News

On Saturday, the 10th anniversary of the monument for Gandhi and Kallenbach was celebrated in Rusnė, followed by „India – Lithuania Friendship Award“ presentation ceremony.

The 7th annual event this year was filled with significant milestones, historical stories, and memories. In 2015, the monument dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and his closest associate, the Lithuanian-Jewish Hermann Kallenbach, was unveiled in Rusnė, creating a deep connection between Lithuania, India, Israel, Germany, and South Africa. It has become a major attraction, drawing hundreds of visitors from both Lithuania and abroad every year.

The event in Rusnė was attended by the German Ambassador to Lithuania, Dr. Cornelius Zimmermann, the Indian Ambassador to Lithuania, Devesh Uttam, former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, MJ Akbar, Lithuania's Ambassador to India, Diana Mickevičienė, Lithuania's Ambassador to South Africa, Rasa Jankauskaitė, Lithuania's Ambassador to the Holy See, Sigita Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė, the Chairperson of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community, Faina Kukliansky, and the Mayor of Šilutė District, Vytautas Laurinaitis.

The event also marked the 400th anniversary of Jesuit missionary Andrius Rudamina’s arrival in India, on the coast of Goa. A book about his life, "Rudamina: The First Lithuanian in India", was presented, with illustrations created by Elzė Milašiūtė.

Special attention was also given to the 130th anniversary of the first Indian’s arrival in Lithuania. Written records show that in 1895, Professor Jivanji Modi from Bombay University arrived by train in Kaunas, interested in the linguistic features of the Lithuanian language. Thirty years later, Professor Modi played a key role in helping Lithuanian traveler Antanas Poška settle in India.

For establishing this historical fact, as well as for her long-term work in developing Lithuania-India cultural and political relations, this year's "India – Lithuania Friendship Award" was presented to Lithuania’s Ambassador to India, Diana Mickevičienė. The Ambassador has been deeply involved with India for nearly three decades, authored the highly popular book "All My Indias", and teaches Oriental Studies at Vilnius University.

The second award was presented to India‘s Ambassador to Lithuania, Devesh Uttam. He not only became the first Indian Ambassador to Lithuania, but thanks to his personal initiatives, many new cultural and business collaboration projects emerged between the two countries.

The "India – Lithuania Friendship Award" has been conferred since 2019, aiming to encourage the relationship between Lithuania and India, as well as the people’s interest in these two countries. Candidates for the award are nominated by the Lithuania-India Forum, and the laureates receive a miniature copy of the Gandhi and Kallenbach monument designed by Romas Kvintas. Previous award recipients include distinguished figures from Lithuania, India, and Israel.

The event in Rusnė concluded with a performance by the female quartet The Backs. The group, who have performed with Lithuanian stage stars such as Sel, G&G Sindikatas, Justinas Jarutis, Vaidas Baumila, and Daddy Was a Milkman, surprised the audience by performing two popular Bollywood song interpretations. The girls were accompanied by guitarist Matas Ričkus.