PM’S ADDRESS AT THE
RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
The Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the gathering at the Russian
Academy of Sciences, at Moscow today.
Following is the
full text of the Prime Minister’s address on the occasion:
"I am deeply
honoured to be addressing this eminent gathering today. The Academy
has played a significant role in the expansion of human knowledge,
which has benefited not only Russian society, but, indeed, the
entire world.
We in India have
always admired the spirit of enquiry and the search for excellence
that have marked the activities of the Academy. This is evident
from the steady stream of internationally renowned scientists,
including many Nobel Laureates that Russia has produced. I am
happy that some of them are in our midst today.
I often wonder what
accounts for the extraordinary stability and warmth of the relations
between India and Russia. What nourishes the enduring goodwill
between our two peoples? One thing is certain. The tree of our
friendship does not have its roots in the thin topsoil of politics
and ideology. For it has continued to grow in spite of the political
upheavals and structural changes in our two countries.
Perhaps, a deeper
reason lies in the spiritual and cultural affinity between India
and Russia, which manifested in the extraordinary resonance between
the best minds of our two countries. They were men who represented
the "soul" of our two great nations. They were towering
names in culture and arts, literature and poetry, science and
technology who gave voice to the universal concerns and aspirations
of mankind.
For example, we know
what an immense influence the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy
had on Mahatma Gandhi in his formative years in South Africa.
It inspired the Mahatma even to establish a Tolstoy Farm near
Johannesburg for his early experiments in truth, non-violence
and self-realisation through community service. Similarly, Rabindranath
Tagore, the great Indian poet, was widely admired and revered
in Russia for his passionate appeal for universal peace, love
and harmony. Shortly before his death in 1941, which were the
darkest days of World War II, he predicted that your country would
be victorious against the forces of fascism. That prediction came
true, thanks to the unparalleled heroism of your people.
This mutual resonance
is also seen in the long tradition of intellectual interaction
between our two countries in the various disciplines of the humanities
and sciences that comprise the totality of human knowledge. The
legendary Gerasim Lebedev, one of the first Russian scholars to
write on India, learnt Sanskrit, Hindi and Bengali, and published
his grammar of Indian languages in the late 18th century.
F.I Sherbatsky was one of Russia’s most well known specialists
on Indian religions, philosophy and literature. A.P. Barannikov
translated Saint-Poet Tulsidas’ Ramacharitamanasa into
Russian. I.P. Minayev, well known for his rich library of Sanskrit
and Pali manuscripts, had established close friendship with Bal
Gangadhar Tilak and Bankim Chandra Chatterji, two of the most
respected names in India’s Freedom Struggle. I am glad that this
rich tradition of Indology, nurtured by the Institute of Oriental
Studies and other institutions, has continued upto the present
day.
The Roerich family
occupies a unique place in the artistic, intellectual and philosophical
interaction between India and Russia. Nikolai Roerich, one of
the greatest painters in the 20th century, not only
traveled to India, but made the Himalayas his home. His older
son and fellow-explorer George Roerich has left behind scholarly
work on Tibetan Buddhism. Next year marks the birth centenary
of his younger son, Svetoslav Roerich, the great artist who lived
in Bangalore. We are taking steps to restore his beautiful estate
and turn it into a befitting cultural park. We are also planning
to establish an International Roerich Art School in India. I am
particularly glad that during my Prime Ministership, we have been
able to make significant contributions to safeguarding the precious
legacy of the Roerichs, which is our common heritage.
Today I applaud the
seminal work produced by the Indo-Russian Joint Commission on
Social Sciences, in which your Academy participates with its counterpart
institution in India, the Indian Council for Historical Research.
Perhaps in no other foreign language has so much of great Indian
literature, both ancient and modern, been translated as in Russian.
It is a matter of pride for us that today more than 1400 Russian
scholars and students are studying Hindi in Russia. Two years
ago, during my visit to St Petersburg, I had announced the establishment
of chairs for the study of India at various institutions and universities
in Russia. I am happy to hear that these chairs have since been
activated, and are arousing great interest among the younger generation.
It is a matter of
immense satisfaction for us that Indo-Russian cooperation in science
and technology has evolved continuously. Today it represents perhaps
the most dynamic aspect of our overall relationship. The Integrated
Long Term Programme of cooperation in science and technology (ILTP)
is one of the most elaborate bilateral programmes in the world.
More than 2,500 scientific exchanges have taken place during the
15-year existence of ILTP.
Keeping with the
challenges of modern times, our scientific cooperation now extends
to the frontier areas of scientific research including bio-technology,
informatics, nano technology, environmental protection, drugs,
and development of new materials. This is in addition to the traditional
area of cooperation in space, atomic energy and defence technologies.
Thus, what defines
Indo-Russian relations is their all-sided and ever-growing character.
During the past few years, dialogue and summit level meetings
have become more frequent and productive than ever before. This
has helped us evolve a comprehensive vision of Indo-Russian ties
for the 21st century, reinforcing our conviction that
the strategic partnership between India and Russia is a reliable
factor in promoting peace, security and stability both in Asia
and the world. Our current efforts are dedicated to enhancing
this partnership to even higher levels. We are confident that
this can be achieved with ease.
