Inaugural Session of International Conference on “the Greek World and India: History, Culture and Trade from the Hellenistic period to Modern Times”, Monday 12 December at the JNU Convention Centre

H.E. the Foreign Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Nikos Dendias, addressed a video message at the opening of the Conference stressing that “Greece and India enjoy a long history of contacts. He added that “from the Hellenistic period to Modern Times, we need to build the relationship of the future. A relationship that aspires to become strategic, as Greece and India see many things in a very similar way.” He mentioned the vibrant Greek communities that were formed due to the commercial bonds between the two countries, especially in Kolkata, where the famous Greek Indologist Dimitrios Galanos ,after whom the JNU Greek Chair takes its name, had lived in the 19th century. He also referred to the digital exhibition of a unique byzantine manuscript with a large number of miniatures which depict the life of Alexander the Great. He characterized the manuscript “a rare “gem” from the collection of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post Byzantine Studies and stressed that its “digital journey” to India bears testimony to the efforts undertaken by Greece and India to honor and further explore their shared heritage.

The Minister also said that Greece feels honored that there is a Chair of Greek Studies at the JNU and pleased that the latter has been reinforced with a Visiting Professor from Greece since the start of this Academic Semester. Finally, he quoted the words of Poet Rabindranath Tagore during his visit to Athens in 1926, “We, the younger generations of both Greeks and Indians must always strive to live up to the level of our glorious past. But it is not enough to reflect only on our past. We must walk in modern reality. We must contribute to the promotion of the culture of our countries and make this culture a lasting value.”

Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Mrs Meenakshi Lekhi was the Chief Guest who inaugurated the Conference and Exhibition together with the Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Professor Ioannis Chrysoulakis. Mrs Lekhi made a very important proposal that Greece and India work closely together in the framework of UNESCO (Mausam Project) to inscribe common tangible and intangible heritage like the Indo-Greek “Mathura Art” (similar to Gandhara art), Unani Medicine, musical similarities and influences.

Furthermore, she said that, from an Indian perspective, Greece was never considered a country of the West but a bridge between East and West. She referred to the Indo Greek Bactria that was right on the edge where India met other civilisations. She also stressed that the two civilisations were connected and in touch even two centuries before Alexander the Great. She also mentioned that there were references on the Greeks in the great Indian epics like the Mahabharata. She further mentioned that “Greece and India had some fantastic exchanges in old times, they were competing but understanding each other as well”.  While now the world mindset has changed so countries like India and  Greece need to work together to “decolonize history”.

The participation of the Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Professor Ioannis Chrysoulakis was a clear sign on the part of Athens for a wish to keep upgrading the already excellent ties between the two nations. Prof. Chrysoulakis who was the Keynote Speaker of the Conference,  stressed that this is an event that has no precedent. He said that the millennial relationship between Greece and India is multifaceted and one that was always open to cultural and spiritual osmosis. He referred in detail to the Hellenistic period and the era of mutual Indo-Greek influences in the subcontinent following the passage of Alexander the Great. He expressed his great satisfaction with the fact that this Conference represents a significant boost in the Indo-Hellenic ties.

Ambassador of Greece in India, Mr Dimitrios Ioannou expressed his gratitude for being chosen to represent Greece in the magnificent and incredible country of India. He said that both countries represent an “Ecumene”, societies built upon their own ideas, that can live, survive and advance through history by the force of their own values, spirit and civilisation, while at the same time open to  interaction and dialogue with other civilisations.  He added that Greece and India, having developed these ecumenical civilisations that existed in parallel at two different points of the earth, found a way to communicate, understand one another, and find common ground. He commended the Experts of the Conference for trying to explore and to establish how this interaction took place, for the benefit of the people of the two countries that are shaping their future relationship today, based on thorough knowledge of their past.

Prof. Cristos Arabatzis from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Co-ordinator of the International Conference on the “Greek World and India” on the Greek Side said at the closure of the Conference that the School of Journalism & Mass Communications of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will offer: three Scholarships for Students of JNU in order to attend the summer school of the School of Journalism . In addition, the Hellenic Institute for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Greeks abroad and Public Diplomacy will offer two Scholarships for Students of JNU in order to attend the Summer School of Greek Paleography and Codicology of the Institute in July 2023. The delegation of the Hellenic Institute of Venice and the  Secretary General Prof. John Chrysoulakis stated that this is only the beginning and that more scholarships would be announced as the education cooperation between Greece and India is rapidly expanding. This will support further research by specialised scholars in the relations between the Greek world and India in the Hellenistic, Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods.


Vice Chancellor of the JNU, Mrs Santishree Pandit emphasized that there could be no better place than the JNU for the organization of such a Conference, as  JNU has always fostered dialogue among civilizations and is  the perfect place for innovation. She said that the Greek civilisation is one of the greatest civilisations and exerted influence in all the range of sciences. She mentioned that in the South of India (Tamil Nadu) there are many historical records on Greek trade during the Sangam period, that the Gods of India and Greece are the “most colorful, the most vibrant, the most human” and that an event on the comparative study of their characteristics can be organized in future.

The Dean of the JNU School of Languages, Professor Mazhar Asif,  stressed that Greece, India and Persia are considered to be the hub of language, culture and civilisation and  proposed that the Scholars do comparative research on Greek and Indian epics to bring new light on the  Indo- Greek relations.

President of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post Byzantine Studies Mr Koukousas stressed that the presence of the Institute in Delhi confirms the centuries’ old ties . India was a  great way to the Far East and a  place of possibilities for the Greeks during Byzantine times.

Vice Rector for Research of the Thessaloniki Aristotle University, Professor Stylianidis stressed that the co-organizing  University of Thessaloniki bearing the name of the famous philosopher and polymath Aristotle could not be absent from such an event and stressed the striking similarities between Sanskrit and Ancient Greek, and between the Byzantine and Indian astronomy.

Former Secretary General of the Greek MFA and former Ambassador of Greece in India, Mr Ioannis Zepos, during whose tenure  the Greek  Chair at JNU was established, said that the Chair has been a  constant light eversince, illuminating the common humanistic values between Greece and India.

Professor Vasileios Syros of the JNU Greek Chair said that both Greece and India possess a tremendous cultural capital and can play a pivotal role in fostering mutual understanding and the peaceful symbiosis among the world’s nations. He added that the  Greek Chair aspires to be part of this unique process of enhancing Greek-Indian relations.

Professor Bharat Gupt, President of the Indo-Hellenic Friendship League who has written an important book comparing the Indian and Greek Drama concepts, said that there should also be research on the similarities between the Greek and the Indian musical systems.