India, April 5 -- So it has been revealed that Katchatheevu island off the coast of Tamil Nadu was given away by India to Sri Lanka in 1974. Much earlier in 1961, Jawaharlal Nehru had earlier opined, perhaps in Indira Gandhi's knowledge, that he attached "no importance at all", to this little island. "I would have no hesitation in giving up our claims to it" India's first Prime Minister had said.

It was with similar casualness that Nehru in the late 1950s on the floor of the Lok Sabha had stated: "It is true that China has built a road in Aksai Chin connecting Tibet with Sinkiang (now Xinjiang). True, Aksai Chin is part of Indian territory, but not a blade of grass grows there", obviously implying that the region was of no importance. It...