As India gained its independence from Britain as recently as 1947, it is a bit strange arguing, as you do, that the “old ties” between the two countries ought to make them better economic partners than they actually happen to be (“Chasing the Elephant,” January 20, 2007). Old ties? The term makes sense in the case of America, for instance, as it gained its independence from Britain as long ago as 1776. Too many Indians who remember the colonial rule are still alive and well to be eager to resume any ties with the British, let alone the old ones. In fact, their sentiments explain rather well the poor economic partnership between the two countries. Perhaps the most sensible thing an ex-colonial power can do is to become more conscious of such sentiments among its ex-subjects, and thus be careful not to callously boast of the old ties for a century or maybe two.