The launch of the book "Canvas of Cultures" was organized on January 29, 2021 jointly by the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and the Embassy of the Republic of India in the Republic of Kazakhstan, S. Vivekananda Indian Cultural Center (Nur-Sultan). The event took place in an offline/online format. The opening ceremony was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Prabhat Kumar; UNESCO Representative to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan Ms. Krista Pikkat; Director of the S. Vivekananda Indian Cultural Center in Nur-Sultan PhD Dr. Sanjay Garg; Deputy Dean for International Cooperation of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr. Kenzhebek Gabdullin. The importance of the theme and content of the book for promoting the dialogue of cultures and interaction in the world, in particular, between Central Asia and India was highly noted in the welcoming speeches of Mr. Prabhat Kumar and Ms. Krista Pikkat. As it was noted by the dignitary speakers, the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th anniversary was celebrated worldwide in 2019-2020, was an important contribution to the maintenance of peace and sustainable development. Deputy Dean for International Cooperation of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr. Kenzhebek Gabdullin in his opening address expressed hope for a long-term cooperation with all partners, including the Indian side, and also wished a fruitful work to all participants. 

Dr. Sanjay Garg praised the work of the organizers of the 2018 international conference, and of the book editors; and kindly shared the e-book version of the edited volume, which is available by the following link:  https://online.fliphtml5.com/skzwy/fvco/

Scientific editors of this book – Assoc. Professor at the Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr. Laura Yerekesheva and Vice-rector of the Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology of the National Museum of India, Professor Anupa Pande – introduced the main idea and concept of the publication, content and structure, themes of research articles contributed by Kazakhstan and Indian researchers. The edited volume’s research articles followed the presentations made by the participants of the international conference "The Art of Weaving – the Way of Living", held in 2018 in Almaty. The conference became a part of the broader Festival of Culture that was comprised also of the exhibition of artifacts and the photo exhibition. The event was attended by famous scholars, leading researchers from India, Russia, Kazakhstan – Prof. Absattar Haji Derbisali, Prof. Susmita Pande, Prof. Klara Khafizova, Prof. Marietta Stepanyants, Prof. Risalat Karimova, Prof. Chimiza Lamajaa, Prof. Gulchehra Seidova, Dr. Laura Turarbek, Dr. Gulnar Zhuvaniyazova, Dr. Natalia Bazhenova, Lyudmila Glushchenko, teachers, as well as doctoral students, researchers of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abay, A. Kasteev Museum of Fine Arts, N. K. Roerich International Center, Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), UNESCO Chair at the Dagestan State University (Russia), Tuva Institute of Humanities and Applied Socio-Economic Research under the Government of the Republic of Tuva (Russia) and etc. The event moderator was Dr. Saltanat Jakubayeva, the translation was done by doctoral student Balaussa Myrzabekova (Faculty of Oriental Studies). The researchers who participated in the book launch briefly spoke about the content of their work and shared their impressions about the articles and research topics. Absattar Derbisali presented the results of his research and findings related to the role and significance of medieval thinkers from Turkestan in India. On the basis of information from medieval Arabic, Persian and Indian written sources, he told about the fate of thinkers, scientists and religious figures who were born from the X to the XVII century in the city of Yasi (modern Turkestan), but who spent their entire adult life in India, in particular, in Kashmir. Susmita Pande spoke about the shared cultural and spiritual heritage that existed between Central Asia and India long before the "official" beginning of the Great Silk Road, which dates back to the period of the Han Dynasty (2nd century BCE). As the researcher noted, Buddhism was instrumental in this interaction spreading from India through Afghanistan to Tokharistan and Sogdiana. Klara Khafizova touched upon the topic of political dialogue, which was impossible without taking into account broader intercultural and intercivilizational interaction. The researcher presented this aspect on the example of establishing relations between the leaders of the Chinese Kuomintang Party and the Indian National Congress during the Second World War. Marietta Stepanyants emphasized the importance of exploring the theme of intercultural interactions, which was the key leitmotif of the book “The Canvas of Cultures", through the lenses of the intercultural philosophy. From this perspective, the researcher particularly noted the article by L. Turarbek, published in the edited volume, on the ways the thinking process takes shape – according to the spatial model of thinking of a culture (nomadic and sedentary) and their relationship. Risalat Karimova presented the theme on weaving in Uyghur art crafts, in particular, in the production of wool, cotton and silk fabrics, pile and lint-free carpets. She spoke about the specifics of technologies developed in the Eastern Turkestan, the main compositions of the decor and noted that the carpet-making, more than other types of artistic craft, had an external influences. Chimiza Lamajaa, a reviewer of the book, shared her view that the publication was designed in the best traditions of the conference proceedings, when the scholarly discussion was well thought out and held by experts from a multi-dimensional view. The researcher also introduced the project that she works on as the founder, editor-in-chief of the journal "New Researches of Tuva", dedicated to the study of Tuvan culture and Tuvan society; she also invited the participants to cooperate and publish there. Within the frames of the book launch there also was organized the photo exhibition of the illustrations used in the edited volume, most of which were authors’ own works, openly published for the first time. The photo exhibition was organized by Fikret Tork, with the assistance of Dilnaz Tairova. The book "Canvas of Cultures" is a joint Kazakh-Indian project prepared within the framework of the celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th jubilee. The edited volume highlights the interaction and interweaving of the cultures of the peoples of Central Asia and India on the example of various aspects of history, culture, religion, art, and philosophy.

Using the metaphor of canvas and threads, which has become the main leitmotif, the book attempts to reflect and present this interaction through research and reflection, echoing the UNESCO motto - “We are all different, we are all the same”. The authors of the articles - researchers from Kazakhstan and India - introduce a number of previously unknown or poorly studied aspects of this interaction. The volume was prepared based on the presentations of the participants of the international conference celebrating the 150th jubilee of M.K. Gandhi, organized by the Kazakh-Indian Foundation in November 2018 in Almaty. The book is richly illustrated and will be useful for specialists in the field of history, culture, religious studies, art, philosophy of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, India, for teachers, students, and all interested. The edited volume was published with the financial support of the Swami Vivekananda Indian Cultural Centre at the Embassy of the Republic of India in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Nur-Sultan). The video on the book launch made by the cameraman Mr. Yersultan Serikbayuly is available by the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HGpm0zE6uy-sTCAJiZfPukqfSd3ExBeX/view?usp=drive_web