Speech of the Ambassador of Russia in India

[Guest guest]

Speech of His Excellency Alexander KADAKIN, Ambassador of Russia in India

at the opening of New Delhi ISKCON Glory of India Museum

 

October 2, 2001

 

 

Thank you very much Maharaj-ji, Swamiji, sadhon sajjanon aur devyon [saintly

gentlemen and ladies - Hindi], I will say some more words in Hindi but I

will start in English.

 

On this very auspicious day for your community, for all our dear friends

sitting on the dias, for all of you, brothers and sisters, I am sending to

you warmest greetings from the Russian Embassy in Delhi and from Russia.

 

We highly value your warmest welcome. We have had many years of very good,

very fruitful and very close cooperation with ISKCON. Unfortunately, in the

past not everything was so smooth, and even ten years ago one would never

imagine that the Ambassador of the Soviet Union would be speaking here

before you. But now Russia is another country, and for me indeed it is a

matter of great honor, a matter of great privilege, and a matter of pleasure

to address you today, on the auspicious day for you, and the auspicious day

for entire India on October 2, the birthday of the father of the nation and

the greatest apostle of nonviolence on the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi. And

this has happened because of my dear brother and friend Mahamantra Das, who

kindly came and invited me to spend some time with you.

 

As you know, there is not a single religion in this world whether it be

Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, animism, any other faith

- there is not a single real faith in the world which would preach violence

or horror. In today's world we have seen how bad it is when people are

driven by horror, when people are driven by a desire to impose something on

others. And in this connection compassion and peace, harmony and

coexistence, respect for each other's ideas and beliefs, respect for each

other's faith has been a very constant and one of the brilliant features of

the ISKCON movement. We do have very close connections and close cultural,

religious, ethical cooperation with your society. As you know, there are

many branches, more than 150 branches throughout Russia and the republics of

the former Soviet Union. It only shows that the message of your religion has

attraction for the people. And I thing, it has attraction for the people,

among other things, because this is the message of peace, of love and of

compassion.

 

I would like again, dear friends, to thank you for the very warm welcome

extended to me. I will try to convey your heartily and cordial feelings to

the people of Russia. And on my behalf and from my heart, from my own heart

I want to wish you all success, every achievement on all your endeavors in

life. I would like to wish you svastya, satya, shanti. Hare Krishna, Hare

Rama. Om Shanti. Om Ram.