India, Sept. 9 -- From pioneering Jesuits to supplying Indian royalty with exquisite Saint Lambert glassware and chandeliers, Belgium's Indian footprints extended from Malabar to Bengal, and from guns to linguistics. Today the relationship is encrusted with trade in diamonds between Surat and Antwerp.

As an independent democracy, Belgium is nearly 200 years old. Much like India, it was ruled by other kingdoms before it achieved independence following the Belgian Revolution in 1830. Today, it comprises two main linguistic groups: those who speak Dutch and those who speak French. This is closely followed by some who speak German.

While the Belgians were late entrants in the imperialist conquest of the world, their exploitation of the Cent...