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 The
editor of INDIKA, Dr. Demetrios Vassiliades, considers the year that
has gone and discusses the present situation as well as ELINEPA’s
expectations for the near future.
It
is particularly pleasing that the Indο-Hellenic Society for Culture
and Development has succeeded for the second year running in
publishing INDIKA, its annual intercultural bulletin. The
continuation of the bulletin’s publication on the Internet is a major
accomplishment. It offers the Hellenic world as well as
internationally a unique opportunity to communicate topics relating to
Indo-Hellenic affairs and culture. This year we have received a
great number of articles, letters and papers for publication from
around the world. It has not been possible, however, to find space for
all of them. Therefore, a few will be published in the next bulletin.
Friends have suggested a biannual and even a triennial publication of
INDIKA, but I am resisting the idea, because I believe that more than
one bulletin will dilute its quality and bring it down to the level of
newsy exchanges. At present, INDIKA functions as a select annual
inventory of major cultural and developmental events of Indo-Hellenic
history. For invitations, current news bulletins etc we established “INDIKA
Online”, where anyone can freely place notices informing members,
friends and subscribers to any current events, publications,
presentations and plans which will take place in Greece, India and
elsewhere.
The
first issue of INDIKA met with great success and attracted thousands
of readers from about hundred countries. The United States topped the list
in terms of readership, followed by Greece, India, Australia, England
and Sweden. The number of Asian readers was also encouraging, from
countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, China, Singapore, Sri
Lanka and Pakistan. We are considering whether or not to list all articles
and news onto an internet search engine, but in order to achieve this
we would need increased administrative resources. Already, major
centres of Indian studies in Europe, such as the
Swedish South Asian Network of the University of Lund,
Jambudvipa of the
Sanskritologist Professor Paolo Magnone of the Catholic University of
Milan, as well as Greek universities, such as the
University of Aegean have included ELINEPA on their web pages,
as being a unique centre in Greece for the development of South-Asian
Studies. ELINEPA is also increasingly being included on the websites of
various foundations and friends of the Institute, thus broadening its
presence in Greece, India and beyond.
ELINEPA’s first publication, Introduction to the Sanskrit Language,
received congratulations and encouraging letters from distinguished
literary people such as Professor George Babiniotis, Chancellor
of the University of Athens, and from Professor Tasos Nikolaides,
Head
of the Department of Literature of the University of Crete. They have
both studied Sanskrit and therefore are able to assess
the present-day linguistic importance of this ancient Indo-European
language. We also received positive reaction from several orientalists
and diplomats. The Greek Ambassador
in Delhi, Mr. Stathis Lozos, described the publication
as "a foundation for those who wish to understand
Indian thought through its language”.
In
the belief that the learning of the language is the key for better
understanding between the two countries, the ELINEPA pressed on
with its second major project, the edition and publication of the “Practical
Greek-Hindi and Hindi-Greek Dictionary”. The Dictionary contains some 40,000 words of
everyday Greek and Hindi vocabulary, and will be ready for publication
in a few months, after the final proof reading by the publication
committee, consisting of Greek and Indian linguists. Thanks to the
intervention of ELINEPA’s Vice President, Dr.
Helen Abadzi, the
Dictionary has received an important financial and encouraging support from the
Greek
Archdiocese of America, which under the leadership of the
Archbishop
Demetrios plays a significant role in the international promotion
of the Greek language and in the advancement of the intercultural
dialogue.
At
this point, I would like to express my condolence for the passing away
of the Archbishop Iakovos of America on 10 April 2005. This
enlightened religious leader
became a champion
of the inter-religious dialogue and a strong supporter of the
peaceful co-existence of the people in the family of religions. He
was the first Greek archbishop in 350 years to officially confer with
a pope, and established dialogue with leaders of other churches and
religions.
He was a fervent supporter of hospitality and the love of learning. He
supported Greek culture, thus giving the Greek community in North
America a strong voice in the American Government and the world as a
whole.
ELINEPA has applied to Mrs. Marieta Yiannakou, Minister of
Education and Religious Affairs, and to the Chancellor of the
University of Athens (and Head of the
Department of Turkish Studies
and Modern Asian Studies), Professor George Babiniotis, for the
introduction of the teaching of Indian Studies. At present, it is only
the sector of Turkish Studies, in its third year, which is being
taught, whereas the sector of Asian Studies, which comprises Indian,
Chinese and Japanese Studies has yet to be established. Our
application is still awaiting a response. However, following Mr.
