Let me start with two different stories, about two books with different meanings, about globalization in two different eras, fifteen hundred years apart. A few months back, I read William Dalrymple’s latest book, “The Golden Road – How Ancient India Transformed the World”. It is a history of the trade routes that linked a civilisation’s wealth and wisdom to the world beyond. Like all of Dalrymple’s books, it is an excellent read and it can serve as an important backdrop to understanding current debates about globalization, through the lens of history.