00:00Let me bring in Geeta Mohan as Ambassador Veena Sikri also joins us on this broadcast.
00:05Geeta, I was telling the viewers that twice that you have met President Putin in the last one year,
00:14he has emphasized on his personal equation with Prime Minister Modi
00:19and what Prime Minister Modi does in terms of his strength and leadership
00:25and has ensured taking this entire relationship between India and Russia forward.
00:31So talk about it when we look at these visuals coming in as the sources tell us about multiple issues
00:38on agenda,
00:39including taking the trade to $100 billion between the two countries by 2030.
00:45Well, two world leaders, Maria, are meeting in quick succession after SCO Bishkek and now here for the BRICS summit.
00:51Clearly, they do not need a space or a platform to really meet.
00:57They are more than just two world leaders.
01:00They share a camaraderie.
01:02You can see that in the way and the body language that you see on display over here, very warm.
01:09It's only a continuum when it comes to conversations.
01:11We can talk about what's the big outcome of this meeting.
01:14Well, there would not be one big outcome.
01:16But what happens over here is that how the Indian side, particularly Prime Minister Modi,
01:22tries to make a meeting such as this, which is very quick after SCO Bishkek,
01:28to make it different.
01:29And look, he's presented the president of Russia a book.
01:34And that book comes from Tamil Nadu.
01:36So, I have our own in-house Tamil Nadu expert, Akshita Nandagopal,
01:41who will tell us exactly, Akshita, what does this mean?
01:44What's the significance of this book being presented to President Putin?
01:48So, first of all, Geeta, for all Tamilians, this is an icon.
01:51Tiruvalluvar is an icon and he's composed Tirukural.
01:55So, it's a set of poems, couplets, if you will.
01:58Now, what's interesting is there's actually a connect to Russia,
02:01which is why the Prime Minister has gifted this to President Putin,
02:03which is that Leo Tolstoy had read a translated version of the Tirukural,
02:07was deeply inspired by it,
02:09and is the one who had actually told Mahatma Gandhi to read the Tirukural
02:12to talk of non-violence.
02:14Tiruvalluvar spoke of non-violence, of ahimsa.
02:16That's where the idea actually came from.
02:19And so, Leo Tolstoy, inspired by that, also told Gandhi,
02:22wrote a letter to the Hindu, the Hindi.
02:25And in that particular reference, he again mentioned the Tirukural.
02:29There is a copy of the Tirukural, translated, of course,
02:31kept in the Kremlin palace, I hear.
02:34And also, there's been a lot of talk about a Tiruvalluvar statue in Moscow.
02:39So, you know, people there have great regard, I hear,
02:41for Tiruvalluvar, which is great to hear.
02:43Well, again, you know,
02:46the significance of this book now has increased manifold, Akshita,
02:52because if you're talking about non-violence and ahimsa,
02:54Prime Minister Modi Maria has been talking about non-violence, ahimsa,
03:00and ensuring that the road to peace is through non-violence,
03:06through negotiation and diplomacy.
03:09Akshita has given us great insight, Maria,
03:12into what this book and gifting of this book
03:15and the subtle message that the book carries really means over here.
03:18He's actually talking about non-violence.
03:21This is a book trying to espouse and spread the message of peace
03:26at a time when he's meeting the Russian president
03:29and he's been speaking about ending the endless wars
03:32to really give this book that speaks of ahimsa and non-violence,
03:36I suppose, is significant.
03:37Yes, and Prime Minister Modi,
03:41and you would recall Gita famously spoke about
03:45that this is not an era of war in Samarkand in 2022,
03:48right in the middle of the war.
03:49And he has continued to say so at every international platform
03:53and now he's communicating it through a text,
03:58a gift to President Putin.
04:00Absolutely.
04:01Significant, significant messaging over here.
04:03Look at the optics, the visuals of the gentleman meeting.
04:08We can talk about what concrete conversation will happen,
04:11but that's a continuum.
04:13There have been a lot of conversations when it comes to payments,
04:16how will payments be made on oil,
04:18on defense procurements, whether there will be a carve-out.
04:22India has maintained to the world that Russia is an important partner
04:25and that they will have to respect that.
04:27At a time when Trump is engaging Putin,
04:30it's important to see what is the kind of breathing space that India will get,
04:34but India has not really relented or moved back from its commitment
04:39to a strong partnership with Russia.
04:41And at such a time when everybody is looking at India,
04:46India shares great relationship with,
04:47actually a very important and historical relationship with Russia
04:51and historic in many ways than one with Ukraine as well.
04:55To be able to talk to both the leaders,
04:57to be able to visit and meet the Ukrainian president as well.
05:03Again, to meet with the Russian president on many occasions
05:06and now to put out this message with this book is significant here.
05:12India is trying to be peacemaker, if not peace broker.
05:15India is trying to maintain his grace to stand is un room rom
05:15and react for your life in his life life and at the vastus of France ,
05:15etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.,
05:15etc., etc., etc., etc.
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