Remarks by the President at the meeting with Indologists in Moscow (May 10, 2015)

Hon. President (Shri Pranab Mukherjee): Good morning to all of you and welcome to this interactive session.

My Delegation which is currently visiting Russia consists of the Accompanying Minister Mr. Manoj Sinha, our Foreign Secretary Dr. S. Jaishankar, my Secretary Mrs. Paul, and Ambassador of India to Russia Mr. P.S. Raghavan. I have also two very important members of my delegation. One is the Director General of Indian Council of Cultural Relations, a very senior official in Indian establishment who promotes Indian culture. And Secretary of the concerned Ministry is also present here, and other senior officials are there. I introduced all these personalities only to emphasise how I personally consider this interactive session a privilege to me and my colleagues.

As you are aware, I came here to participate in the 70th Victory Day celebration. I would not say merely Russia - Russia was one of the most important catalytic agents in obtaining this goal - but it was a struggle against forces of Fascism and Nazism to liberate human thoughts, beliefs, and cultural evolution which is developing over the centuries.

I am glad that study of Indology has taken an important place in your universities. And there is no doubt that some of the Russian institutions have taken a lead in the studies of India’s history, culture and society. The process of evolution through centuries has not always been peaceful. Sometimes there have been jolts as it has happened in many parts. But surely you have underlined one inherent feature of Indian civilisation, its broad capacity to absorb, to adapt itself and also to mediate to all such adverse conditions and impact.

It was very beautifully depicted by Poet Rabindranath Tagore who visited Russia in 1930 and wrote a series of letters on his impressions how the new revolutionary society was creating an impact on the lives of the people. That was his major subject which he had described in the contents of these letters. He wrote a beautiful poem to depict these characteristics of Indian civilisational process. He says, nobody knows standing on the shore of Indian Ocean and the tip of geographical India, looking at the Himalayas and looking at the North; he says when I look at, in my mind I do not know from where, how; but over centuries flow of humanity has taken place. Various types of people, he described Shams, Huns, Shahs, Pathans, Mughals, Aryans. All of them came as streams of water come out of the glaciers and converge into the ocean. It has happened in India and out of these divergences of various flows convergence has taken place in this land and the soul has emerged out of many which is called India.

I am just mentioning this only to point out - to some extent excuse me if I am being a little impertinent because all these are issues on which you have developed your own expertise, your knowledge, your experience, your work over the years. But …(Inaudible)… . I do believe this is one of the core of our civilisational issue which will tie to help you that how in the variety, over the centuries India survived. No less of adverse impact over the history. But still it has been made possible to retain the core value of our civilisational revolutions, our societal structures over the years.

Therefore, when you are studying, definitely these issues are very much under your consideration. I would like to only emphasise that no doubt it is a complex society. There have been through the process, various contradictions emerged but somehow or other over the years - sometimes it has taken even centuries - we have been able to overcome those divergences, those apparent contradictions and found reconciliation.

I am sure you are in touch, in course of your studies, research and work, with some of the very ancient organisations. I had the opportunity of not being a great scholar. As I mentioned, I was an ordinary student of history. But I had the opportunity of being associated with one such organisation. After being associated with it, I am keeping my close contact with that organisation for more than three decades. That is the Asiatic Society of Calcutta which was established by Sir William Jones in 1774. In 1984 I took the initiative, then I was Finance Minister of India, I suggested to the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. that Madam, I have a request to you I recently visited – because I used to go there for study. I am telling you very frankly not for indology but I was basically a student of history. I used to go and I was very much interested in that journal which discussed various aspects of indology. So, I used to go there. Then I suggested that this institute,

I am sorry for extending this a little bit and digressing but this is just to point out that many untapped sources are still left in many of the Indian institutions which I would request you to be in touch with, build up living contacts which can enrich yourselves and pursue your studies and research. Bhandarkar Institute of Pune, Asiatic Society of Calcutta, Asiatic Society of Bombay, and even some of the Departments of Calcutta University which are as old as the university. Studies of Pali and Prakrit, very few universities nowadays have. And large number of manuscripts which are yet to be ... Computerisation and digitisation and other things have taken place, but studying deeply in the context of the current situations, current contexts to find out if there would be any relevance. That is because I do feel sociologists, anthropologist – all these consist of the study of the country - pursue to find out the truth and discover always the contemporaneity.

I am sorry I have extended the brief which my Ambassador has given to me. But I thought that as I have received this unexpected opportunity to have a meeting with so many mighty minds in one room let me take this advantage.

Once again I welcome you, and I would like to listen. I told my Ambassador and Foreign Secretary, do not expect me to speak, expect me to listen. Like a student, I want to listen to some of you and have your views.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

(Concluded)