The reason for this
optimism is that we have a long tradition of stable and continuous
relationship unaffected by the tumultuous changes that have taken
place in the world. There are no divisive issues in our relationship.
Neither India nor Russia perceives a threat from the strength
of the other. On the contrary, each sees a benefit for itself
in the increased political and economic strength of the other.
This is best illustrated by Russia’s public and unambiguous support
to India’s permanent membership of the United Nations Security
Council. Both countries have a common interest in the evolution
of a multipolar world based on a cooperative security order. We
are both opposed to unilateralism in international matters.
The fundamental factor
behind the stability of Indo-Russian ties is the exemplary sensitivity
both countries have shown to each other’s concerns, including
security concerns. We in India deeply appreciate Russia’s consistent
and strong support to our campaign against terrorism, inspired
by religious extremism. This dangerous phenomenon is rapidly spreading
its tentacles, posing a threat to the entire civilized world.
Specifically, it is threatening the unity, territorial integrity
and sovereignty of both India and Russia. President Putin minced
no words in his address to the Indian Parliament three years ago,
when he said that the same individuals, the same terrorist and
extremist organizations are involved in terrorist acts from the
Philippines to Kosovo, including in Kashmir, Afghanistan and Chechnya.
Both India and Russia
are multi-ethnic, pluralistic, democratic countries. Therefore,
intellectuals, scientists and all public figures have an important
role to play in the fight against the forces of intolerance and
violence. Our two countries have established a sound legal basis
and a useful institutional mechanism for cooperation in the struggle
against international terrorism.
Tthe only area where
our bilateral relations have made less than desired progress is
economic cooperation. It is also that area whose importance in
international relations has grown tremendously in recent times.
Both President Putin and I have been concerned that the volume
and quality of our economic ties does not conform to the excellent
level of our political relationship. We need to convert the extraordinary
goodwill between India and Russia into a thriving, visible, vigorous
and mutually beneficial economic relationship. In this endeavour,
we need to show both innovation and a sense of urgency.
We in India have
followed with much admiration Russia’s strong economic revival,
overcoming the transitional difficulties your country faced a
few years ago. In the same period, India has emerged as one of
the fastest growing economies in the world, and become the world’s
4th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity.
The world has begun to take note of India’s rapid strides towards
developing a knowledge-based economy.
Perhaps the most
well-known of Indian achievements in the last few years have been
the emergence of our software industry and India’s preeminent
position in IT and IT-enabled services. An Indian made supercomputer
PARAM is being used at the Institute for Computer-Aided Design
of this Academy. Today India is the fastest growing telecom market
in the world. The information and communication revolution in
India is closely followed by the emerging biotechnology revolution.
We are expanding and modernizing our physical infrastructure –
roads, railways, ports, airports and the energy assets – in a
determined manner.
Although many economic
and social problems persist, any visitor can see that India is
now a nation on the move – stronger, more prosperous and more
self-confident than ever before. We have now set before ourselves
the goal of transforming India into a Developed Nation by 2020.
President Putin is likewise committed to making Russia one of
the world’s great economic powers. Thus, both India and Russia
are pursuing a similar goal, relying on our enormous human and
natural resources.
How can we achieve
this goal? I think that one of the most efficient ways would be
through a synergy between scientific endeavours and business enterprises
of our two countries. Such a synergy can bring rewards not only
to business corporations, but also to scientists. More importantly,
commercially sound application of science and technology will
benefit millions of common people in their daily lives, both in
our countries and around the world. India and Russia have already
experienced this in the past. For example, India’s pharmaceutical
industry, which is today globally recognized for its cutting edge
R&D and its success in the low-cost development of new drugs,
was established largely through our bilateral cooperation with
Russia several decades ago. I see no reason why such an example
cannot be emulated in the widest possible range of opportunities
that can be identified in the regular interaction between the
Academy and its partner institutions in India.
I have brought with
me a 95-member business delegation from India on this visit. I
am confident that our captains of trade and industry, and their
Russian counterparts, would contribute to our reaching this goal.
Thus, I see a bright
future for Indo-Russian relationship. However, I would like to
inject here a note of realism. We should not rest on past laurels.
Otherwise, stagnation would set in. We must follow a determined
course towards continuous strengthening of political, economic,
scientific and cultural ties. The Russian Academy of Sciences
has a major role in this regard. We are ready to work with you.
I conclude by recalling
the words of Nikolai Roerich, which are very apt for this occasion:
"The Indian heart is drawn irresistibly to the boundless
spaces of Russia and India too has a great magnetism for the Russian
heart. There is great beauty in this magnetism between India and
Russia. Heart speaks to heart."
I wish each and
every one of you good health, prosperity and success in your endeavours.
Pust Vsigda bujdit
Indiiskaya-Rossiskaya druzba!
Long-Live Indo-Russian
Friendship!"
