India, Nov. 11 -- The relationship between India and Bangladesh has often been discussed through a rather narrow geopolitical lens. We speak of influence, strategic competition, security concerns, and the involvement of external powers. These are legitimate considerations, but in focusing so heavily on them, we sometimes overlook the most important question: What could India and Bangladesh achieve together if they began to see their relationship as a shared opportunity rather than a continuing exercise in strategic calculation?

Geography has placed the two countries in an unusually interconnected position. History, culture, language, trade, rivers, and communities have created ties that cannot be adequately understood through conventiona...