It is not surprising that China’s economic growth and its new leadership in research, science and technology have taken place together.
I particularly like the old Chinese saying
ORM, If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if you think in terms of ten years, plant trees; if you think in terms of 100 years, teach the people.
In India, too, the ancient saying is vyaye krate vardhate eva nityam, vidhya dhanam sarva dhan pradhanam
The wealth that increases by giving, That wealth is knowledge and is supreme of all possessions.This is one example of how our two nations are united in their timeless wisdom.There is much more, though, that links our two ancient civilizations
top university.
I began my journey in China in Xian. In doing so, I retraced the footsteps of the Chinese monk Xuanzang.
He travelled to India from Xian in the seventh century in search of knowledge and returned to Xian as a friend and chronicler of India.
President Xi’s visit in India last September started from Ahmedabad. It is not far from Vadnagar, my birthplace, but important, because it hosted Xuanzang and many pilgrims from China.
The world’s first large scale educational exchange programme took place between India and China during the Tang Dynasty
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Records talk of about 80 Indian monks coming to China and nearly 150 Chinese monks returning after their education in India. And yes, this was in the 10th and 11th century.Mumbai’s rise as a port and a shipbuilding centre is because of cotton trade with China.
And, those who love silk and textiles know that India’s famous tanchoi sarees owe themselves to three brothers from my state of Gujarat who learnt the art of weaving from Chinese masters in the 19th century.And, in an unquestionable evidence of our ancient trade, silk in our classical Sanskrit language is called Cinapatta.
So, the centuries-old story of our relations has been of spiritualism, learning, art and trade.
It is a picture of respect for each other’s civilisation and of shared prosperity.