The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a festival of Indian Culture in Russia ‘Namaste Russia’ in Moscow yesterday (May 10, 2015).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said Indian culture and its heritage of art, music and cinema have enjoyed love and appreciation across Russia over centuries. In India too, there is enormous warmth and regard for Russian culture as showcased in its ballet, literature and traditions. Russia’s Gerasim Lebedev, who was arguably the first European Indologist, pioneered the Bengali theatre 220 years ago in Kolkata.
