Year of India celebrations in Russia

Moscow, Sep 4 (ANI): Many events were organised to celebrate 'Year of India' at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on Thursday.

A concert 'Sahasra Patra' (a lotus of thousand petals) was held at the theatre that coincided with the visit of Indian President Pratibha Patil.

The festival is aimed at showcasing the rich culture and traditions of India.

President Patil was joined by her Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, during the celebrations and both the leaders expressed their appreciation at the event that provided an opportunity for the people of both the countries to get an insight into each other's culture.

"The 'Year of India' in Russia is with its multifaceted events running throughout the year, is an attempt to reach out to the people with a reiteration of the message of friendship and cooperation between our countries. I would like to specially urge the youth of two countries to unite and take this friendship forward," said President Patil.

Medvedev said such events helped in enriching the cooperation between the two countries.

"We deem it very important that the events included in the year of India are taking place not only in Moscow but in other Russian cities and regions. They give an opportunity to our people to get to know the Indian history and the current situation in India as well and certainly these events enrich our cooperation with interesting and specific initiatives and new projects," said Medvedev, Russian President.

Organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), the year long festival comes just after the Russian festival held in India in 2008. By Pankaj Choudhary (ANI)