Mahatma Gandhi center opening

At the Faculty of Oriental Studies of al-Farabi Kazakh National University, the opening of the Karamchand Mohandas Gandhi Center took place. The opening ceremony was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the Republic of Kazakhstan Sri Prabhat Kumar, Consul General of the Republic of India in Almaty Sri Martin Sirias Slemens, Rector of al-Farabi Kazakh National University Galym Mutanov, Military Attaché of the Republic of India in the Republic of Kazakhstan Colonel Nalawade, Deans, teachers and students of the University.

Welcoming the guests and participants, the rector of al-Farabi Kazakh National University Galym Mutanov noted that the opening of the center is connected with the name of the national hero of India Mahatma Gandhi. Karamchand Mohandas Gandhi, an outstanding thinker and leader of the anti-colonial movement in India, made a significant contribution to the development of social thought and philosophy not only in India but in the whole world. He is the founder of the ideology of Gandhism.

At his time, calling and fighting for the liberation of India from the colonialists, M. Gandhi said: "You must change in yourself what you want to see in a changed world." Thus, he paved the way for the great changes in the history of his country, which is famous not only for its natural riches, but also for its unique culture and centuries-old history. It should be noted that after the first visit of the President of Kazakhstan to India in 1992, the Department of Indology was established at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of KazNU. Since then, this department has been a reliable partner of the Embassy of India in promoting Indian research, studying Hindi and conducting cultural events. For twenty-six years, about two hundred students have mastered the languages ​​of Hindi and Urdu. Among them are bachelors, undergraduates and PhD doctoral students. Today, students, undergraduates and doctoral students of KazNU have the opportunity to study and pass training in Indian universities through government grants in India, and within the framework of agreements on academic cooperation.

During the opening of the Gandhi center, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India Sri Prabhat Kumar gave a speech at the meeting. He noted that the al-Farabi Kazakh National University is one of the oldest and most famous universities in Kazakhstan. "I am happy to recall that your university awarded an honorary doctorate to our vice-president during his visit to Kazakhstan in April 2008. This was a moment of pride for India and Kazakhstan, when the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched into orbit in February last year Nano satellite, built by the al-Farabi Kazakh National University. "India attaches great importance to the promotion and encouraging of research in the field of Indology both in India and abroad. That is why the Government of India provided technical assistance in the modernization of the Center for Indian Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the al-Farabi Kazakh National University. "It is very appropriate that now the Center is named after Mahatma Gandhi, who is highly respected in Kazakhstan. The government of Kazakhstan celebrated the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, releasing two commemorative stamps on this occasion on October 2, 1995. I am honored to participate in the inauguration of the Mahatma Gandhi Center for the Indian Studies, which I am sure will further strengthen close cooperation between India and the al-Farabi University, and will also help maintain close and friendly relations between the peoples of our two countries " .

Today, leading foreign professors and scientists from many foreign countries, including India, come to KazNU to lecture and carry out the scientific management of doctoral PhD students in the framework of the program "Attraction of foreign scientists to universities of Kazakhstan". The Indian branch of the Faculty of Oriental Studies actively participates in the organization of international scientific and educational activities at the university together with Indian partners. Among them, the celebration of the International Day of Hindi Language - the State Language of the Republic of India.

"In March 2015, the delegation of the KazNU visited the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and other countries, where the branches of the universities of India are located, for the purpose of cooperation and exchange of experience, and as a result, a cooperation agreement was signed with the University of Amity. It was also agreed to establish and develop mutually beneficial cooperation with the Delhi University and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, which became symbols of international communication between the two countries”, - said Galym Mutanov.

Noting the importance of cooperation between two countries, speakers congratulated all guests of the Gandhi center opening and expressed their hope for further establishing of fruitful bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture. Guests and participants were presented with a book exhibition with materials of domestic and foreign scientists-Indologists in Kazakh, Russian, English and Hindi. At the end of the event, the Ambassador of the Republic of India Sri Prabhat Kumar delivered a lecture for students and teachers about the history and culture of his country.