Embassy of India
Bangkok
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Ambassador’s remarks at the Inaugural Session of the Ganga-Mekong Conference 2018
co-organised by Pridi Banomyong International College (PBIC), Thammasat University, Thailand
and
Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), India
In cooperation with India Studies Centre of Thammasat University
22 March 2018
Thammasat University
Most Respected Associate Prof Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector, Thammasat University,
Shri Ram Madhav ji, Director, India Foundation,
Prof S. R. Bhatt, Chairman, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, India,
Dr. Nitinant Wisaweisuan, Dean, Pridi Banomyong International College, Dr. Satyavrat Shastri, Eminent Professor of Sanskrit, Delhi University,
Distinguished Academicians,
Dear Friends, ladies and gentlemen
Namaskar and Sawadee Krub!
It gives me immense pleasure to be present amongst so many distinguished academicians from India and Thailand. I congratulate the Pridi Banomyong International College and the India Studies Centre of Thammasat University as well as the Indian Council of Philosophical Research for organizing this Conference. There could not have been a more apt name for an academic gathering that represents a confluence of two great cultures of our common civilization.
2. Our relationship with Thailand and, in fact, with all the countries of the Mekong is civilizational with historic ties that have bound us over many centuries. Sanskrit and Pali have influenced the languages of all our countries. Many of the Gods to whom we pray are the same, as are many of our religious practices. I have myself found solace in the Devasthanam, the temple attached to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Together with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and his Cabinet, I have sat and worshipped under the sacred Bodhi tree in India. I recall the excitement with which I read, a year ago or so in the Bangkok Post, the news of a 10th century Shiva linga having been excavated there. Our First Secretary immediately travelled there, and came back to report that there is not one, but numerous artefacts there of equal antiquity that attest to our common civilizational origins.
3. Thammasat is a great University, one of the best in the region. The name Thammasat is itself derived from the Sanskrit term Dharma Shastra. For this and many other reasons, there could not have been a more appropriate home for this Conference. My Embassy is truly honored to have played a role in putting it in touch with a most worthy partner, the Indian Council of Philosophical Research.
4. ASEAN occupies centre-stage in the Indo-Pacific. And that is why, ASEAN is also the focus of our “Act East” policy. Thailand is not only a founding member of ASEAN, but also its centre of gravity. It is a matter of gratification for us that the Government has reciprocated our approach by initiating its own “Look West” policy with India at its centre.
5. Our relationship with Thailand is multi-faceted. The contemporary people-to-people relationship is one of its most important dimensions. By this is meant the 1.5 million tourists who travel between the two countries every year using the more than 300 flights that connect Bangkok with 17 cities in Thailand every week. And it also means re-discovering the ancient linkages that define our common civilization. That task can be done most ably by the two reputed academic institutions that are jointly organizing this Conference. I compliment India Foundation for bringing them together.
6. With these few words, I welcome the scholars who come from both our two countries. I wish the Conference all success and reiterate our pride in also being associated with this noble event. I thank you all for your attention.
Dhanyavaad and Khap Khun Khap
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