Jaishankar Receives Book on India-ASEAN Relations
Synopsis
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar received 'The Durian Flavour', a book on India-ASEAN relations by diplomat-author Ambassador Gurjit Singh, signalling continued ministerial focus on India's Act East engagement with Southeast Asia.
Key Takeaways
Jaishankar received a copy of 'The Durian Flavour' from diplomat-author Ambassador Gurjit Singh on 7 August 2026 .
The book focuses on India-ASEAN relations , one of India's most strategically significant regional partnerships.
India upgraded its Look East Policy to the Act East Policy in 2014 to deepen economic, strategic and people-to-people ties with ASEAN.
India-ASEAN ties date to a 1992 sectoral dialogue partnership , expanding to a Free Trade Agreement in 2009 and annual summits.
Jaishankar has personal diplomatic experience in the region, having served as India's Ambassador to Singapore among other postings.
A book on one of India's most consequential regional partnerships landed on Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar's desk on Friday, 7 August 2026 — and he made a point of sharing the moment publicly. The minister received a copy of 'The Durian Flavour', a new work focused on India-ASEAN relations, gifted by its author, veteran diplomat Ambassador Gurjit Singh.
A Diplomat's Book on a Diplomat's Brief
Ambassador Gurjit Singh is no outside observer — he is a career Indian diplomat with deep engagement in Southeast Asia, and his authorship of a volume on India-ASEAN ties places the book squarely within the tradition of practitioner-scholarship that shapes how India's foreign policy community understands its eastern neighbourhood. The title itself — drawn from the durian, Southeast Asia's most iconic and polarising fruit — signals an insider's affection for the region. Jaishankar, who has served as India's Ambassador to Singapore, China and the United States before becoming Foreign Secretary and later Minister, brings a personal familiarity with ASEAN's strategic weight. His public acknowledgement of the book is a quiet but deliberate signal of where the ministry's attention sits.Act East and the Stakes Behind the Shelf
India's relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is not ceremonial. What began as a sectoral dialogue partnership in 1992 has grown into a full strategic partnership, anchored by a 2009 Free Trade Agreement, annual summits, and deepening coordination on Indo-Pacific security architecture. When India upgraded its Look East Policy to the more muscular Act East Policy in 2014, it signalled a shift from aspiration to execution — more infrastructure links, more defence cooperation, more people-to-people exchange across the eastern frontier. Books like 'The Durian Flavour' serve a purpose beyond the bookshelf. Practitioner accounts document the institutional memory of a relationship, feed Track-II dialogues, and help the next generation of diplomats and policymakers understand why certain choices were made. That the External Affairs Minister is holding one up — literally — matters. With the next India-ASEAN Summit on the horizon and regional connectivity remaining a live policy priority, the timing of this publication adds to a growing body of strategic literature pushing India's eastern engagement further into public discourse. The durian, after all, demands you get past the spiky exterior to find what's inside — and so does the region it represents.Point of View
Particularly as Indo-Pacific alignments grow more consequential. Practitioner-authored books like this one feed the strategic community's thinking and often precede or accompany policy shifts. The moment is light in news weight but consistent with a broader pattern of India investing in the intellectual architecture of its eastern engagement.
NationPress
7 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'The Durian Flavour' book about?
'The Durian Flavour' is a book focused on India-ASEAN relations, authored by veteran Indian diplomat Ambassador Gurjit Singh . The title references the durian fruit, iconic to Southeast Asia.
Who is Ambassador Gurjit Singh?
Ambassador Gurjit Singh is a career Indian diplomat with extensive engagement in Southeast Asia and ASEAN-related postings, and is also an author on India's eastern foreign policy.
What is India's Act East Policy?
India's Act East Policy , launched in 2014 , upgraded the earlier Look East Policy to intensify economic, strategic and people-to-people links with ASEAN and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
What is India's relationship with ASEAN?
India has been an ASEAN dialogue partner since 1992 . The relationship has grown to include a Free Trade Agreement (2009) , annual summits, and strategic cooperation on Indo-Pacific issues.
Why did Jaishankar post about receiving this book?
EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar shared the moment on X to acknowledge the gift from Ambassador Gurjit Singh and highlight the book's focus on India-ASEAN relations, consistent with the ministry's Act East priorities.
