Are India-US ties really in a 'free-fall', or are sceptics missing the wood for the trees?

The India-United States relationship is subject to a perpetual cycle of optimism and pessimism. This cycle is independent of the geopolitical realities, inextricable linkages or alignment of strategic, commercial and security interests, and finds manifestation generally in rhetorical extremes. Right now, on both sides, the sceptics have taken over. Alarmism is the flavour of the day. We are being told how the relationship is apparently "going into a free fall", how ties remain "fundamentally fragile" and frictions may "ultimately derail future cooperation". The solemn statements, sweeping in-depth, are unsupported by data and mostly based on "feels". It's all very bleak…