 From the sky, national boundaries are a matter of influence. Rivers originate from one part of the land mass and flow on to another, and in many cases, from one country to another. People, ideas, and culture also follow the same pattern. For thousands of years, great rivers of India and Southeast Asia have irrigated the land between India and Vietnam and imbued this region with a unique culture. In ancient Southeast Asia, city-states like Bagan, Angkor, Champasa, and Champa came up along the banks of these rivers and became centers of civilization. About 500 kilometers from the Indian border, inside Myanmar, lies Bagan, the first Indianized kingdom of Southeast Asia. Ravaged by time and nature, Bagan is a fascinating place. Bagan reached a high level of cultural evolution between the 9th and the 13th century. Its riches attracted Brahmins, Buddhist monks, astrologers, artisans, and all those people who thrive under royal patronage. Bringing skills with them, they also helped in deepening two great religions of the gadgetic plains of India, Hinduism and Buddhism. The big question is, how did religion and culture from India spread to Southeast Asia when its kingdoms never tried to conquer, colonize, or convert people? Anthropologists believe that the priestly class brought Hinduism and Buddhism here, as such a complicated religion could not have been served by profit-driven but simple-minded traders. The kings who ruled these parts were keen to construct roads that could link the east with the west. Besides trade, their major desire was to visit the land where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. This long-held hope may get realized in the coming years with the resolve of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam. All the countries that share a common land mass and a distinct culture to work towards building an east-west corridor. This plan to leverage old civilizational links between these countries is the cornerstone of the recently-inked Mekong Ganga Cooperation Pact. The Mekong Ganga Cooperation believes that a decent road, rail, and air infrastructure could help in promoting tourism and in strengthening cultural ties between members. The belief is that if free movement and free trade could work in ancient times, then it should work now. In some ways, the Mekong Ganga Cooperation underlines the tragedy of a common civilization. For 200 years, it became a casualty to mindless politics and designs of imperial powers. Wars and strife that visited India and Southeast Asia in its wake severed old links between communities and made them forget about their common heritage. Trapped by ideology and the great game of imperialists, countries of this region forgot their natural links and began to see neighbors suspiciously. As the haze and confusion of our immediate past rises, the contours of reality are beginning to unfold. And in some ways, the truth resembles the great Mekong. The more it irrigates the lands through which it passes, the bigger and greater the river becomes. Civilizations and economies are little different.