We live in a situation of creating a new world order. And this is a very difficult process. Partly it goes through the creation of new international institutions and organizations, and partly – and this is a very important way – through the development of bilateral relations, through mutual understanding of partner countries. Especially if these are large and influential countries. Russia and India belong to these countries.
India and Russia have a long and unique relationship. In my opinion, this uniqueness is rooted in an amazing combination of geography and history. It so happened that the spiritual world of Russia is quite closely, although in a very bizarre way, connected with India. So, for example, on December 2 (new style) the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of Tsarevich Joseph (Josephate). And although it came to Russia from translations from the Greek story “About Barlaam the Hermit and Jehoshaphat the Prince,” it is believed that this is a kind of Christian presentation of the story of Buddha Shakyamuni. The story “Stephanit and Ikhnilat” is also of Indian origin.
The famous critic Vladimir Stasov wrote a lot about borrowings from oriental stories in Russian epics. In particular, he believed that the Firebird came to us from India. Many experts who study Russian culture generally believe that in one form or another, cultural contacts between our countries began a very long time ago and have been going on for many hundreds of years. For example, it is possible that Kirsha’s famous epic about Volkh tells about the relations between Russia and India, and the Indian king Stavryk Savrulyevich is none other than Tamerlane, who at one time captured Delhi.
Russian-Indian cultural proximity also developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. At one time, a great discovery for me was the certain closeness of Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy. Gandhi, a very intelligent, observant man, critical of the world around him, treated Tolstoy with enormous respect, calling him his guru, spiritual teacher. Which, by the way, did not prevent the Mahatma from being quite sober about both Tsarist Russia and Russia under the rule of the Bolsheviks. Nevertheless, the fact of spiritual similarity between Gandhi and Tolstoy can be considered recognized.
In general, one can cite many facts of spiritual and intellectual closeness between Russia and India. You can read about Indian motifs in the works of Fyodor Tyutchev, remember Nicholas Roerich and Rabindranath Tagore’s attitude towards him, you can give many examples of the most diverse connections between our countries.
However, the most important and unique thing about the perception of India in Russia: many believe that this country is more like paradise than others. It seems to them that India is warm, you can live on the street, there is a sea, fruits grow in abundance. After all, they have an extraordinary respect for cows and generally value all living things, they try to avoid aggression, and people are open, responsive and good-natured.
Until now, many domestic neophytes go to India to study yoga or Buddhism – they believe that one of the cradles of wisdom is located there (although it is clear that wisdom could not be born in one cradle, it has many faces).
In general, the image of India in the minds of many Russians – and no matter how close it is to reality – is very positive: it is a warm, largely pleasant exoticism, a living dream. By the way, admiration and the most benevolent surprise from this country began long before Roerich, and does not disappear.
Of course, real India is far from the beautiful dreams of many Russians, and Russian-Indian relations are much more material and pragmatic, but the unfaded admiration for India plays a role. Still, people, even politicians and businessmen, are spiritual beings.
The real state of affairs, by the way, greatly contributes to the development of Russian-Indian relations. India and Russia are two large and influential global players. Russia has a colossal territory, natural resources, technology, and an educated population. India has both its own resources and a young population striving for a better life. Both countries want to proceed from their own plans and are looking for balance on the world stage. We have no serious negative experiences in relationships. Moreover, since India gained independence, the Soviet Union, and subsequently Russia, has always been its reliable partner.
Even more important is that the fundamental positions of Russia and India on the most important issues of the modern world coincide. There is a feeling that together our countries can do a lot for the development of the world as a whole and for strengthening bilateral relations.
In the field of security, New Delhi and Moscow could raise questions in a new way about countering both new and traditional challenges. Among the new ones are threats in the digital environment, which has long become a critical and at the same time vulnerable part of the national and global infrastructure. Both countries have significant competencies in the field of IT and digital technologies, and close positions in the field of regulation of global digital processes.
In the area of traditional challenges, India and Russia, as two nuclear powers, could begin consultations on the parameters of international security in the nuclear field. In the context of the erosion and crisis of the nuclear arms control system inherited from the Cold War, new ideas are required in the field of controlling the risk of nuclear confrontation both at the global and regional levels. The voice of the global South must be louder in defining the parameters for managing such risk.
India and Russia have great opportunities to influence the more successful implementation of climate change goals and the promotion of the environmental agenda. India has done a lot in recent years to diversify energy sources, raise environmental standards, and improve the living environment of tens, if not hundreds of millions of its citizens. Russia has significant natural potential for reducing climate risks, as well as unique expertise, including climate processes in the Arctic – this global “weather kitchen”. Russia, by the way, advocates active cooperation with India in Arctic research and appreciates the interest of Indian scientists in the region.
The experience gained over the years in cooperation in the field of nuclear energy remains in demand. Atom is the cleanest source of energy and will be an important factor in the fight against climate change. Delhi and Moscow are also interested in diversifying international financial transactions. BRICS can and should become one of the most important tools for promoting common global goals. The Russian presidency in 2024 is a good occasion to take stock of the organization’s capabilities to advance the common agenda.
In the area of bilateral relations, India and Russia also have room for growth. Over the past two years, India has become the most important market for Russian energy resources. The Russian market also opens up broad prospects for Indian companies in the fields of pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering, and light industry. Russian universities continue to recruit thousands of Indian students every year, and the demand for Indian specialists is growing among employers – a fundamentally new phenomenon for the Russian labor market. Traditionally strong ties in the field of military-technical cooperation remain in demand for both countries.
Of course, we should not idealize Russian-Indian relations: there are also difficulties associated with the difficult general geopolitical situation in the world as a whole, and there are also problems generated by the difficult and turbulent history of Eurasia. However, I repeat, there is both a material and spiritual basis for the development of Russian-Indian relations. The public mood that I know gives reason to hope for this.
The author is Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Dean of the Faculty of Creative Industries at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Will take part in the Russian-Indian conference of the Valdai Club and the International Vivekananda Foundation “India and Russia: views on alternative world orders, regional problems and bilateral relations”, which will be held on January 8, 2024 in New Delhi
The editorial position may not coincide with the opinion of the author
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