Historically, Southeast Asia has seen the retreat of many colonialist countries in the world such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK), France, the United States (US) and China. Unlike the countries named, India has approached Southeast Asia with the way of peace, commerce, religion, and it is in fact the country with the oldest relationship with this region. India’s link with Southeast Asia can be traced back to ancient times due to its geographical proximity, and its cultural and religious connections. India showed an interest in Southeast Asia before officially being independent from British colonial control in August 1947. In the early modern period, despite the fact that colonial rule in both India and Southeast Asia severed this relationship, India’s national liberation struggle was a model and a great encouragement for other peoples’ liberation struggles in Southeast Asia (ISEAS, 1998).