India, Aug. 9 -- One thousand years ago, an Indian ruler carried out what was arguably the most audacious naval campaign ever launched from the Indian subcontinent. Rajendra Chola I, heir to the mighty Chola dynasty, went beyond his predecessors' objective of defending coastlines to projecting the power across the seas. His expeditions allowed the extension of the Indian influence as far as modernday Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, challenging the naval might of the Srivijaya empire and establishing robust trade links with the Song dynasty in China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our tallest leader, has celebrated this civilisational heritage of the world's largest democracy recently by his visit to Gangaikondai Cholapuram, the capital of...