India, Sept. 7 -- At the recent SCO Summit, India once again refused to endorse China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). To many, it may have appeared as just another diplomatic gesture. But for India, it was more than that. It was a statement - a reminder that Asia's future cannot be built on debt and dominance, but must rest on trust, memory, and shared history.

When India says "no" to BRI, it is also reminding the world of something much older. Long before Beijing drew maps of corridors, the Himalayas were alive with trade and pilgrimage. They were not barriers. They were bridges. Ask an old man in Munsiyari - a remote Uttarakhand town bordering China - what he remembers about Tibet. He will tell you about caravans: mules packed with j...