India, July 11 -- In an era in which it is both fashionable and intellectually convenient to publish tomes on geopolitics, major power contestation and enduring wars, veteran diplomat Gurjit Singh's latest book, aptly titled The Durian Flavour, is a deeply insightful review of India-ASEAN relations in a rapidly changing global order.

Singh is a rare member of his tribe to have specialised in both ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the African Union, two key geographies on India's flanks. His professional experience, including in Japan and Germany, imbues his work with unique perspectives on ASEAN, a complex region at the heart of the unfolding dynamics in the Indo-Pacific. That his book has been endorsed by eminent leader...