Indians in Russia to seek PM Modi's support to build Hindu temple, more flights to India
Moscow (PTI): The Indian community in Russia are eagerly waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow and will be seeking his support to build a Hindu temple in the country, a new Indian school building and the availability of more direct flights to India.
Prime Minister Modi will be in Moscow from July 8 to 9 at the invitation of President Putin for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit to be held on Tuesday.
Indian diaspora members in Russia expressed excitement over PM Modi's visit to Russia while talking to PTI Videos here.
The diaspora members also expressed their wish for a Hindu temple, a new Indian school building and the availability of more flights to India.
"There are few things which remain missing in the society. For example, we would demand a Hindu temple through Prime Minister Modi. There are a few troubles with airlines as only Aeroflot works. If any other airline like Air India operates flights to Russia, then the frequency will increase along with the availability of seats," Rakesh Kumar Srivastava, an Indian from Patna living in Russia said.
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With Hinduism spreading in Russia in recent years and the number of Indians growing, the community is feeling the necessity of having a Hindu temple in the country to meet their spiritual needs.
"We have only one hope from Prime Minister Modi that something should be done for the Indian diaspora so that the diaspora students receive good education, and the schools should be strengthened. And the Indian diaspora which is importing goods from India is facing few troubles, they should also be looked into so that the India-Russia relations are strengthened further," Dilip Kumar Minglani, another Indian living in Russia said.
"Because I am a mother, I wish for a new building for the Indian school. The current building is quite old and if we get a new building then the future of the students will be secure," Pojja Chandra, an Indian hailing from Uttar Pradesh and living in Russia said.
An Indian doctor in Russia has urged Prime Minister Modi to seek recognition for Ayurvedic medicines in Russia.
M Mathew, an Ayurvedic doctor in Moscow said that Ayurveda is not recognised as an approved medicinal system in Russia and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise this issue with Russian authorities during his visit.
"Even though it's a huge market, we are handicapped in one way because Ayurveda is not recognised as an approved medicinal system in Russia. So, I humbly request our prime minister, when he is visiting Moscow, to raise this issue with Russian authorities and obtain approval from the Health Department of the Russian Federation for Ayurveda as an alternative medicine," he said.
Dr Matthew said that if approved, it will boost the Ayurvedic pharmacy sector in India.
"This will enable us to sell many products and enhance our business volume as well," the doctor from Kerala said.
Also, many Russian women dressed in Punjabi attire were seen performing Bhangra in front of the iconic Red Square in Moscow ahead of Modi's Russia visit.
Pramod Kumar, an Indian living in Russia said, "Every year we organise events during Baisakhi. Teams of Bhangra and Gidda come here and we have also taught the same to Russian boys and girls. We want to strengthen India-Russia relations, we want to strengthen the same and we are working day in day out on this."
A Russian woman participating in performing Bhangra said Modi's visit will further strengthen India-Russia ties.
"Our main aim is that we are trying to strengthen cultural ties between India and Russia, we are promoting Indian culture and festivals. Sometimes we also travel to India to exchange culture between us and India. We are happy that Prime Minister Modi is coming, our relations will become stronger. It is a great occasion and it makes us happy," Milana, one of the dance performers said.
"It is a very big event that he (Prime Minister Modi) is coming here. We have been preparing for this event for many days, we will be happy to see him here. I learnt a little bit of Hindi so I can tell that I will be happy to meet PM Modi," Natalia, said another dance performer.
VIDEO | Russian women dressed in Punjabi attire perform Bhangra in front of Red Square in Moscow to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival later in the day.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 8, 2024
"It's a very big event that he is coming here. We have been preparing. Mai Modi Se Milkar Khush Hai (I will… pic.twitter.com/hvxBIRxXBk
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I ran to save my life: London-based singer recalls chaos at Messi event in Kolkata
Kolkata (PTI): What was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime musical tribute to football legend Lionel Messi turned into a harrowing experience for London-based Indian singer Charles Antony, who flew to the country specially to perform at the event at Salt Lake stadium here.
Antony, a Malayali who sings in 18 languages, including Bengali, had composed a special Spanish song for Messi to welcome him in Kolkata, but was not able to sing that as he ran for his life amid chaos during the December 13 event at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here.
“I ran to save my life,” Antony told PTI, recalling how the celebration descended into mobocracy as crowd control collapsed inside the packed stadium.
Angry fans, many of whom had paid Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000 — and in some cases up to Rs 20,000 in the black market — ran riot at the venue after failing to get even a glimpse of their favourite superstar from Argentina.
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“I had barely seen him. He was smiling, but it was very clear he was uncomfortable,” Antony vividly recalled, even after 10 days had passed.
Positioned on the running tracks near the gallery, the singer was waiting for Messi to complete his lap around the ground when the situation worsened.
Antony saw Messi, his long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul being surrounded by many people.
He noticed water bottles, food packets, stones and metal objects being hurled from the gallery. Equipment was on the verge of being damaged, and panic had set in.
“I was lucky I was not injured, and none of my equipment was damaged,” he said.
The singer said there was confusion over reporting time, with instructions given to reach the venue at both 10.30 am and 9.30 am on December 13 for a sound check, and he had not had the opportunity to visit the stadium the previous day.
Personally invited by now-arrested event organiser Satadru Dutta to sing at the Messi events in Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, Antony had travelled from London and was staying at the Hyatt Hotel here.
Having sung in the presence of Diego Maradona during his visit to Kolkata in 2016, an experience Antony describes as joyous and perfectly managed, the contrast was stark.
“When Maradona came to Kolkata in 2016, I was inside the inner circle. Nothing went wrong then. This time, I was outside the core circle," he said.
Antony said the size of the crowd, on both occasions, was huge.
“This is the first time in my life I saw nearly one lakh people in one place. Luckily, I got the chance to sing a couple of songs at the event. Otherwise, it would have been a waste of travelling all the way from London. And now, I have become the first Indian to sing with Maradona and for Messi," he said.
Antony said people began storming the ground after VVIPs were escorted through an underground exit and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly left the stadium.
“That’s when the police told me to run to a safe place,” he said.
With no assistance from anyone, the singer grabbed whatever he could, his guitar, cables, mouth organs, and vocal processors, stuffing them into bags.
“Everyone was worried about the VVIPs. Nobody was concerned about my safety,” he said.
With his access tag still hanging around his neck, Antony felt even more vulnerable on that day.
“People misjudged me as one of the organisers. At one point, my life was under threat,” he said.
Police advised him to move towards the centre of the ground to avoid attacks from the galleries, he said.
Eventually, Antony ran all the way back to the hotel, later shifting to another hotel for safety.
“I had no time to look for anyone else. I ran to save my life,” he said.
In the aftermath, Antony tried repeatedly to contact Satadru Dutta to understand what would happen next, but could not reach him.
“There was complete uncertainty. I was getting very agitated,” he admitted.
He also witnessed the heartbreak of fans.
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“People had come from Meghalaya, Assam, Bengaluru just to see Messi. They couldn’t even see Messi and were very disappointed. and I saw many crying,” he said.
Antony clarified that he did not take any remuneration for the performances. The organisers only covered his travel costs from London and his accommodation in India.
Despite the ordeal, he refused to single out Satadru, the organiser, for mismanagement at the stadium.
“I don’t believe Satadru is solely responsible. He (Satadru) tried his best to stop people from coming close to Messi. But some others, possibly VVIPs, were taking selfies. He was visibly helpless. Everything went out of control,” Antony said.
For the singer, the day remains a painful memory, not just because he couldn’t sing for Messi, but because what should have been a celebration of football turned into a fight for survival.
