Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

PM's address at the Russian Academy of Sciences

~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 18^th 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 20^th 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 21^st 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.

The 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 4^th 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!~