New Delhi, April 13 -- In 2015, I got a ring-side view to an ambitious regional infrastructure project as India and Bangladesh revived centuries-old inland waterways. This route once moved goods and people not only through both countries but to Bhutan and Nepal as well. The climate benefits and long history made this project relevant. I could feel the pull of the argument as I worked on a feasibility study of reviving the old riverine channels at Tribeni in West Bengal, including a trading port at Balagarh. It reminded me that I was tracing the shipping route of Chand Saudagar from poet Bipradas Pipilai's Manasamangal Kabya (or Manasa Vijay) dating back to the 15th century. This is the most famous among saudagar (Bengali for merchant) cha...