Abstract
India's growing prominence in the international arena in recent years has sparked widespread interest among journalists, policymakers, and academics. However, there exists a diversity of perspectives in the academic literature regarding India's status, oscillating between being perceived as a "regional power" in South Asia and a potential "global power". India's engagement in Southeast Asian region has been a crucial dimension of its foreign policy. The region is very important to India from economic, political, social, defence, maritime trade and security. India has been facilitating connectivity projects with the Southeast Asia region. It has had deep historical links with Southeast Asia since ancient times, with established routes for the movement of goods and services, along with people. However, with the course of time and an era of European colonialism, India- Southeast Asia cross boundary linkages become unsubstantiated. Geographically, India is the only country in South Asia to enjoy direct physical contact with all the states in the Southeast Asia region. It is in this context the present study tries to shed light on the factors driving India's pursuit of great power status in Southeast Asia. Moreover, it seeks to identify potential challenges and opportunities that may influence the realization of India's aspirations, and the impact of these developments on the broader dynamics and stability of the Southeast Asian region. To conduct the study data has been collected from secondary sources like books, journal, newspaper etc. it has been found in the study that India has emerged as a great power block in Southeast Asian region as evidenced by its strategic interests, economic ties, and military footprint in the region. Economically, India's deep-rooted historical ties with Southeast Asian nations have evolved into robust trade and economic cooperation. The India-ASEAN economic collaboration and bilateral trade agreements underscore India's commitment to fostering economic integration and mutual growth in the region.
