Enthralled by Indian culture, Kazakh nationals perform yoga & traditional dance | Watch

The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, has been holding several events and activities to deepen connections between India and Kazakhstan by embracing Indian traditions and culture. The main goal of the cultural center, which was established in the year 1994, is to enable intellectual and cultural exchanges that reinforce the long-standing partnership between the two nations. 

The Director of the cultural centre in Astana, Sanjay Vedi said, “Around 200 Kazakhstan nationals come and participate in several activities here. We want to connect with the people here in Kazakhstan and make them aware of Indian culture and Traditions," ANI reported.  

Besides this, the center wants to strengthen the connections between the citizens of the two nations via its activities. Under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarship programs, India also offers scholarships in a variety of fields to Kazakh students. According to the ANI report, Kazakhstanis perform yoga, which has been a significant component of ancient Indian cultural heritage and attend regular sessions in Indian dance and music. 

One Kazakhstani who practices Hindi singing in the center remarked, “I love singing Hindi songs and am very fond of Indian culture and tradition. I would want to learn more Hindi”. Another Kazakhstan national said, “I have an admiration towards Indian instruments like tabla and I like dancing to Indian classical songs”, ANI reported.  

India-Kazakhstan ties

India-Kazakhstan's relationship is ancient and goes back over 2000 years ago. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, “There has been a constant and regular flow of trade in goods and more importantly, the exchange of ideas and cultural influences.” Two such instances are the transmission of Sufi concepts from Central Asia to India and the spread of Buddhism from India to Central Asia. 

One of the first nations to acknowledge Kazakhstan's independence was India. In February 1992, diplomatic ties were established. 

The top bilateral institutional body for fostering commercial, economic, scientific, technical, industrial, and cultural cooperation between India and Kazakhstan is the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC), which was founded in 1993. The nodal ministries are the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas on the Indian side and the Ministries of Energy on the Kazakh side, with the corresponding Ministers serving as Co-Chairs of the Commission. The main trade and investment partner of India in Central Asia is Kazakhstan. 

In Kazakhstan, there are around 5,900 Indians. Out of this, around 3,400 are students from India, 2,280 are workers in the construction industry, and the remaining are in other professions. 

(Image: Twitter/ @ANI)