India, Thailand share deep cultural ties spanning over 2000 years: PM Modi at SAMVAD in Thailand

Samvad program in Thailand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (14 February) underlined the ancient and deep cultural ties between India and Thailand. He said that this relationship between the two countries is more than 2000 years old, which strengthens the Asian traditions of peace and harmony. He also expressed happiness over the fact that a ‘dialogue’ program is being organized in Thailand.

PM Modi appreciated the culture, history and heritage of Thailand and described it as an example of the philosophical and spiritual traditions of Asia. He said that this dialogue initiative started in 2015 during a discussion with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after which it reached different countries. This promoted dialogue and better understanding.

India-Thailand relations historic-PM Modi

PM Modi said that the relations between India and Thailand are historically deep. The Indian Ramayana and Ramkien of Thailand connect both countries, while the common reverence for Lord Buddha units them. He reminded that when India sent the sacred remains of Lord Buddha to Thailand, crores of people paid tribute to him.

The PM described India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Thailand’s ‘Act West’ policy as complement to each other and said that it promotes the development and prosperity of the two countries. He insisted that the ‘Asian century’ is not limited to economic development but also has an important contribution to social values.

PM’s concern over the conflict between humanity and nature

Prime Minister Modi said that a major objective of dialogue is to protect against struggle. He said that many times struggles arise from the thinking that only our path is correct and everything else is wrong. The teachings of Lord Buddha can solve this problem. He also expressed concern over the environmental crisis and said that the increasing conflict between humanity and nature has become a serious problem in today’s time. The solution to this crisis is based on the principles of Dhamma in Asian traditions that emphasize maintaining balance with nature.

The PM also mentioned the efforts made to propagate Buddhism in India. He said that recently the first Asian Buddhist summit was held in India, the theme was – ‘Buddha’s role in strengthening Asia’. Apart from this, it is a matter of pride for India to lay the foundation stone of ‘India International Buddhist Culture and Heritage Center’ in Lumbini, Nepal.

Emphasis on revival of Nalanda University – PM Modi

The Prime Minister also discussed the revival of the historic Nalanda University. He said that this university was a major center of education in the past, which was destroyed centuries ago. Now it is again being developed as a major center of education and they are convinced that with the blessings of Lord Buddha, this institute will again achieve its old pride.

This fourth edition of the dialogue program is being held in Thailand from 14 to 17 February. This major initiative was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe in the year 2015. The event is headed by Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in India, which includes the Japan Foundation as a prominent partner.

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