History and Background India and Singapore have a millennia-old history of close commercial, cultural, and people-to-people ties. In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles built a trading post in Singapore on the route of the Straits of Malacca. After then, Singapore became a crown colony and was controlled from Kolkata until 1867. India was one of the first countries to recognise Singapore in 1965. The colonial link between the countries is reflected in the institutions and customs, as