From the magnificent capital of pre-modern Japan, Kyoto, to the everlasting epitome of India, Kashi (Benaras or Varanasi), Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi have drawn a line of connection that is unparalleled in touching the lives and psyches of ordinary people. As the two leaders raised their arms in unison toward the night sky along the banks of the Ganges last weekend, they symbolically linked the destinies of two partner cities that are metaphors of their respective glorious civilisations.