Sanjaya Baru | Are India-US relations going into a free fall?

It is now a widely accepted view in India and the United States that the bilateral relationship between the two democracies is of great importance to both. Everyone may not agree with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's view that the two countries are "natural allies" nor share President Barack Obama's optimism that their relationship "will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century", but few in India will disagree that ensuring the relationship stays on an even keel is in India's interest. It is not just as a hedge against a rising China that India needs a productive…