Indian Ambassador Celebrates Traditional Ties With Russia at Moscow's India Day Festival - Photos

As India is preparing to celebrate its 75th Independence Day on August 15, Muscovites have a chance to experience the country’s cuisine, music, arts and crafts at the India Day festival.

While many Western governments have publically pressured people in their countries to cut ties with Russia and Russians over Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine in recent months, leading to Russian literature, music and sports being banned in many places, but judging by the openness and the atmosphere at India Day, this isn’t the case with New Delhi – both nations remain open towards each other.

The importance of long-standing Russian-India ties was signified by Pavan Kapoor, India’s Ambassador to Russia, who joined hundreds of Indians and Russians and walked with the crowd to see for himself the colorful bazaar and the festival’s stage.

Emphasizing the "traditional relationship with [Russia]", the ambassador noted that his country prefers to separate public debate from intergovernmental talks:

“We have a traditional relationship with this country and in any case with any issues with governments, we speak to them in private, we don’t believe in conveying our views in the open in the public," Pavan Kapoor tells Sputnik. “We have a belief in talking to people open and frankly, but not necessarily out in the public.”

Ambassador Kapoor and dozens of other participants have planted 75 apple trees on the grounds of Dream Island park to celebrate the anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Russia and India and to kick off the celebration of Independence Day.

Sammy Kotwani, the president of the Indian national cultural center “SITA” and one of the organizers of “India Day,” also highlighted the importance of bilateral ties with Russia. He says that although Indians easily adopt the culture of places they live in, today they are proud to celebrate their Motherland’s Independence Day, which also marks an important era in relations with Russia:

“Today we are celebrating 75 years of India-Russia friendship. It’s not about giving my culture, it’s about celebrating together such an important day. 75 years is a very big thing,” Kotwani says.

In the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations, visitors of Moscow’s Dream Island park can take part in Veda Weekend and enjoy Bollywood movies, yoga lessons and even cooking classes.

The park is a great place to spend time with the family or meditate in private, as well as to relax by the fountains drinking mango shakes or masala tea.

Indian drummers greeted everyone coming into Moscow’s Dream Island park on Thursday. Anything from Hindi classes to chess, healthy food stalls, fashion and cinema can be seen and experienced by Muscovites, many of whom were missing India during the COVID lockdown, and now, the best that the far-away country has to offer is right here, at home.

India Day festival in Moscow

© Photo : Indian national cultural center “SITA”

The festival will feature performances from Russian pop artists. Over the weekend, couples who wish to experience traditional Indian wedding rituals will be welcomed at the festival’s “Parachute Wedding Zone.”