Varanasi, June 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-nation visit to France and Slovakia was marked not only by diplomatic engagements but also by a showcase of India’s diverse and rich cultural legacy through carefully curated gifts for world leaders.
PM Modi’s two gifts to the Speaker, in particular, grabbed many eyeballs - Susruta Saṃhita and Charaka Samhita.
Susruta Saṃhita is an ancient Ayurvedic text attributed to the physician Suśruta and is considered one of the earliest and most important works on surgery. Charaka Samhita is an ancient Indian medical text and a key work of Ayurveda, attributed to Acharya Charaka.
Vyomesh Shukla, a renowned Hindi poet speaking to IANS, said that the handing over of Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita to the Slovakian Speaker is a significant step towards global dissemination of India's knowledge tradition. He stated that this initiative comes as a powerful example of India's intellectual and cultural diplomacy.
Vyomesh Shukla noted that Charaka is regarded as the pioneer of Indian medical science, while Sushruta is considered the father of surgery.
“The exchange of such texts on the global stage underscores the importance of India's ancient wisdom, culture, and intellectual heritage,” he told IANS.
He remarked that in this age of technology, books are drifting away from the center of our lives, and at such a time, it is crucial to revive the tradition of gifting and receiving books.
He expressed confidence that this initiative by PM Modi would encourage the translation of Indian languages, literature, and ancient texts into foreign languages, thereby bringing India's wealth of knowledge to a wider global audience.
He added that a vast repository of Vedic literature, Ayurveda, Natya Shastra, music, and other Indian disciplines is preserved in books; merely conserving them is not enough — it is essential to read, understand, and share them with the world.
Vyomesh Shukla also said that India has much to offer the world, as our ancient texts stand as living proof of wisdom.
“This exchange of books will further strengthen Indian hospitality, cultural harmony, and knowledge-based diplomacy,” he stated.
Notably, the gifts came at a time when Slovakia is positioning itself as a major medical tourism hub in Central Europe.
--IANS
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