INDIA-EGYPT RELATIONS: An opportunity for the Surya and Ra to become one!

Whether in the writings of Herodotus or in the Tales of Alexander the Great, there has always been special mention of the two great ancient wisdom which since time immemorial were the centers of great civilization visiting which was the dream of many. India and Egypt are repositories in themselves of history, culture, gods and goddesses. Both the country of tropics where the sun rays are abundant for the most part of the year, where the perennial mightiest rivers whether it is Nile or Indus or Ganges brings exuberance silt replenishing the capacity of the land which gave birth to many historical cities and civilizations bringing prosperity to mankind. It is not just the textbooks of history which have mentions both of these ancient civilizations but both India and Egypt have a sublime opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations through dialogue and diplomacy. Both countries have the unfathomable realization of the potential of solar energy as both have been historically venerated Sun god whether Surya in India or Ra in Egypt the two countries in light of climate change can work towards the renewable energy sector.

In today’s era, the world is drifting away from fossil fuels for combating the inexplicable dangers of climate change, and in this context, International Solar Alliance which is India’s initiative can prove to be a phenomenal success and can be supported by Egypt more greatly in the future. When it comes to tourism there cannot be any other better example than Egypt in utilizing cultural and historical artifacts in attracting people from around the world. India on the other side is also laced with age-old cultural continuity and diversity presenting a kaleidoscopic visualization. The tourism industry suffered a huge setback during the Covid 19 period thus India-Egpyt relations can help to revive and boost the tourism industry as more young Indians can get attracted towards the pyramids, temples, Egyptian writing, and how these are preserved and on the other hand, the kaleidoscopic landscape of India which houses the tangible and intangible facets of diverse cultures can help to attract people from Egypt. The government of India with the help of the Egyptian government can help foster the image in the minds of Egyptians and people of other Arabic-speaking Saharan countries by promoting the ancient Indian philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The World is one Family) at a time of crisis when the world is at the edge of a war like situation.  Both governments should also look for opening up departments at the university level promoting Indo-Egyptian studies which can promote research and help bring people closer and strengthen cultural diplomacy. Amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the problems for food security for the world in general and Egypt, in particular, became manifold as the supply constraints in wheat increased due to the war, India came forward to help Egypt by relaxing the wheat ban, also Egypt played a pivotal role in sending medicines during the notorious second wave of Covid 19 in India in 2021. The government of India invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah-El -Sisi thus becoming the first Egyptian president to visit India on the Republic day of 2023 manifesting the camaraderie between the two states. Thus the bilateral dialogue of the two ancient wisdom can help solve greater and more complex contemporary problems.

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