Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday shared highlights of his visit to the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, saying he witnessed a vibrant Indology ecosystem, strong interest in India and growing interest in Tamil culture.
PM Modi said the visit on Sunday was “interesting for quite a few reasons”, including the “great passion towards studying about India”, “immense work on Gandhi Ji’s life” and “growing interest in Tamil culture”. He also noted that students recited a few lines from poems written by him.
Speaking during the interaction, as shared in the highlights video in the post, PM Modi said hearing the students recite his poems was an emotional experience. “Poems written by me a very long time ago today I had the opportunity to hear them recited by these young people. And I noticed that although they were speaking in Hindi, Hindi is not their native language, yet the emotions were expressed exactly as they were in my heart when I originally wrote them,” he said.
“This only becomes possible when you live that language, when you immerse yourself completely in it,” PM Modi added.
During the interaction, an Uzbek Indologist told PM Modi, “Perhaps you will not find many countries in the world where people love India as much as the people of Uzbekistan do. Every single one of our citizens knows the greeting ‘Namaste’.”
The scholar also highlighted interest in Indian arts, dance, music, philosophy and Yoga, and said, “To truly understand India, you must read the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.”
PM Modi also highlighted the importance of Tamil literature and the Tirukkural, asking whether the ancient text could be translated into Uzbek. “As you celebrate 80 years [of this institution], can you envision undertaking a mission to translate the ‘Tirukkural’ into the Uzbek language?” he asked.
The speaker present on the podium responded, “Yes, we will make every effort and try.”
PM Modi said the translation would help deepen appreciation of Indian philosophical thought, adding, “The philosophical thought found in one of the world’s most ancient languages will help us appreciate how deep human thought has been right from the beginning of our civilisation’s journey.”
The Tirukkural (also known simply as the Kural) is a classical Tamil masterpiece focused on ethics, morality, and practical wisdom. Composed by the revered poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE, it is widely celebrated for its absolute secularism and universal applicability to everyday human life.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to Uzbekistan has imparted fresh momentum to India-Uzbekistan ties, with the two countries elevating their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and announcing a series of initiatives spanning digital payments, mining, critical minerals, uranium, trade, healthcare, education, environment and culture.
The two-day state visit, held from August 29 to August 30 at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, resulted in the exchange of 11 MoUs, agreements and understandings, besides a series of major announcements aimed at giving greater depth and direction to bilateral cooperation.
A key outcome of the visit was the elevation of India-Uzbekistan relations from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting the growing scope of engagement between the two countries.