Babiniotis’s visit to Tokyo, where he signed a mutual educational
agreement with the President of the University, Mr. Takeshi Sasaki,
it is evident that the instigator and creator of the newly
established Department continues his efforts towards this goal. I hope
this may happen before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in order to
enable Greece to partake in the new international status quo created
by the
rapid economic growth of the Asian markets.
I
have sent a proposal to the
Jawaharlal Nehru University
in New Delhi for the resumption of the
Chair of Greek Studies “Demetrios Galanos”. I have
also written to the Chancellor of the above university, Dr. Karan
Singh as well as to the Greek Ambassador in Delhi, Mr. Stathis
Lozos, pointing out to them the need to implement the
second article
of the
signed
agreement of 1998, in order to allow not only professors but also
lecturers to apply for the post. Young
scholars
can teach
Greek language and culture
and
adjust
themselves
much better in
the
peculiar Indian conditions, as food, climate,
etc.
ELINEPA’s board has agreed to establish an annual social gathering in
Athens to enable the members and the friends to meet. It is certainly
a positive and necessary proposal, but for various reasons we have not
been able so far to organize it. In November 2004 and in conjunction
with the Friends of Nations Society we had planned a three-day
event at the University of Athens to include music, lectures, films
and Indian food. However, the event had to be postponed in order to
support the Festival of India,
which was organized during Divali by Mrs. Sudha Eliades and the
Indian Embassy and which took place at a five-star hotel.
Many ELINEPA members participated with lectures, presentations and
music. In the future, Divali celebrations could be incorporated in a
larger cultural framework for the friends of India. However, I believe
that in order to open the event to a much wider public, particularly
to students and expatriates, we should be thinking of a different kind
of venue. The first day celebrations could be held at a luxury hotel,
but the cultural events, such as lectures, music, exhibitions should
take place in a cultural centre or a public area.
I
was in Benares at the time of the opening ceremony of the Athens 2004
Olympic Games, where I watched it on television. I arrived in Athens
one week before the end of the games. The atmosphere everywhere was
one of celebration: posters everywhere encouraging us to “try the
impossible”. Mrs. Helen Abadzi, who worked as a volunteer for the
Olympics, managed to provide me with a ticket for the athletics event.
By coincidence, it was on that day when the Indian athlete Anju Bobby
George was trying for a medal in the long jump. In the large and
beautiful stadium all eyes were turned to the Greek athletes, but I
had my attention fixed on the Indian girl. In the ensuing
conversations with friends I had to find ways to justify the low level
of achievement of the Indian Olympic
team.
What characterizes Indian athletics and sport is the lack of
competitive spirit, because they consider athletics as something to
promote health and longevity rather than competition. However, we wish
India better success in Beijing 2008, the capital of its major
competitor.
After the Games, I went for a wedding to Ioannina, in northwest
Greece, where I heard for the first time the music group Sour,
founded in Benares by George Evangelou and friends of Indian
music. The days that followed were filled with music, due to the
1st Festival of
Lake Pambotis.
The
Sour played music from India, Mongolia, Arabia and Greece, and met
with positive comments.
I
went to Corfu on the invitation of my old friend Frederick
Avgerinos, who runs an Indian gift shop called “Mandala”. While
I was there I visited the Museum of Asian Art, which is housed in an
imposing palace in Spianada, the central city square. The exhibition,
Gods of the Himalayas,
was a unique event for Greece. The Tankas and the statuary brought me
back to the mountains and the monasteries of Sikkim and Nepal. My
guide at the exhibition was the director of the museum, the
archaeologist Aglaia Papoutsani-Karamanou, who impressed me
with her vast knowledge of Indian civilization. She mentioned that of
all the civilizations housed in the museum, the one she feels closer
to is the Indian. Two other archaeologists, Athina Vaxovanou
and Kassiani Kagouridou, acted as my guides in the rooms
housing perfectly preserved
Graeko-Buddhist
sculptures of schist
from Gandhara dated to the 2nd century A.D.,
as well as polychrome
Hindu wood carving
and
statuary of
the 17th-19th centuries.
We discussed a number of philosophical concepts found in Indian art,
such as the monistic identification of conscience (Shiva) with life (Shakti)
in the androgynous statuary of ardanareswara.
