NEW DELHI: Highlighting the historical and cultural connect between the two nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that like India, the history and culture of Austria is also very old and magnificent.
“Our contacts have also been historic and both countries have benefited from it. This benefit has happened in culture as well as in commerce. The study of Sanskrit had started in the University of Vienna about 200 years ago. It gained further prominence with the establishment of an Independent Chair for Indology in 1880… Vienna has hosted many of our great personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhash Bose and Gandhiji’s disciple Miraben spent her last days in Vienna,” he said.
Modi was addressing the Indian community at an event organised in his honour by the Indian diaspora in Vienna. The Austrian Federal Minister of Labour and Economy Martin Kocher also attended the event.
The PM said that there is a lot of interest globally in India’s thoughts and actions. He emphasised that India has shared knowledge and expertise with the world for thousands of years, promoting peace and prosperity, rather than war.
“Everyone wants to understand India. What is India thinking today? What is India doing? It is necessary to create a better informed world regarding this. For thousands of years we have been sharing knowledge and expertise with the world. We did not give wars, we can proudly say to the world that India did not give ‘Yuddha’ (wars) but Buddha. When I talk about Buddha, it means that India has always given peace and prosperity. Today when the world sees India as a world friend, it is a matter of pride for us,” Modi said.
He also dwelt on India being a “Vishwabandhu” and contributing to global progress and well-being. He urged the community to continue nurturing their cultural and emotional bonds with the motherland, even as they prosper in their new homeland.
In his address, Modi also shared his thoughts on the contribution made by the Indian Diaspora to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. He stated that his visit to the country at a time when the two friendly nations were celebrating 75 years of diplomatic ties, made it truly special. Recalling the shared democratic values and pluralistic ethos of the two countries, Modi underlined the expanse, scale and success of recent Indian elections, where the people of India voted for continuity, giving him the mandate for a historic third term.
Austria is home to about 31,000 Indian diaspora, which mainly consists of professionals working in the health-care and other sectors and in multilateral UN bodies. There are around 500 Indian students pursuing higher education there.
The PM said that geographically, India and Austria are at two different ends, but there are many similarities. “Democracy connects the two countries. Liberty, Equality, Pluralism and respect for the rule of law are our shared values. Both our societies are multi-cultural and multilingual. In both the countries, in our society, it is the habit of both of us to celebrate diversity. And a major medium to reflect these values is elections. Elections are going to be held in Austria in a few months. Whereas in India we have just celebrated the festival of democracy with great pomp and show,” he said.
Modi returned to New Delhi on Thursday morning after a two-nation visit to Russia and Austria.