Entering the cabin of a Chinese jetliner bound for Beijing from Dalian last July, I was surprised to hear Sanskrit chants in the vicinity of my seat. The Bollywood release Dangal starring Aamir Khan had become a major hit in China and I assumed that one of my co-passengers was checking out some aspects of Indian culture on his cellular phone.

After a while I realised that the mellifluous music was filtering through the plane's public address system, probably meant to soothe the nerves of passengers before take-off.