The
proposal to screen the epic film
Mahatma Ghandi at the
Ionian University
did not come to fruition, because it was during the examination period. The film,
however, was destined to be screened at my birthplace, the island of Thasos. It was the idea of a friend of mine, Yiannis Tsomos,
who along with two founding ELINEPA members, Nikos Chrysafis
and Kostas Vlastaris, organized the event. It happened
at the beginning of November, when the island was particularly
beautiful. The hordes of tourists had gone, and the beaches were
spotless. The audience for the lecture came from as far as Kavala on
the mainland. I would have never imagined that on this remote Aegean island
there would be so many people with a love and interest for
contemporary India. The next day I visited the sculptor
Kostas Lovoulos
in his studio set deep amongst pine and olive trees. He
was covered in white dust, as he was working on giving life to Thassian
marble. He is a great artist, a worthy heir to the ancient Thassian
painter Polygnotos and to the modern Thassian sculptor
Polygnotos Vagis, whose art adorns private collections and museums
in Greece and America.
In
Kavala, another friend and founder member of ELINEPA, the insurer
Triantafilos Doubourides, introduced me to the industrialist,
Lefteri Kaltapanides, Chair of the Institute of Industrialists of
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and Vice-Chair of the Institute of
Industrialists of Northern Greece. He informed me that he has already
started business with China, and that both he and other industrialists
in the area are interested in developing business with India. I
promised to do my best to help, since ELINEPA is interested in
economic as well as cultural development. When I returned to Athens, I
asked the lawyer and General Secretary of ELINEPA,
Antonis
Papadopoulos, to look into the matter, since he has wide
knowledge of international commercial law as well as Indo-Hellenic
relations. He moved swiftly and in a short time he had contacted the
relevant people in government posts and in private business, and
organized a short trip with a few business representatives to Delhi
and Mumbai. However, due to the prevalent climate in Delhi regarding Greek matters, the
trip was postponed.
When I returned to Benares, at the beginning of December, I was
inundated with old and new obligations, and therefore the developmental
projects had to be shelved for the present. The day after Christmas,
the cataclysmic tsunami brought to the fore the developmental side of
our institution. Various board members, such as Antonis
Papadopoulos, Alexis Marathianakis and Mahindra Maan organized the
Committee for Help and Development and stored medication,
blankets, clothes and food in a large warehouse in Athens in order to
send them to India. We upgraded our website and networked with various
Indian NGO’s in order to send assistance to specific areas. The
biblical catastrophe attracted Greek NGO’s as well, which sent and
offered assistance to victims of Southern India and Sri Lanka. The
support of the Greek Embassy in Delhi was of particular importance;
they cancelled their National Day celebration of the 25th
March, and instead contributed money toward damage repairs. We expect
that the Philanthropic Society of the Greek Orthodox Church in
Calcutta will give considerable support, since it possesses the
appropriate infrastructure with its two orphanages, medical centres
and schools situated there.
On
behalf of ELINEPA I would like to pay regards to the recently departed
Indian Ambassador to Greece, the ever hospitable Mr. A.K. Banerjee.
Amongst his laudable achievements during his four-year period in
Athens, he welcomed the Indian Olympic team and the Minister for Sport
at the time, Mr. Sunil Dutt. He was also particularly
influential in the successful completion of the Indian movie (Tsalte-Tsalte) in Mykonos and in Athens. His refined presence was obvious at the
founding of ELINEPA and at the
Indian Festivals in Thessalonica and
Athens. In the educational area, he had frequent meetings with the
then Minister for Education, Mr. Petros Efthimiou. He was
instrumental in finally having the studies of Indian Civilization
included in the Presidential Decree, which approved the foundation of
the Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies at the University
of Athens. Mr. Banerjee showed great interest and was supportive of
ELINEPA’s efforts to introduce the teaching of Indian Studies in the
Sector of African and Asian Studies of the University of Crete,
even though this has not been realized.
The
appointment of the new Indian Ambassador to Greece, Dr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan
on the 4th May 2005, provides the opportunity for
certain outstanding issues to be resolved. Firstly, it is necessary to
give official support to the campaign to resumption the Chair of
Greek Studies at the
Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Secondly, we hope that the new administration of the Indian Embassy
will be more flexible in matters concerning the granting of visas,
particularly for those people who work in the social services sector,
education and culture. Similarly, we expect greater cooperation and
support for the private sector in the economic and cultural areas.
In
my message of good wishes to the new Indian Ambassador, Dr. Bhaskar
Balakrishnan, I have expressed my hope that during his tenure
Indo-Hellenic cultural and educational relations will increase. I have
heard so much about his love for everything Greek that I am looking
forward to meeting him upon my return to Greece.
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