Cultural ties bind India, Bangladesh together: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India and Bangladesh are separate nations but attached with cultural ties which are defined by several public policies.

While attending the convocation ceremony of the Vishwa Bharti University along with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Prime Minister Modi identified the occasion as a rare one when leaders of two countries are present together in a university event.

Highlighting the importance of Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relations, Prime Minister Modi said, "We could learn multiple lessons from each other and Bangladesh Bhawan is one of such examples which is soon going to be inaugurated."

Prime Minister also highlighted the problem of lack of clean drinking water in the university premises as he assured that being the university's chancellor it will be his responsibility to ensure that none of the students remain bereft of the basic facilities.

He further recalled the teachings of poet-scholar Rabindranath Tagore, fondly known as Gurudev.

"During the Vedic era, there have been certain values imparted to the country which were then taken forward by individuals like Rabindranath Tagore," Prime Minister Modi said.

While highlighting the value of the phrase "Vasudeva Kutumbakam", Prime Minister continued saying that Tagore desired to develop this entire University (Vishwa Bharti) into such a place where everyone would desire to live in.

He further said Gurudev dedicated his entire life to uphold the values of this mantra.
He called on the citizens to be aware of trans-national culture, traditions, and languages but at the same time cautioned them not to forget the traditional Indian values.

(ANI)