President of Indian National Cultural Center: India Day Would Be Impossible Without Russians' Love

The upcoming India Day Festival, which is slated to be held in Moscow from August 11-14, is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Russian-Indian diplomatic relations. The festival has been held annually since 2014, however, there was a two-year hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In an exclusive comment for Sputnik, Sammy Kotwani, president of the Indian National Cultural Center (SITA), explained that the India Day Festival is happening because there's "a big interest from the Russian side."

"It's our Russian friends who love this festival. Without the love of Russian people, we cannot do such a big festival," Kotwani told Sputnik after a press conference dedicated to the forthcoming friendship festival that was hosted by the Rossiya Segondya International Information Agency.

Kotwani said that organizers will now get a chance to show off more of the rich Indian culture.

"Our Indian culture is food, movies, which you know, there's nothing new about it. Yoga, simple practices, which will make you stronger. Moscow is a very big city, so more international cultures have to make the city much better. So I think this type of participation is always welcome,” he informed.

Mr Kotwani emphasized that this festival is also a way to tell the world about the time-tested Russia-India friendship.

"I think this is a real, true friendship. No countr[ies] in the world have 75 years of friendship except Russia and India... And our love is growing and growing, and growing."

When asked if Indians are interested in hosting a reciprocal Russia Day Festival, Kotwani responded with an emphatic "yes."

"There's a lot of love for the Russian ballet. Russian movies are welcome in India. There's a very big interest. So, yes. Definitely, it should be cross-cultural. The more the Russians go [to India], the more Indians will come to Russia."

The festival is timed to coincide with India's Independence Day, which is usually celebrated with much fanfare on August 15. This year, the event is also dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Russian-Indian diplomatic relations. The event will be held in Ostrov Mechty (Dream Island), an amusement park in Moscow, on August 11-14.