Closing address at Poltava Classical dance Festival

August 18, 2006

Good Morning.

Let me, first of all, say how pleased my wife and I are to be here at this function of the All-Ukrainian contest of classical Indian dance - "The Dance of Immortal Apsara." Thank you Madame Svetlana Gritsay, and all the other members and supporters of Ukrainian-Indian Friendship Society "SHANTI".

Your Society has been working for well over 30 years strengthening cultural ties between our two countries. SHANTI has helped spread awareness of India - its history, philosophy and culture - and thereby created bonds of friendship and fraternity between people of Poltava - indeed, of Ukraine - and India. For the various programs that SHANTI has organized and continues to promote in furtherance of its goal to promote friendship and understanding between India and Ukraine, my sincere thanks.

This Indian classical dance contest is a fitting tribute to a young girl of Poltava in whose heart India occupied a very special place. I was deeply touched when my colleague who visited Poltava in April this year told me about this remarkable girl, Sasha Putrya, who made many paintings depicting India as she saw it through her mind's eye, even though she had never visited it during her tragically brief lifespan. For this little girl, her paintings were a labour of love for a country she clearly felt a strong affinity for, one she probably considered her spiritual home.

Indians and Ukrainians both share a passion for dance. Art is universal, even if its various expressions take myriad forms. Classical Indian dance is an exquisite spiritual and artistic expression of a human being's deep feelings and emotions. Shiva, the eternal Nataraja, personifies cosmic rhythm in its endless movement. There are innumerable allusions to and descriptions of dances in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Indian sculptures derived much of their inspiration from dance.

Cultural ties between India and Ukraine are an important part of our larger relations. It is truly heartening to find that people in Ukraine are so receptive to different facets of Indian art and culture. There are interesting similarities between our countries sprinkled across the cultural spectrum. Indeed, there is a large body of evidence pointing to a special kinship between the two countries, despite the geographical distance that separates India and Ukraine.

Before I conclude, let me once again thank the organizers and sponsors of this event, and wish all the participants of this contest every success in their future performances. I wish SHANTI success in all their future programmes, including this annual contest.

Thank you.