.

Krishan Kalra Gurugram