SHARING COMMON GOALS, COMMON CONCERNS

Sharing common goals, common concerns 

By Shobori Ganguli, in Moscow  
The Pioneer
Wednesday, November 12, 2003

It wasn't about Raj Kapoor and Awara. Instead, it was
about Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore and Roerich.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his speech at the
Russian Academy of Sciences (the Russian counterpart of
Indian Council for Historical Research) on Wednesday,
sought to dwell upon some abiding symbols of Indo-Russian
intellectual and cultural linkages, connections which
have forged a unique bonding between the two countries
over the past century.

Recalling artist Nikolai Roerich's words, the Prime
Minister told his audience: "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 a great beauty in this magnetism between India and
Russia. Heart speaks to heart."

The Roerich family was cited by Mr Vajpayee as one of the
most unique instances of artistic, intellectual and
philosophical interactions between the two countries. The
Prime Minister, who himself considers Manali his second
home, reminded his audience of how the same Himalayas had
enticed Nikolai Roerich into making the nearby village
Naggar his home.

Recalling the continuing Indian connection in Nikolai's
sons, George, who worked on Tibetan Buddhism, and
Svetoslav, who went on to marry actress Devika Rani and
settle in Bangalore, Mr Vajpayee informed his audience of
his personal involvement with the Roerich heritage. "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."

The Prime Minister also spoke about Russian writer Leo
Tolstoy, who inspired Mahatma Gandhi to establish a
Tolstoy farm near Johannesburg for his early experiments
in truth and non-violence. 

Rabindranath Tagore was also remembered by Mr Vajpayee
for his prediction shortly before his death in 1941, "the
darkest days of World War II", that Russia would be
victorious against the "forces of fascism."

The heart-to-heart connection established, the Prime
Minister came down to contemporary Indo-Russian
relations: "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."

Mr Vajpayee said: "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." This stems from
the fact that both countries are multi-ethnic,
pluralistic, democratic

societies. "Intellectuals, scientists and public figures
have an important role to platy in the fight against the
forces of intolerance and violence," the Prime Minister
said, underlining that the two have established a sound
legal and institutional mechanism to fight international
terrorism.

The Prime Minister emphasised that in the current
geopolitical context, India and

Russia share "a common interest in the evolution of a
multipolar world based on a cooperative security order,"
asserting that "both are opposed to unilateralism in
international matters".

Bilaterally, however, the Prime Minister noted that
economic cooperation left much to be desired. Elaborating
on the current accent on the economic factor in
international relations, Mr Vajpayee said, "Both P

He called for a more vigorous synergy between scientific
endeavours and business enterprises of India and Russia. 

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