Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid floral tributes at the Shastri Memorial in Tashkent, commemorating former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on the 60th anniversary of his death in the Uzbek capital.
Lal Bahadur Shastri passed away in Tashkent in 1966, and his association with the city continues to be remembered through the memorial and a street named after him. A local school and the Indian Cultural Centre in Tashkent are also named after the former Prime Minister.
After paying his respects at the memorial, PM Modi visited the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, where he was received by the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov and the university’s rector.
During the visit, PM Modi interacted with Indologists and scholars pursuing academic research at the university’s Mahatma Gandhi Centre. He also took note of the institution’s longstanding contribution to the teaching of Hindi and other Indian subjects.
The university is marking 80 years of Hindi teaching this year. The tradition has helped strengthen cultural and academic links between India and Uzbekistan, with considerable interest among Uzbek students in learning Hindi.
During his state visit, PM Modi announced the Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarship for Hindi language for Uzbek students, further underlining India’s efforts to promote Hindi and strengthen educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the close linguistic and cultural connections between the two countries. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), more than 3,000 words are common to the Uzbek and Hindi languages, reflecting the longstanding cultural affinities between the peoples of India and Uzbekistan.
