Ambassador’s speech on the Musical Event by Indian artists Padma Bhushan, Dr. L. Subramaniam and Padma Shri Kavita Krishnamurti
Excellency, Honorable Foreign Minister of Madagascar, Richard Randriamandrato
Excellencies Ambassadors
Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Government
Dear members of the diplomatic corps
Honorable guests,
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all today on this occasion when we have two of the most renowned and accomplished artists of Indian Music : Padma Bhushan Dr. L. Subramaniam and Padma Shri Kavita Krishnamurti along with Mahati Subramaniam and Bindu Subramaniam.
The Government of India has launched an initiative: Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. The Mission organized a number of events to celebrate this special occasion including online talk about Indian paintings, celebration of the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, inauguration of Gandhi Triangle at Tsarlalana and many more. Today’s event is a crucial addition to our celebrations.
Today, I believe, is the day which will be forever remembered as a musical and magical moment in the history of relations between India and Madagascar as, for the first time, we have these two artists perform for all of us. It will further strengthen the cultural links between our two countries and generate interest about Indian music among the people of Madagascar. This is even more special because this year, India and Madagascar are celebrating 62 years of their diplomatic relations.
India and Madagascar, connected by the Indian Ocean, have deep links with each other, being part of the same Gondwanaland million years ago. There are over 300 words in Malagasy language that come from Sanskrit. The Malagasy epic of Ibonia resembles Ramayana in its plot structure. Recently, the Malagasy translation of Bhagavad Gita was provided by Indian representative to Malagasy Representative in UNESCO. The Mission is seeking possibilities of translating Ramayana in Malagasy. Our maritime links with Madagascar dates to ancient times. The past year has been very productive for India and Madagascar in many ways. There have several ongoing cooperation programs which are beneficial for the people of Madagascar in the critical areas of agriculture, health, education, energy, security among others.
India has always stood with Madagascar in its hour of need. Recently, India has announced a donation of 5000 tonnes of rice to Madagascar for the people of drought affected southern Madagascar as humanitarian assistance which will be reaching soon. India will also be donating 15000 bicycles to Madagascar thus cooperating in achieving the promise made by President Andry Rajoelina. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation and collaboration in broadcasting was signed between the Office de la Radio et de la Télévision Malagasy (ORTM) and Prasar Bharati, the Indian public radio and television company. This MOU will further deepen our relationship in the areas of culture.
As Ambassador of India to Madagascar, I feel privileged to take this partnership forward to greater heights.
Excellency, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for your presence here today. I hope that today’s evening will be etched in our memories forever and will help in promoting the beauty and magic of Indian Music in Madagascar for the years to come.
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