In the tradition of Ramayana-Mahabharata, the sources of India-Indonesia relations, Modi’s speech at the Jakarta Parliament

The official airline of the Muslim-majority country is named ‘Garur’. Hanuman is the symbol of the military. The capital Jakarta has huge sculptures of Lord Krishna and Arjuna’s chariots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned about their cultural and historical relations with India when he went to Indonesia. He addressed the Indonesian Parliament as India’s first Prime Minister on Tuesday. Modi emphasized on strengthening bilateral relations in partnership between both countries.

In his speech to the Indonesian Parliament, Modi questioned China’s hegemony in the Indo-Pacific region. “India follows the path of development, never of hegemony,” he said. The Prime Minister’s speech mentioned the ‘Ganga-Makam (Cultural Heritage River of Indonesia) Vision’ aimed at intensifying India-Indonesia cultural ties. Modi also talked about joint action to prevent issues like terrorism, cyber crime. He claimed that a golden chapter has started in India-Indonesia partnership from today.

Incidentally, the relationship between India and Indonesia is close in terms of history and tradition. Ramayana and Mahabharata are an integral part of the Southeast Asian country’s art, literature and national heritage. On this day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a speech in the Indonesian Parliament by inciting that emotion. Notably, on Tuesday, the two sides signed nearly a dozen agreements aimed at expanding cooperation in various fields, including defense, rare minerals, technology, food security, medicine and maritime security.